Page 88 of Captive of Secrets and Storms

My pulse pounds in my ears.

Is that a compromise?

“Why not?”

“Because Virendrellians are not honorable. Trust me.”

I snort. “Unlikely.”

Instead of being offended, he smiles and lifts a hand.

My brain misfires as his fingers trail across my cheek in a featherlight caress.

“There’s your spirit. I was worried you left it behind in your worthless lover’s hands.”

I slap his touch away. “You’re an ass.”

His grin grows as he lowers his arm. “I am.”

Wanting nothing more than to wipe that annoying smile from his perfect lips, I spit out, “You’re also arrogant. And infuriating. And…rude.”

Gah!

Is that all I’ve got?

Ferria would be so disappointed in me.

My insults do nothing more than heighten Rian’s amusement.

The prince stares down at me, silver flecks sparking in his dark eyes. “So I’ve been told.”

The space between us warms. Or maybe it’s just me.

My heart races at a mile a minute. My palms grow sweaty. My gaze dips to his perfectly bowed lips, tracing the stubble that shadows his strong jaw.

I swallow. “I don’t like you.”

“Come now, Elara. I thought we were past lying to each other.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to say I’ll stop when he does, but his hand returns to my face. This time, he cups my cheek with a touch that can only be described as tender. His other hand lands on my waist, as if to hold me in place should I try to move.

Confusion swirls, pumping out of my heart and into my veins. His thumb strokes my skin.

My breath hitches. “What are you doing?”

His smile falls, but he doesn’t remove his hand.

“I don’t know,” he answers quietly.

Rian doesn’t have access to his magic, but I swear a shadow coils around his wrist. When I blink, it’s gone.

Unspoken questions drift in the silence, subtle and probing, as if we’re both searching for answers we don’t dare ask for aloud.

Oddly enough, calm slips over my shoulders like a warm cloak.

For days, my life has been nothing but motion and upheaval. Travel. Danger. Fear.

The torture in Verdanthia. The endless sea. Near death by the tentacles of the Pelagor.