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He leaned even closer, and I felt surrounded. “One day you’ll be mine, Darya, and when that day comes there won’t be any other man in your head.”
With that, he disappeared. I remained with my back against the tree, endeavouring to catch my breath. Vas’ intensity was a lot, especially when I roused his temper. I knew my defensiveness with him was merely a front, but I clung to it because I was terrified of letting him in fully, of giving my heart to someone again when it had only recently been shattered.
When I finally gathered my composure, I continued my walk back to my car. The next day I returned to the forest and so too did Vas. I was meandering through some tall trees when he appeared, again all in black. It was a striking colour on him and drew my gaze to his lean, muscular form. I cleared my throat, trying not to be so affected by his appearance.
“I gather you’ve come to apologise for leaving so suddenly yesterday.” I averted my gaze as I walked, refusing to give him my eyes. I felt his presence behind me, making the hairs on the back of my neck tingle.
When he didn’t respond I turned to glance over my shoulder. He prowled towards me and my senses went on high alert. He was in a strange, silent sort of mood.
“Well, are you just not going to say anything?” I prodded.
“You’ve been coming here alone each day. It isn’t safe. I came to watch out for you.”
I worried my lip. “How do you know I’ve been coming here?”
He finally reached me, and I gasped when he pressed his palm to my chest. “Because you are my ensnared, and I will always be able to sense where you are.”
Beneath his palm, the mark hummed happily, greeting its master. This shocked me, so much so that I took several steps back. “Has it always been so?”
He shook his head. “Only since we escaped from the prison. I think when we joined our magic to break the wards the connection between us grew stronger.”
I blinked. “So, you knew when I arrived in Oreylia?”
“Yes, and it’s a good thing it took a few hours for you to reach me. I was furious when I felt your presence near. Luckily, I had some time to wrangle my temper.”
“If I recall it wasn’t so very well wrangled. You tried to strangle me.”
“Because I suspected you were up to no good. Again.”
My breathing quickened.
“And now?”
He reached out, his hand caressing my cheek before he tucked an errant strand of hair behind my ear. “Now I know something you wish I didn’t,” he murmured, his eyes going to my mouth.
“Which is?”
The barest hint of a satisfied smile ghosted across his lips. “That you might protest about the future being a long way off, and how you’re so very focused on the present, but I suspect your feelings might mirror mine more equally than you’d care to admit.”
Why couldn’t I breathe? “What are your feelings?” My voice was hoarse.
“My feelings are…” he drifted off, his knuckles grazing my neck before wandering down my collarbone. “My business,” he finished smugly and suddenly I was the one battling the urge to strangle.
“Vas,” I said and his eyes came to mine, alight at the sound of his name on my tongue. “What are your feelings?” I repeated, gripping his arm. “Please.”
“Does it even need to be said? Can you not feel how I hunger for you?” His palm flattened against my chest once more and the mark preened happily under his seductive touch.
“Are you in love with me yet?” I blurted then winced. Why had I asked that? What was wrong with me?
He tilted his head, his eyes soft as he lifted a brow. “Yet?”
My eyelids fluttered. “In one of the visions, you told me you loved me.”
“You failed to mention that before.” His focus drifted down my throat.
“I think you’ll forgive the omission. I told you quite a lot of details if you recall.”
His expression grew serious, like he was thinking hard. His eyes rose again, latching onto mine. When he spoke his voice was a soft caress. “Perhaps not love, but falling.”
For a second, time stood still. Then I gasped, heart pounding. “You can’t mean that.”
“You saved me, Darya. You journeyed to a place full of danger with no guarantee of return, sacrificed your safety to free me. How could I not fall for a woman who would take such a risk on my behalf?”
My mind returned to the Blaze, to us laying in the sleeping pod while I cast the spell to remove his thorn tattoos. If I hadn’t come to remove them, would he have regained his magic some other way? Or would he have remained in the mine for far longer?
