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“Keera,” he whispered against my neck. I groaned in response as he licked under my ear. He wanted to taste me too. “If we don’t stop now, I might not let you go until morning.”
I smirked against his mouth as I pulled him into another kiss. “I don’t see the issue with that,” I teased, trailing my lips down his jaw. It tensed under my touch, and I scraped his skin with my teeth. Riven’s fingers dimpled my thighs as he cleared his throat.
“We have things to discuss,” he choked. “And I know you’re hungry.”
As if on cue, my stomach growled loud enough to scare the horse. Riven chuckled, pressing a soft kiss to my lips before lowering me to the ground. He grabbed my saddlebag and walked me into the cave.
I gasped when I saw what he had done. A straw mattress lay on the floor with a sheepskin blanket. The soft hum of flowing water filled the room from a small stream cascading down the rock wall. The water pooled along a waterfall, creating a small basin sprinkled with dew rose. Drops of water clung to the petals, almost sparkling in the soft warmth of the faelights that floated at the top of the cave.
It was like Riven had transported us back to the Faeland. Our own private hideaway.
“Did you do all this?” I whispered, looking up at the floating orbs.
Riven shrugged as he watched me. “I had some time to kill,” he said. He grabbed my hands and pulled me toward the mattress. A small basket sat beside the gray cover. Riven opened it as we sat. It was filled with salted meats, cheeses, and fruit. I bit my lip as my stomach grumbled in anticipation. I had ridden all day without food to get to Riven as quickly as I could.
He grabbed a large leaf to use as a plate and set a sampling for me. I devoured the food before Riven had started on his own. He smiled at the empty leaf as I loaded another helping. “Wine?” he asked, uncorking a small wineskin. The rich scent crashed through me.
My throat burned. “No,” I said a bit too loud, shaking my head.
Riven set down the wineskin, his brow raised. “Is something wrong?” he asked, reaching for my leg. His large hand covered the entirety of my thigh.
I swallowed. Part of me had hoped Syrra had lied and told Riven what happened in Caerth.
“I used wine—any alcohol really—as a crutch for a long time,” I said, heat rising to my cheeks. “I spent the better part of two decades drinking the days away, trying to forget. Trying not to care. I don’t think I will ever trust myself to drink it again.” My eyes widened as the last words fell out of my mouth. I had never said that before, but I was surprised it felt right on my lips. Even the craving at my throat faded as I looked at Riven.
His hand squeezed my leg as he put the wineskin back. “Thank you for telling me,” he said, his violet eyes piercing through me as he caressed my cheek.
“But you can. I don’t mind—”
Riven shook his head. “To be honest, I don’t much care for the taste of Mortal wine.”
He pulled me against his chest as we ate. He told me of his days meeting with contacts in the capital. The black markets were volatile after the floods. Merchants all over the kingdom were trying to find supplies to sell. The price of grain had already tripled.
I told him about my meeting with the Arsenal and how I would be able to keep a close watch on the Shades while we worked. I mentioned the audience with the king and his son. “You don’t think Prince Killian is making a move for the throne?” I asked.
His body was stiff behind my back, his dark brow low over his eyes as he stroked my hair. “If the prince kills his father, that makes our job all the easier,” Riven said. There was a cold edge to his voice that I didn’t understand. Or like.
“But if he—”
Riven cut me off with a kiss. “I can think ofmanythings I’d rather be doing than talking about the prince,” he said with a smirk. His eyes never left mine as he pulled the string along the neck of my tunic. It fell open and he trailed a line of kisses down my neck, biting my skin.
My breath caught. Riven’s fingers trailed along the scars etched into my arm, inching my tunic over my shoulder. I tensed as his thumb moved along a swirl of names. “Keera,” Riven whispered against my ear, kissing my scars. His gentle fingers pulled at my jaw, lifting my head to face him. “You’re as beautiful as you are strong.” He pressed a kiss against my ear. “And you’re the strongest person I know.”
He held my face in his hand, his thumb trailing over my cheek before he kissed my lips. Warmth pooled at my belly. I reached up behind me, my hands tangled in Riven’s hair as I deepened our kiss. He groaned against my mouth.
I turned around, straddling Riven’s lap in one fast motion. His eyes fluttered as I smiled down at him, pulling him in for another kiss. I could feel the hunger in Riven’s touch. He pulled at my lips with his teeth until I moaned. His hands squeezed my hips, pulling me closer to him. Something hard pressed against my thigh.
Riven’s hands wrapped around my back. I arched against his strong hold as he trailed more kisses down my neck. He pressed his lips against my collarbone as his fingers grazed along the open line of my tunic. Waiting for permission. Giving me control.
My heart burst as I lifted Riven’s face to mine and kissed his forehead. He closed his eyes against my touch, and I smiled down at his face. He wore no hood or mask. The faelights cast golden streaks along his skin. He was Riven. Cloaked in nothing but his hunger for me.
I nipped at his bottom lip. “Take it off,” I said—no, demanded. Riven’s eyes flashed open, and he grabbed the neck of my tunic, ripping it down the middle.
Riven caught my gasp with his mouth. “You can have mine,” he said between kisses, his voice a hoarse rasp. His lips warmed my jaw and then my neck. He bit my shoulder, his sharp fangs sending shivers down my spine. His hands roved along my torso, stopping over my breasts and pushing the tunic off my shoulders. Leaving me and my scars completely bare.
Riven leaned back, drinking in the view of me. His tongue swept across his lips once before he descended upon my skin. His hands palmed my breast, coaxing a soft moan from me. My breath caught when his tongue flicked against my nipple. My fingers clenched on his shoulders as he tasted my skin.
“I spent so long trying not to want you,” he whispered against my chest, pressing a kiss between each word. “But when I watched you plummet from that dam”—his hands tightened around me—“I knew I would never need another the way I need you.” My chest tightened at his words. I blinked down at him, unsure of how to tell him I had wanted him too. That charge had hung between us as Shadow and Blade, and now as Riven and Keera. Unmasked and unbroken.
