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Elementals, the horrors he had faced. Not to mention the blisters he must have endured, roasting under the sun for that long.
“I must have been a sight. Covered in blood and sores and reeking of Chaos. Mias spat in my face and claimed me Corrupt. Boedworth exiled me, believing I would die out in the swamps like some wounded animal.”
Tenah couldn’t help but grip his shirt and pull him closer to her. She rested her forehead against his chest, striving to keep her emotions in check as her magical awareness homed in on that nefarious pulse of somethingelsein his heart.
Renton’s hand moved up her neck, his fingers curling into her hair. Trees rustled, and faintly, they caught the murmur of Vesara and Gireth bickering somewhere below.
“Party animals.” Renton chuckled.
But Tenah wasn’t ready to leave the past alone. “Why would Boedworth toss you out just to hire you?”
“Technically, the High Court employs me. Elder Nithril found me on the bridge between isles, near death. He took me in. Cleaned me up. Ordered healers to work on the shard in my heart. No one could make it budge, so Nithril had their minds wiped clean until he could further research it. When he offered me work, I think he mostly wanted to keep tabs on me.”
Tenah eased away to examine his face. Did he carry any love for the elder as she had for the wraith that had raised her?
Renton’s expression was blank. “It seemed an ideal situation. Earn the trust of the High Court and bring to light Boedworth’s true nature. When Boedworth and I came face-to-face in Hathrowyn’s temples, he made sure the court saw me as nothing more than a troubled youth. Part of that was my own doing. I acted foolishly, even fell so low as to commit crimes and cast Boedworth’s name out as the culprit. Soon, he was the only one granting me contracts. I botched the first one on purpose, and it cost me my mother.”
She squeezed her eyes shut, willing his torment away. “Did Elder Nithril know?”
“We could never prove anything in court. Boedworth was always one step ahead, and Nithril’s had his fair share of trouble maintaining order after sacrificing his magic to seal the portals.” Renton sucked in a deep breath and met her eyes with an intensity that burned down to the marrow in her bones. “So, I became nothing more than Boedworth’s weapon, carving my way through enemies to keep Aeyis and the isles safe. Every misstep earned me another scar and another reminder that Aeyis was under his finger. I was fueled solely by anger for a time. Then I didn’t let myself think or feel at all.” He stroked his thumb along her cheek, and she melted into his touch. “Until I saw you.”
Chest aching, Tenah dared ask, “Do you think the isles have always been this way?”
“Yes, I do,” he said without hesitation, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. “But I know there is still goodness in this world. I’ve seen it. No matter your past, Tenah, you always have the power to change.”
Her eyes widened. For all his scars and shattered pieces, he still had faith.
She could no longer mask her awe for this shadow. She was certain it seeped from every pore. Nothing had ever felt so right in her life as it did with him right now. The hunter made her want to be more than her revenge.
His eyes dipped to her parted lips, and a fluttering tickled her stomach.
“What is it?” she asked breathlessly.
Renton pressed in closer. His fingers curled into the junction between her thighs and hips. His expression darkened into something unholy. “I’m thinking about how much I want to kiss you.”
Hot blood pumped thick through her veins. She tipped her head to the side, cracking a nervous smile. “With pants on this time?”
A slow grin curled on his handsome face. “Entirely up to you, angel.”
Tenah had never been a patient creature. She launched herself at him, capturing his mouth.
The kiss started innocently, full of all the words she wanted to share with him. He might not see his worth, but she would prove just how much he deserved love.
Her chest tightened at that thought. Before the negative part of her brain could overanalyze it, Renton took control, grasping her chin with his rough fingers. Where he nipped at her bottom lip, his tongue flicked out to lick away the sharp note of pain. She squeezed her thighs around him, eager to lock him in place.
Renton slid his tongue along the seam of her mouth, and she parted for him. A moan escaped her as he tasted her. She gripped his shirt in both hands, unapologetic about the wrinkles she’d leave behind.
She wanted to leave him a mess. Wreck him internally like he was about to do to her.
He stroked light fingers down her neck, drawing her attention away from his perfect mouth and down to where he skimmed fingers along the side of her breast. Then her ribs, as if he was mapping her body.
Renton captured her waist with rough hands and dragged her hips against his hard body. It was just a taste of what he wanted to offer. A promise of the pleasure he would bring. The delicious friction summoned another moan, followed by an impressive string of curses that made him chuckle against her parted lips.
“Filthy mouth,” he murmured. “I love it.”
Tenah wanted nothing more than to melt into him. To give and keep giving.
An onslaught of sabotaging warnings fired through her mind again, sobering her from the haze of lust. This wasn’t right. She couldn’t do this in her condition. Renton was deserving of every ounce of love.
