I looked up, my breath catching in my throat as I met his gaze. His eyes—dark and intense—locked onto mine, and I felt the ground tilt beneath me, as though everything was shifting, slipping away.
The forest around us seemed to fade, the trees melting into the shadows until there was nothing but him.
He stepped closer slowly, as if afraid of my reaction. Slowly, he reached out a hand and set it against my cheek, and I stifled a gasp at the feel of his skin on mine.
His hand on my cheek grew firmer, as if to stop me from moving away, from denying him—as if I could—and then he leaned closer and closer until we shared the same breath, and I was arrested by the look in his dark eyes.
My heart pounded in my ears and I couldn’t remember thelast time I felt this way, like I was falling and flying at the same time—
He bent down further and I waited breathlessly—and then he pressed his lips against mine.
Suddenly, there was sunlight sparking in every part of my body, from my fingertips to my toes, every nerve set aflame, my blood thundering in my veins.
My lips parted on a gasp, and he brushed his tongue against mine as I pressed closer to him.
His tongue explored mine, wetness pooling between my legs as I angled my whole body up to arch into his, forgetting where we were, forgetting everything except his mouth moving on mine.
For all his shadows, I found that his body was lean and muscled as he pressed me against the tree behind me. I raised my hands and ran them through his hair, gripping the silky strands and scratching my nails on his scalp.
My nipples were hard points as they brushed against his torso and his hand on my waist tightened, bringing me still closer as his mouth slipped to my neck, nipping and sucking until I moaned.
His mouth lingered here, there, but never stayed anywhere. His fingers stroked my waist, my collarbone, before moving up to cup my breasts, thumbs running over the hard points he found there, making me squirm and gasp.
My legs shifted restlessly under my dress, the silk whispering against my thighs and providing no relief for the sudden ache I felt within.
There was a sudden loud hoot above us, and we drew away, startled. Dario looked up, still panting, his mouth wet, and I felt everything within me clench at how utterlywreckedhe looked.
He looked down at me again, his eyes flashing, his pupils still blown wide.
“We need to go. The mage is here.”
I nodded, wiping the back of my hand over my mouth. Dario turned away, running a hand through his hair and I put my robes to rights, drawing the hood over my hair again.
When I spoke, my voice didn’t tremble, as if the interlude under the trees had never happened.
“Come on. We have a mage to interrogate.”
Chapter 16: Dario
Shadows stretched across the cobblestones, pooling in the hollows of the street.
I allowed my own to blend with them, reaching out in quiet anticipation.
The night had a way of holding its breath, still and tense, and tonight was no exception. Beside me, Elena stood close, her gaze fixed on the boy’s small house across the way.
We’d waited for a long time, but now, there was a crackling anticipation in the air, a sense that something was about to shift. It was only a matter of time.
My eyes darted to Elena as she kept her attention on the door, her face half-lit by the faint lantern light spilling onto the street. It seemed like the interlude in my arms had been a fever dream, so focused did she look now.
My shadows shifted at the edge of the alley, pressing out in anticipation, alert to any movement.
Then, from the corner of my eye, I saw a figure slip into the narrow street, his form hunched and quick as he moved toward the boy’s door.
I tensed, signaling to Elena with a faint nod, and watched as she drew her cloak tighter around her shoulders, masking her faint glow as we waited, still as statues.
The mage was cautious, his steps soft, his head turning nowand then as he scanned the street. His cloak was dark, the hood pulled low over his face, and he moved with quiet efficiency.
But he didn’t know that we were waiting, watching.
