“Depends on how you say it.”
I let out a breath that wasn’t quite a laugh. “I was just making sure you’re fine.”
She tilted her chin up. “And?”
“And what?”
“Am I?” She stepped closer until there was hardly any space left between us, her voice dropping to a husky murmur. “Am Ifine?”
I didn’t answer. Mostly because suddenly I couldn’t think.
She stood so close, and those damn eyes of hers were staring up at me. And despite everything—despite that scream stillechoing in my skull—all I could think about was how good she looked when she was like this. Confident. Smirking. Trying to get a rise out of me.
“Fine might be an understatement,” I said finally.
She grinned. “Oh?”
“You look a little…warm,” I continued. “Flushed in the cheeks. Your pupils are a bit large. Hmm… could be a sign of a concussion.”
“Ah,” she murmured. “We wouldn’t want that.”
“Yeah,” I said. “That would be really bad.”
She reached up and traced one finger along the edge of my jaw, right over my scar. My pulse stuttered, and I caught her wrist before she pushed my self-control to the brink.
“So, what would the official treatment be for that?”
“I’d say continued observation.” My voice came out rougher than intended. “Possibly in private. For thoroughness. They also say you shouldn’t sleep if you have a concussion.”
“And how do you propose to keep me awake?”
I snaked my other arm around her waist and pulled her flush against me. I lowered my head and whispered against her lips. “I have a few ideas.”
“Oh,absolutely not!” Eliza’s voice rang out like a war horn. “No, no, no. Just no. Not here. Not in the camp. Not within five feet of where the rest of us sleep. Go somewhere else. Somewhereawayif you’re gonna start trading spit and sinful moans like you’re starring in a bad demon romance novel.”
Lily didn’t move. “We could trade something other than spit if you prefer.”
“STOP,” Eliza shouted.
Lily rose on her tiptoes and said in my ear, “And I don’t moan. I whisper sweet profanities. Like, fuck yes. Anddeeper, Rath.Harder.”
A shudder wracked my body. And the soldier south of the border snapped to attention.
Eliza made asound—half-gag, half-cry—then stomped off, all the while muttering about how she now needed something called Brain Bleach.
Lily grinned up at me, her eyes sparkling. “Well. That was fun.”
I didn’t say anything. Just took her hand in mine and pulled her away from camp.
She chuckled and followed, her hand squeezing mine. We practically sprinted in silence, weaving through the familiar, scorched terrain. The camp noises faded until all that remained were the sounds of geysers spitting fire in the distance, gases hissing free of the cracked ground, the low growl of something massive and unseen moving over the nearest rise. Just normal Hell stuff.
The tower—ourtower—rose ahead in the crimson gloom. We reached the base, but I didn’t slow. Just snapped out my wings, wrapped my arms around Lily’s waist, and launched us into the air.
Seconds later, we landed on the creaky platform, and I tucked away my wings. But just as I was about to let Lily go, her mouth found mine.
It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t slow. She kissed me like she’d been waiting for this moment forever.
I kissed her back, hands still gripping her waist, holding her steady as she pressed her body flush against mine. Her fingers threaded through my hair, pulling hard enough to spark something primal within me. She bit my lip before pulling away, breath quick and eyes bright.
