My hands grip the back of the female’s neck as I rip her away from Eres, throwing her at the wall so hard that she slams into it and stalking after her.
She gapes at me. “The fuck—”
“Mine.” I snarl the word directly into her face, my arm slamming up to pin her by the neck.
“Lyra.” Hands cover mine, attempting to prize them free from the wielder’s neck as she chokes. “Let her go. She’s a friend.”
Those are the wrong fucking words. It feels as though emotion has overwhelmed my mind in a rapid, whirling wave, and I can’t focus hard enough to regain control.
A second hand grips my wrist. The female wielder pushes forward, using my wrist as momentum to flip us and banging my head against the wall in the process. She slams her arm into the same position I held her in. “Stop.”
It’s as though the heavy rush vanishes between one breath and the next. My chest heaves as I stare wildly at them both. “What…”
What in Aedryn was that?
“That’s enough.” Eres places his hand on her arm. And then lifts it, so he’s not touching her skin. “It’s the Binding, Sera. Lyra—it’s all right. It’s gone?”
Looking between them, I nod.
It’s almost true, though a small, burning ember of anger still lingers in my stomach as they exchange glances.
Without a word, Sera pulls her hand free and backs away, still eyeing me warily—only for Eres to take her place, caging me in. His hands cradle my cheeks, nudging them up so I can’t avoid his eyes. “This was my fault, not yours. I thought the feeling would be gone by now.”
My hands raise to cover his. The feel of his skin beneath mine helps to clear the last of the fog away, and my voice rasps. “Thatwas the Binding?”
“It was.” He doesn’t look away from me. “Sera, give us a moment?”
My eyes follow the woman as she slips out of the door without another word. As it closes behind her, Eres tugs me forward. I stumble into his arms, and he wraps them around me in the same way as he had withher. I tense, my arms hanging awkwardly at my sides. “What are you doing?”
His lips brush my ear. “Trust me.”
One hand touches my hair, brushing over the back of my skull and down, running his fingers through my braid. He repeats the movement once. Then again, repeating it until the tension holding my body hostage gradually seeps away. I lean more heavily into him. His heartbeat sounds against my ear, and I press myself closer to listen.
My heartbeat.
Ours, and it thuds a little faster as we stand there.
“I don’t know what happened.” I admit the words into his chest. The cream shirt he wears is similar to the one he gave me when I first arrived. Well-worn, impossibly soft. Comfortable.
I’m not sure I’ve ever been more comfortable than I am right now, despite my mortification. “Don’t stop.”
The only person I remember holding me like this was Reena. And even then, not often. Only when we were certain we weren’t being watched.
When I look up, Eres’s eyes are endless, midnight blue and creased at the corner, hair rumpled and wild. His hand holds the back of my head, tightening. “I won’t stop.”
“What about Sera?”
“She’ll come back.” There’s amusement in his voice. “Possibly. But she understands the effects of the Binding. This is just a… an aftershock, of sorts. Mood swings, emotional changes, it’s all common. Like I said, not your fault.”
He plays with my hair. “Although I can’t say I didn’t enjoy being claimed by you. It’s a good job it wasn’t Kaelen. Between the two of you, this room would be nothing but dust by now.”
My mind is caught on his earlier words.
I can’t say I didn’t enjoy being claimed by you.
I look up at Eres again, and he drops his head at just the wrong moment.
His lips brush against mine. Both of us stop.
