“Better.” His deep voice had reduced to a murmur. “It went from drowning me to merely consuming me. The plant helps, though it’s not a miracle. It does work on humans, by the way. Let’s put some on you.”
“Nah.” She leaned forward and touched her lips to his. He tilted his head, allowing for more contact. Their lips fit together like puzzle pieces clicking into place. “I’ve got a handle on the pain.”
His tongue swiped through her mouth before circling hers. She fell into it, her control wobbling. Her desire swept away rational thought.
He sucked in her bottom lip before backing off again. “Your turn. With that darkrend roaming around, we can’t do much but sleep, so let’s make sure we get some genuine rest. Minimizing the pain will help with that.”
“What if you need more, though?”
His grin was soft. “I guess I’ll have to go out and get some, hmm?”
He moved around her slowly, laboriously. With the bowl in hand, he inspected her back and then her sidewhere she’d been in contact with him. His touch was warm and delicate, giving her goosebumps when he spread the cool gel. Almost immediately, the dull ache minimized if not subsided, working down into her body and quieting the pain.
She closed her eyes with a sigh and, when he’d finished, leaned back against his chest. He set the bowl down, and his arms fell around her, drifting down her stomach and back up, staying in safe areas. She didn’twanthis hands in safe areas, though. She wanted to feel him where it counted, his kisses all over.
“Not tonight, little dove,” he whispered, his lips against her cheek. “We need to sleep. Tomorrow we have half a day’s walk before we can ride. Besides, we’re in a bubble of safety and teamwork after some hard battles. We still currently have a mutual goal: to survive. You’re forgetting the reality of your situation. As soon as you come to your senses, you will have regretted my touch.”
She could hear the traces of pain in his words. The call back to what had happened with his first—and only—love.
“I don’t regret your kiss,” she whispered.
He paused, his hands stilling on her stomach. “Because you assume you’ll kill me and free yourself from my influence?”
“Obviously. Until then, it feels good.”
“And taking my body into yours won’t make it harder to kill me?”
She tilted her head to look up at him. “Do you know me, like, even a little bit? If there is a choice between myself and my captor, I’m not going to decide I’m the one that should go. Would you?”
He studied her for a moment as a smile budded. His gaze slipped to her lips. “Obviously not. We seem to be the same sort of creature. Sadly, one of us is still very much in pain and trying not to show just how difficult it is to sit like this. I’m no good to you right now, which is a real pity, because once we get to my kingdom, you’ll no longer want me like this.”
“You’re so sure of that?”
“Yes. Now c’mon. Let’s get some sleep while we have the luxury of safety. We won’t always.”
Somewhere in the distance, another pulse pushed at the air. The darkrend was staying close.
“What are those pulses?” she asked as she stood and helped him up. “I thought they were footsteps, but it can’t be moving so infrequently.”
“It’s sonar, essentially.” Tarian grunted as he stood and swayed, better than before but not great. Even if the coast were clear, he wouldn’t be going anywhere. “The darkrend uses it to seek out its prey and assess for danger. It’s supposed to freeze the prey in fear, I’ve heard, but I’ve never seen that happen. Usually, every living thing is running right along with me when its presence draws near.”
“The roar freezes you,” she said, steadying him. “I don’t usually freeze, but…yeah. There wasn’t much about my interactions with it that I’d want to share around a campfire, I’ll tell you that much. I was freaked out and running like my life depended on it. I didn’t even have a thought about fighting.”
“Wise. And just so we’re clear, if you see one again, don’t expect me to save you. In fact, you best be faster than me or I’ll trip you and leave you for dead so it doesn’t catch me first.”
The sparkle in his eyes said he was joking. His smile quickly dulled from the pain, still evident in his hunched lean and stiff movements.
She turned to survey the bed in the corner. “I assume you’re going to deny my advances and force me to stay in close proximity?”
“Exactly, yes. Just more torment to keep you on your toes.” He ambled, his hands curled into fists.
She wondered how bad it actually hurt. How close he’d come to death. Then, a moment later, her world crashed down in a red haze of mind-splitting agony, cutting out the feeling of her legs, twisting her stomach, and making it seem like her spine and ribs were crumbling under the pressure. He was showing her what he was currently enduring. She staggered and fell to a knee, her head bowed as she tried to compartmentalize what was happening.
The feeling vanished, leaving only its memory behind. Her body twitched in the aftermath.
“So…it hurts,” she said lightly, out of breath. Her stomach churned like she might throw up.
“A bit.” He popped the button on his trousers.
