Were we? When had I started doing that with him?
Sighing, I crossed my arms. “We should practicebeforewe arrive there. Especially you. No offense, but you give off as much warmth as a glacier.”
“Should we?” he said icily.
“Yes. Unless you want everyone to know we aren’t lovers.”
He glared at me. “Lovers.”
“I guess you haven’t had the opportunity in recent years. You probably don’t remember what to do with a girl who isn’t terrified of you.”
He stepped closer, backing me against the mairen. His hand slid up my throat, fingers pushing lightly until I tilted my head. His mouth lowered, lips grazing the spot beneath my ear—barely there, but devastating.
“Does it feel,” he murmured against my neck, “like I've forgotten?”
My pulse hammered beneath his palm. He had to know exactly what he was doing to me.
His teeth scraped along my throat, and my knees nearly buckled. Then he pulled back, scowling like I'd done something unforgivable. He turned away, jaw clenched, and I stayed where I was. Skin buzzing. Chest tight. Trying to remember how to breathe.
I dragged my gaze away, scanning the clearing. Anything to keep from drowning in the memory of his weight pressing me into the earth.
Kairos leaned a shoulder against the mairen. “Mount up.”
I grabbed onto the saddle, hesitating. The beast was massive, and I was still unsteady.
“Put your foot here.” Kairos offered his hand, palm up.
I placed my boot in his palm, and he lifted me. I swung my leg over the mairen and settled in, grinning. I’d dreamed of this as a child—watching fae ride past while I hid in alleyways.
Kairos swung up behind me.
Oh gods. The saddle was not built for two. His chest pressed against my back, his thighs bracketing mine, and this was very intimate. His body was everywhere—hard muscle and heat and the lingering ghost of his mouth on my throat.
I didn't think it would feel like this—like falling and never hitting the ground. I clutched the saddle horn, desperate for something to hold that wasn't him. It really didn't help that Kairos smelled incredible. Pine and steel and florals, filling my lungs every time I inhaled. Then his arm slid across my waist, and I forgot how to breathe.
“Relax,” he muttered.
How could I relax? His arm looped my waist, just like it did in the forest. Damn it, this was too much. I could feel him breathing. We’d be like this for hours, smashed against each other. Whenever he moved, it set off sensations, and I had to bite my lip to keep from shuddering.
His arm tightened. “Hold on.”
The mairen surged forward.
I gasped as we shot down the trail, trees blurring into streaks of green. Wind tore through my braid as we raced through the woods. Too fast.
The mairen didn’t gallop—it glided. We took a sharp turn and I jolted sideways. Kairos yanked me against him.
Branches thinned, and then we burst from the forest. Sunlight spilled in golden sheets across a meadow.
I dug my nails into his forearm. “This is fast.”
“Fast travel between realms isn’t easy. You either need a portal or mairen.”
The heat of him made it worse. Or better. I wasn’t sure. I could feel his heartbeat against my spine. Or maybe that was mine—I couldn't tell anymore. Everything was pounding.
I turned to look at him, our mouths inches apart. “Where are we going, again?”
“Drøthmar. It sits where the coast of Sanguir meets Skaldir waters. Neutral ground.”
