Now, pressed together inside one jacket, his chest flush against mine, the heat from his body poured into me—slow, and impossible to ignore. Every inhale dragged him deeper into my lungs—his scent, his warmth, the quiet gravity of him wrapping around every inch of me. His hands lingered, not quite still, and it was all I could do not to lean in, not to give in to the way he was already everywhere.
Hot. It was too hot.
I tried to shift my weight a little, so he wouldn’t notice my back becoming damp.
“Calm down, you’re going to be fine,” he ordered in a strained voice.
Great. Now he was getting annoyed with me.
I was still too hot.
I tried to hollow out my back to create more space, but in doing so, I wiggled my ass and shoved it accidentally into his crotch.
Whoops.
He groaned, a deep, rumbling sound that vibrated through my entire body. “Emma,” he growled in my ear, his voice thickwith warning, “you’re going to have to stop that, or this situation is going to get a lot more awkward real quick.”
I stiffened, every muscle in my body locking up as I realized what I’d done.
"Sorry!" I tried to sound nonchalant, but it came out more like a squeak.
My mind raced, trying to focus on anything but the lust pooling in my core and the intrusive ache of wondering what it would be like to give into my body’s wishes.
“Just…stay still.”
I nodded, biting my lip to keep from saying something stupid. Or worse, from doing something stupid.
Minutes passed, though they felt like hours. Neither of us moved. I didn’t dare to speak, didn’t dare to do anything that might shatter the fragile control we both clung to.
Finally, Caden exhaled a long breath and slowly, cautiously, released his hold on me. The loss of his warmth was immediate, and I found myself missing it, despite the chaotic swirl of emotions in my head.
“I think we’re clear,” he said, his voice rougher than before, as if he’d been holding back more than just words. He took a step back, giving me a little space, and I turned to face him, my eyes searching his.
What I saw there made my heart skip a beat—desire, raw and barely restrained, shadowed by a darker craving, threatening to swallow us both.
“Thanks,” I managed to say. “For, you know, keeping me quiet.”
His lips twitched into a wry smile. “Anytime,” he replied, though there was an edge to it that hadn’t been there before. He was trying to play it off, but the electricity between us was undeniable.
“Can we get out of here?” I asked, desperate to create some distance from whatever the fuck this was.
“Fuck yeah,” he breathed, then stepped back just enough to let me go first.
As Caden and I slipped out of the cramped space and back into the corridor, the harsh blaze of sunlight hit us like a sledgehammer, nearly blinding us. We had to remain invisible, but the glaring brightness made it almost impossible.
“We have to move out to Batura Sar, even without knowing where the Layer starts exactly. We’re sitting ducks in here,” Caden said, his voice edged with urgency. “Gods only know what the fuck that explosion was all about.”
I scanned the area, locking onto a high-up window. Without hesitation, I jumped, hoisting myself up to get a clear view of the ridge—our destination.
“Not really the time for sightseeing,” Caden hissed from below, staring up at me. I rolled my eyes in response. That man had no sense of comic timing.
Squinting into the distance, I strained to take in as much as I could, and relief flooded me as I spotted it—a narrow, winding path carved into the side of the peak. The route Emile had mentioned.
I watched the guards patrolling below, their movements deliberate and methodical. One of them stood out, a faint purple shimmer surrounding him. “There’s a Radical translating,” I murmured. “The Amplifier is still turned off.”
Caden nodded, his shoulders relaxing slightly as he processed the information. “Good. Recon’s done. We’re not getting anything new hiding in here. Get us to the mountain—just make sure we’re cloaked.”
I jumped back down, landing lightly beside him as I activated my Nexus. A swirling green portal sprang to life before us, its glow casting an eerie light over the dim surroundings.
