Now that I’m stuck, she comes walking over, hips swaying in satisfaction. When she stops in front of me, there’s a gleam in her eye. Anyone else standing here would probably be pissing their pants. At the very least, trying to yank out of their boots and run. But me? I’m just turned on. And I stay right where I am.
“You’re gorgeous when you’re unhinged,” I tell her.
Then, I slam my lips against hers.
Her mouth is warm and supple, droplets of gold dotted along the seam, and I can’t help but let my tongue dart out to get a taste. I have barely a second of feeling her against me before she’s shoving me back, the solidified gold turned back to liquid. I fumble backwards from the force of her push, feeling it splash around my shins.
She pants, looking even angrier than before, her golden eyes alight as she brings her fingers up to her lips. For a moment, she just glares at me, fuming, the gold rippling at our feet.
Come on, Goldfinch.
I keep my body loose but poised, readying for another hit from her. When she drops her hand, my eyes dart down to the gold, expecting it to come up for an attack.
Which is why I’m completely caught off guard whenshelaunches at me instead. I go tense, just as her body slams against mine, forcing me to take a step back to keep myself upright.
It takes me exactly a heartbeat to realize that this is an entirely different sort of attack. She’s not trying to hit me anymore. She’s trying todevourme.
My lips part against the assault of her mouth on mine, and my hands come down to grip her thighs that wrap around my waist so I can hoist her up higher. This time, instead of pushing me away, she’s got her hands in my hair, yanking me closer, demanding more. When my tongue slips against hers, she moans, this time not in pain or aggravation, but pure, hedonic thrill.
Fucking sexy.
When she nips my bottom lip hard enough to split it, I pull away, locking eyes with her challenging gaze. She tries to dive right back in to continue with our kiss, but I lift a hand up and thread it through her hair, yanking it firmly to hold her in place, but not enough to hurt. She growls in response, making me smirk.
“Come out to play, Goldfinch, and I’ll kiss you all you like.”
Her eyes flash with warning, and a moment later, she’s on her feet and I’m pinned against the cave wall by her gold. It’s not liquid enough to seep into my clothes, but it’s firm enough to hold me in place. She stands in front of me with a look of pure victory on her face. I’m like an insect caught in the strands of a spider web.
“Very good,” I praise.
She smirks in satisfaction, trailing a hand down my neck, streaks of gold smearing against me wherever she touches—like she’s marking me, which my fae nature really fucking likes.
After she trails along the stubbed spikes above my eyebrows, she leans in and skims her mouth against my neck. I have to bite back a groan.
“Come out, Goldfinch.”
A delicate, warm hand comes up to my cheek, and she turns my head to look at her.
“Come back, baby,” I say softly before I reach out and cup her jaw, letting my thumb drag across her cheek. “Come back to me.”
Something flickers in her eyes. Like flecks of shimmering light. Then, she blinks, and her expression suddenly morphs.
Sheer and complete relief pummels into me like a fist to my chest. “There you are.”
Her breath catches. Her lips part, and I watch her eyes focus on me before she whispers, “Slade.”
“I’m here. You’re here.”
She gives herself time for one breath, and then she fuses her mouth against mine. Her hold on the magic seems to disintegrate in a blink, and it goes splashing to the ground, splattering us both.
But she doesn’t even seem aware of it. She’s too busy trying to climb up my body, like she can’t bear to have any distance between us. I let the spikes on my arms sink beneath my skin, but everything else in me comes flaring up. All the worry and dread is shed into the pooling gold at our feet as carnal heat takes their place.
Because she’s awake. She’s alive. She’s warm and writhing and pressed against me.
Thank fuck.
Her lips yank away, just long enough for her to gulp in a breath. “I need...”
“What do you need, Auren?” I ask, letting my fang scratch against the pulse of her throat. Her hands cling to my neck, legs wrapped around me while I hold her ass, hands splayed and squeezing.
