They sprinted down the cobbled streets hand in hand. Adara’s other hand fisted in her skirts, holding them up at her side. Chaos erupted. People shouted at them to watch where they were going. Others screamed and veered out of the way as guards barreled down the street. Shoving their way through the throngs of people, Adara laughed. It was such a wondrous, joyful sound of reckless freedom. Dominic couldn’t help but laugh with her. It brought back the days when he was a boy here, running rampant through the streets with Damon and Valen without a care in the world, because if they were thrown in the dungeons, well, at least they’d have a roof over their heads.
To his right, Dominic spotted an alley. Swerving through the crowd, he pulled Adara into the passage with him, hoping the guards didn’t see them. Her back was pressed against the stone wall and Dominic stood in front of her, his body flushed against hers in an attempt to stay hidden in the narrow alcove. His hands found her waist, holding her gently as their chests heaved against one another.
Peering up at him through long lashes, Adara smiled, her eyes twinkling with exuberance, and suddenly, Dominic was all too aware of every part of him that pressed against her. Her gown was silky against his calloused hands, and he wished for her skin to replace it. Her palms rested along his bare forearms, his sleeves rolled to the elbows. Her touch was gentle, warmth seeping into his skin. There was hardly any space between them. The slightest movement would have their lips brushing softly. Suddenly, it was difficult to breathe, and he was glad he could use the running as an excuse for the effort it took to heave air into his lungs.
Adara’s laughter faded all too quickly as one of the queen’s soldiers, clad in dark purple and black armor, scanned the area.Dominic’s pulse leaped up in his throat. The soldier’s head swept their way. Adara’s eyes widened as Dominic gripped her waist, pulling her closer to shield the view of her dress—the one thing they could easily be identified by. His fingers threaded through her hair, soft and silky against his palm. A blush colored her cheeks as Dominic leaned in and softly brushed his lips against her neck. She stiffened. Sparks danced beneath his skin, fire trailing where their skin connected.
Dominic paid no mind to the sentry walking in the other direction, keeping up the act as his fingers dove beneath the slit in her dress, tracing her bare hip. It felt like her skin was on fire, burning and wild and desperate for his touch to spread elsewhere. His lips pulled into a smile as he leisurely kissed his way up to her jaw, lips caressing the shell of her ear.
“If I knew this was all it took to have you at my complete mercy,” he murmured, his breath hot against her skin, “I’d have done it a long time ago . . . ”
Adara’s breath hitched, body arching toward him. Her eyes fell closed at his beguiling touch. She tilted her head to the side, allowing him better access for his lips to work their way around her neck.
“And wouldn’t stop.”
Her fingers threaded through his hair, sending pleasant tingles through his scalp. She pressed closer to him, and he kissed her neck if only to stifle the groan at the intoxicating press of her body against his. It would be so easy for him to continue, to lean into her touch that sent waves of pleasure through him.
Adara’s eyes shot open, face suddenly twisting into a scowl, no doubt loathing herself for letting him touch her. She was no fool to the Thief of Hearts’s sensuous ploys.
The moment the guards were out of sight, she staggered back and shoved him away, ripping him out of his heady thoughts.Dominic shot her a flirtatious smirk. “Too bad that’s not always going to work,” Adara said, curling her fingers into her palms.
Dominic cocked his head to the side, attempting to remain impassive, as if he hadn’t been enjoying it as much as she was. “I guess I’ll have to try harder then.”
Adara’s fist flew through the air, but he caught her hand and wrenched her arm behind her back in the blink of an eye. Her eyes screwed shut in pain and he loosened his hold. “Are you done throwing a tantrum?” he scolded.
She huffed, but nodded. Luckily, the citizens of Lykrios were too occupied with the festival to be paying them any attention, and the guards had moved on, searching elsewhere.
He released his hold on her, and she stood upright. Grasping her hand, Dominic led her back into the crowded streets. By now, the sun had disappeared beyond the horizon, the only light that of the lanterns illuminating the kingdom in their soft yellow glow and the stars twinkling high above in the black abyss. Strolling toward the harbor, Dominic caught sight of Adara’s nimble fingers dipping into a pocket in her dress. She held up the silver earrings, dangling them triumphantly in front of him. The star-shaped metal gleamed at the end of the thin chain they hung from.
Dominic chuckled. Adara’s lips pulled upward at his mirth while she placed them in her ears. To see her smile at him like that again, he’d give anything to hand her the stars on a chain, but helping her steal the earrings would do for now.
Bloody Hel, what was he thinking? It was like this damn city was making him insane, addling his brain with some unseen toxin.
“Eyes of Elysian!” A vendor shouted from a wooden cart parked along the edge of the street, tearing Dominic from his thoughts. “They’ll bring hope and good fortune!”
Adara’s head turned abruptly toward the merchant, a disgruntled noise coming from deep in her throat.
“Not a fan of hope and luck?” Dominic asked, veering toward the cart.
Reluctantly, Adara followed. All kinds of strange things littered the wagon: a fluffy tail of what he guessed was a fox, a ring of feathers that sat upon a mannequin head, a string of fangs that the merchant said was “a necklace worn to bite the heads off demons that come to you in dreams.”
Dominic and Adara exchanged a glance, hardly suppressing their laughter.
Dominic held out a hand to which the merchant placed the jar of “Elysian’s eyes” with great care for him to inspect. He made a show of tilting the jar, assessing it from all angles as if he might purchase it. “What do you think, love? You could use a little hope in your life.” He rattled the jar in front of her, red, veiny eyes rolling inside.
Adara cringed away from it. “Gods, that ishorrendous!” She took another step back, features contorted in abhorrence. “Put those back, they’re not even real.” She waved a dismissive hand to the cart, eager to move on.
“Oh, I’m sure they’re real,” he said, returning the jar of eyeballs to the merchant.
Adara quickly took off down the street.
“I meant they’re not Elysian’s real eyes,” she said as he caught up to her.
“And how would you know?” he challenged.
“Your lack of piety perturbs me.” She tilted her face to the sky. “Blemythians believe Elysian’s eyes are in the sky. When a god leaves this world and returns to their realm, Sengui, they appear as stars to us. Elysian’s eyes are the two brightest. I’ll show you when we have a better view.” The towering turrets of the distantcastle and all the decorations hanging above the streets obscured the constellations.
Dominic leaned over to speak softly in her ear while they walked, his arm brushing hers. “And what would you say if I offered you a jar full of stars?”
