“Here?” Thaelyn asked, arching a brow.
“Here.” His grin tilted. “I just survived the Kaelthir. You can indulge me in one dance.”
Before Thaelyn could answer, he drew her into him. His hands found her waist, firm but not presumptuous. She hesitated. Her body resisting out of habit before it remembered how to move. The warmth of his chest against her back, the smell of sweetness and spice clinging to him, it all blurred together until her thoughts quieted.
The music climbed around them. Laughter blurred into something slower, darker.
“You’re good at this,” Thaelyn murmured as Darian turned her.
“I’ll pretend you’re impressed.”
“I said good, not graceful.”
He laughed softly, dipping her low before bringing her upright again. The sound of his laughter was deep, unguarded, and pulled a smile from her that she hadn’t expected. It was easy being with him. She felt a sense of safety and that was a danger to her plan of staying laser focused on training and proving herself capable.
He brushed a stray wisp of hair from her cheek. “That’s better,” he said quietly. “No walls.”
Her reply faltered as her eyes drifted past his shoulder.
Across the fire, half veiled in shadow, Thorne stood near the treelined edge of the field. His arms folded, posture coiled, the flames reflected in his eyes. Even from here, she could feel the tension rolling off him, the restrained violence beneath the stillness. A handful of female older cadets stood nearby, laughing, their admiration too loud. One leaned toward him, whispering something that drew no reaction from him at all. His gaze was cold and unwavering and was fixed on Thaelyn.
Thaelyn’s breath hitched.
“You’re doing it again,” Darian murmured in her ear.
“Doing what?” Thaelyn replied.
“Thinking too hard about whatever is floating around in that mind of yours.” His tone softened. “You look so gorgeous. May I kiss you?”
Her pulse jumped. “You may ask,” she said.
“Oh, I’m reckless one, remember?” he teased and then kissed her.
It was brief, full of heat and breath, and the faint taste of wine. It was long enough to spark something within her that didn’t fade when he drew back.
“Well,” she managed. “That was unexpected.”
“You sound disappointed.”
“I’m deciding whether you should do that again or if I should be the one to initiate another.”
He smiled against her cheek. “Dangerous answer, Marren. Is that a challenge?”
Thaelyn found herself smiling too. His hand rose to her jaw, a calloused thumb tracing the corner of her mouth. He kissed her again, gentler this time, as if waiting for her to stop him. She didn’t. She kissed him back harder. The world fell away until there was only firelight, breath, and the steady rhythm of his heart against hers. When he finally let her go, the night seemed too quiet.
Darian retook her hand into his, guiding her away from the noise toward the outer trees. Shadows spilled like ink across the grass, cool against the heat still burning in her blood from the kiss. She could still feel Thorne’s gaze somewhere behind her, sharp and unrelenting. She didn’t turn to find it.
They stopped near a moss-covered log at the field’s edge. The music had softened to something slower, aching and old. The bonfire’s glow trembled through the branches, lighting Darian’s face in gold. He leaned back, one arm braced against the wood. “You look less like someone fighting the world,” he said. “It suits you.”
She tilted her head. “You think I fight the world?”
“I think you were born with your fists up.” His voice lowered. “You normally are very focused. But tonight you don’t have to be.”
“Tonight was different. I feel relaxed. I don’t have to prove myself when I’m with you.”
“I’m glad you are here and with me.”
Something made her look away, out across the dark field. The air felt heavier now, threaded with the scent of rain that hadn’t yet fallen.
