Adalia scolded herself. If he was already gone, then all she had to do was turn around and walk right back through the Veil. Unless it was a trap . . . then what?
Shaking her head, she took a deep breath and stepped through.
All was quiet as she viewed her surroundings. Trees blew in the breeze and a few leaves danced across the forest floor. Adalia moved silently and effortlessly through the forest like it was a dance she had practised for years. As she neared the cabin, she saw movement.
Bones was laying at the front door, gnawing on a large stick. To the right was Matthias, dressed in black trousers only, his bare, inked torso glistening in the sun from the beads of sweat upon his skin. Closing her eyes, Adalia tried to centre herself with a breath.These past few weeks of missing him, of wanting him gathered in her body, creating a tension that felt so good it almost brought her to tears.
Muscles rippled across his back and all she wanted to do was dance her fingertips along his warm skin and taste the salt of it upon her tongue. This man would be her undoing.
He was throwing daggers at a target pinned onto a tree.
Adalia drew a blade from her waistband and took a step forwards, cracking a twig beneath her foot.
Bones snapped his head up and softly growled, but before Matthias could turn to see who approached, Adalia threw the knife she held in her hand right at him.
It skimmed his shoulder, missing his flesh by millimetres, and lodged into the tree behind him. The prince spun and Adalia watched in slow motion as he released the blade in his hand and it travelled straight for her body.
Air shifted around her in a flurry of wings and movement as the scent of juniper berries and sandalwood filled her senses. A warm, solid body pressed against her back as a hand reached around and clasped the dagger that had almost reached its target. Adalia winced and shut her eyes as the blade that was once headed straight for her was now being held to her throat.
“Don’t you know it’s dangerous to sneak up on people? Especially when they are armed. Besides . . . you missed.” Matthias whispered into her ear, his breath bringing bumps to the surface of her skin. With a quickened breath, Adalia realised she was trapped, mind, body and soul.
Not that she minded one bit.
“You think I missed? Silly prince—I never miss,” she whispered.
Matthias twisted her to face him, and Adalia threw her arms around his neck in a passionate embrace. She drank him in before pushing him from her body to check that he was all in one piece.
“Are you alright? I haven’t heard from you at all,” Adalia asked, failing to hide her disappointment.
“I’m fine. Things with my father have been complicated, so I have been lying low.” Matthias took a step back. “What are youdoing here, Ada? You know it’s not safe—you know there is a bounty on your head. You need to go home.”
Adalia shook her head. “I just needed to know that you were okay. Please don’t send me away yet. Let me stay and talk with you.”
“But it’s not safe . . .”
“It’s never been safe to be around you . . . hasn’t stopped me before.” Adalia gazed at him, a smile pulling at the corner of her mouth.
Matthias put his hands on his hips and grinned, turning away to compose himself. “Okay, here is my offer—beat me in three rounds of dartbourne and you can stay . . . but only for a few minutes.”
Adalia rolled her eyes and retrieved her dagger from the tree. “Deal.”
Matthias smirked as he moved to stand in front of the tree they would use as a target. “I’m sure you could hit me if you try hard enough—I believe in you.”
“If you value your pretty face, prince, I suggest you move. I wouldn’t want to ruin all your hard work looking that good,” Adalia taunted.
“You think I’m good looking?” he teased.
“I think you have three seconds to move before I throw this.”
Matthias chuckled as he stepped away from the tree to let Adalia throw her first blade. It landed centimetres from its target. The prince slowly clapped at her efforts, which resulted in Adalia poking her tongue at him.
“Is that really all you’ve got?” Matthias teased.
Adalias’s brow rose. “I’m not even sweating yet.”
Matthias grinned and positioned himself for his go. Throwing the dagger, it landed right beside Adalias’s but still not quite on the centre target.
Adalia pretended to yawn. “You’re boring me.”
