Hawk grinned as Rune moved to him, his cheeks flushing pink the moment Rune touched his finger. “I, uh—yeah—you can bite, if you want. Finger is good. Wouldn’t say no to the neck.”
“The venom’s spreading already, Hawk,” Rune said, amused.
“Blood’s warming. That’s good. Thanks,” he said too quickly, looking anywhere but her face.
Why did I want to punch him in the face?
“Weirdo,” Koa grunted.
“She’s ours,” Slater muttered.
“Yep,” Zuko agreed.
I’d been quiet the whole time, but when Rune turned to me, the crack in the glacial wall we were in seemed to disappear.
“Finger,” she said with an undertone of teasing. “Unless you want a neck bite, too.”
My gums itched where my fangs were. “Finger is fine.”
Rune took my hand. “Fang or finger?”
“Fang,” I answered, not fucking knowing why I chose the more intimate option.
My magic stirred in my chest. I’dwantedto bare my throat like Slater and Zuko, just to see how her mouth would feel there. I’d wanted to sink my own fangs into her to find out how sweet her blood would be.
But I couldn’t.
Rune Bloodwyne wasn’t my mate—I didn’t even think the Fates would bless me with a mate.
Rune’s finger was cold against mine as she looked up at me through those frost-dusted lashes. “Do you trust me?”
“Of course.” The words scraped through my throat.
She leaned down and sank a fang in. Her venom poured through me. The magic inside me surged to meet it, snapping like a live wire. Heat rolled up my arm and into my chest. I wanted,Fates, I wanted to pull her closer, to feel whether her pulse would jump under my tongue the way mine just had for her simple touch.
“Breathe,” she whispered as she straightened, and her finger pressed further into mine where she bit, lingering half a heartbeat too long.
I exhaled a relieved breath as the bitter cold retreated.
The world around us snapped back into place: snow hissing somewhere above us, the chant threading through even the ice, the team shuffling on snow. But I was warm…and maybe a little dazed.
Rune released my hand, but my magic chased after her as she stepped back. “Everyone good?” she asked, her voice steady again.
A chorus of yeses came from us, and a few dazedmhmms.
“How long will this last?” Lorian asked, rolling his shoulders as Eleanor scooted closer toward him like she was in his orbit.
“An hour,” she replied easily.
“What about you?” Hawk asked with a frown.
“Basilisks are usually immune to their own venom,” Zuko muttered, his orange eyes flicking over her. “Unless it’s not a harmful kind.”
Raze choked. “Uh, true.”
“Can you use it on yourself?” Slater asked.
“Already did,” she said easily. “I just excreted it from my fang and bit my tongue.”
