It was the kind of kiss people killed for. The kind wars were fought over. The kind people died for. The kind that made you tremble at the mere memory of it.
It was the kind of kiss from which people found strength.
Real strength—but it was also the kind of kiss that could burn you.
A desperate sound escaped my mouth as I released my breath.
A hazy mist was forming around us in the courtyard. I watched as it thickened, a chill touching my skin. As I stared into it, my mind became adrift. It consumed my senses, pulling me under the deep, swaying waves of memory.
His body was tight against mine. I could feel his pulse and the rise and fall of his chest as he drew air into his lungs, and though subtle, his body shook as he tried to control himself.
“Tell me, Adelyna,” a void said. “Do you still desire him?”
I had no defenses in place at that moment. He knew I was vulnerable. He knew I couldn’t lie in this moment. He had me trapped. I didn’t have to answer him. Like this, so close, so in tune with one another, he knew my true feelings.
His displeasure at the truth I couldn’t deny was disarming. I wanted to surrender further, to atone for the transgressionI hadn’t intended to make. Whatever had been between Ryden and me was pure and true. I wanted it, but I didn’t know how to have it.
“I will make you forget him,” he said, pulling me into his arms.
“Why?” I whispered. “Why did you wait, Ryden? If you wanted to be with me, why not make me yours?”
Ryden’s eyes slowly lifted to mine. His expression was hard to read. He was lost in his head, barely hearing me.
“I ask myself that every day,” he muttered.
My mind jolted, and light blurred as I searched for Blake.
I was shaking, and strong hands were grabbing me, trying to hold in place. Finally, I saw him.
“Blake,” I whispered in relief.
“Anna?” he asked, his lips grazing my ear. “What is wrong?”
“I think I saw a memory of my mom’s,” I whispered.
He pulled away enough to assess me.
“What is it?” he asked.
“It was like before, in the Raven Room, but much more vivid this time,” I said, hesitating.
“What happened?” he asked, his tone urgent.
I shook my head, closing my eyes. “I’m not sure; she was with a man. Ryden, or something. I think they were together.”
Blake gasped. “Are you sure?”
I nodded.
Blake shifted, putting space between us. I resisted, feeling the cold surround me, but he was no longer focused on me.
“We should go,” Blake said. “We do not know that these visions are real and that someone is not planting them in your mind.”
He led me out of the courtyard, the memory still clinging to me like a ghost. I knew Blake was worried about being exposedbut this hadn’t come from outside—these visions were born from within.
Chapter 29
Extreme Chemistry
