“We need to get out of here,” Kieran shouted over the rumbling. He scrambled to his feet, pulling me up with him.
Quandary, who had wisely flown clear when the backlash started, screeched from near the staircase.Come on.
We ran for the stairs as a large chunk of ceiling crashed down behind us. The staircase itself trembled, the steps cracking under our feet as we raced upward. Kieran kept a firm grip on my hand, practically hauling me up when I stumbled on a broken tread.
We burst through the door at the top as a cloud of dust and debris exploded from behind. Kieran slammed the door shut and pulled me away from it, his body shielding mine as the rumbling slowly subsided.
When silence finally fell, we were both panting, covered in dust, and very much alive.
“Are you alright?” Kieran asked, his hands cupping my face as he scanned me for injuries.
I nodded, too breathless to speak. His face was inches from mine, smudged with dirt, his blue eyes bright with leftover adrenaline and something else that made my heart stutter.
He shook his head. “That was?—”
“Incredible.”
His thumbs brushed my cheekbones, leaving trails in the dust. “You shared your magic with me. I’ve never felt anything like it.”
“Neither have I.” My voice came out soft. “It was…nice.”
A smile tugged at his lips, transforming his face. “Nice is one word for it.”
The air between us felt charged, crackling with the same energy that had flowed between us in the crypt. His gaze dropped to my mouth, and I swayed toward him.
In one quick motion, Kieran slid his hands from my face to my waist, and he backed me against the stone wall. His body pressed against mine, pinning me in the most delicious way. The contrast of the cold stone at my back and his heat at my front sent shivers racing across my skin.
“I’ve been wanting to do this since I walked into your workshop this morning,” he said, his breath hot on my lips.
“What took you so long?” I whispered, stroking his chest, feeling his heartbeat thundering beneath my palm.
His answer was to capture my mouth with his. This wasn’t a tentative kiss. This was hunger and need and fire. His lips moved over mine with the same intensity he’d shown fighting the blood sigil, as if kissing me required the same desperate focus.
I melted into him, my arms winding around his neck as I kissed him back. His tongue traced the seam of my lips, and I opened for him eagerly, a small moan escaping when he deepened the kiss.
His hands skimmed down my sides to my hips, pulling me closer until every inch of us aligned. I could feel the hard planes of his chest, the strong muscles of his thighs, the undeniable evidence of his desire pressed against my belly. The knowledge that I affected him this way sent heat pooling in my bones.
Kieran broke the kiss to trail his lips along my jaw, down the column of my throat. When he reached the sensitive spot where my neck met my shoulder, he nipped, and my knees nearly buckled.
“Kieran,” I gasped, my fingers tangling in his hair.
He eased back enough to look at me, his blue eyes nearly black with desire.
Quandary chose that moment to land on my shoulder.You two can swoon for each other later. We should check if it worked.
I cleared my throat. “We should see if the blood runes in my workshop were affected.”
Kieran’s hands fell away from my face, but he caught one of mine as we started back through the corridors. “Your magic is extraordinary. I’ve never experienced anything like that fusion before.”
“Is it unusual for magic to blend like that?”
His thumb traced circles on my palm. “Very rare. Most magical energies repel each other.”
“But ours didn’t.”
“No. Ours definitely didn’t.”
We navigated the winding corridors with Quandary chirping as he flew ahead. The frost that had coated the walls was receding, melting into puddles on the stone floor.
