The tunnel had twists and turns, all while steadily going down, down, down. It delved far enough into the earth that Emmeric’s ears popped to adjust to the change in altitude. His breath misted out in front of him as the air cooled even further. Talking felt almost sacrilegious in this space. Anything they said to each other echoed off the walls, flying down the cave before them. They didn’t want to run the risk of something potentially guarding the bottom of the tomb and hearing them, so they kept it limited to whispers if they needed to say something. Even the whispers seemed too loud.
They’d been walking for quite a while—Iyana’s ball of light diligently following them—it was impressive she’d been able to maintain it for so long without drawing from him—when the cave began to narrow. Marginally so at first, but Emmeric had to stoop to keep his head from brushing against the ceiling, while Iyana continued to walk upright.
She peered at him, eyes sparkling with mirth, seemingly to say,not so bad being small now.
He returned the look with a frown to answer,shut it, Mouse. Lighthearted joy flickered over her face and through their bond; she bit her lower lip to keep from laughing at him. Emmeric’s gaze darted to the motion, lust coursing through him like wildfire. Iyana must have seen it in his expression, or felt it, because she quickly released her lip and glanced away.
The cave tightened further until even Iyana was bent over and Emmeric was on his hands and knees, crawling. Iyana was now leading them, as she was more upright and could see better. This was the most undignified position he’d ever found himself in, and he hoped Iyana wouldn’t hold it against him forever. Knowing her, though, she’d bring it up at any opportunity. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips, thinking about her future teasing, and how much he’d pretend to hate it while having to fight back a laugh.
Iyana disappeared suddenly with a shriek from in front of him, the light extinguishing, leaving Emmeric in darkness.
“Iyana!” he yelled, ignoring any previous caution they’d been using by keeping silent. A groan sounded from somewhere…underneath him? “Iyana!”
“I’m fine,” she said. “Fell through a godsdamn hole.”
“Are you okay?” he asked, even though minor aches in his own body told him she hadn’t been injured too badly. Although a little flash of pain traveled through his right ankle. He hoped she hadn’t broken it.
“Yeah, just bruises. My body and my ego. Guess I wasn’t paying attention.”
“I’m coming down.” Emmeric inched forward carefully, feeling out the area in front of him. His hand dropped into an empty space, and he dragged his body back before he toppled over as well. It didn’t seem like a far drop, but if he fell headfirst, he’d probably break his neck before he could twist his body into a safer position. The hole spanned the entire width of the cave, and leaning as far as he dared, the other side was still out of reach. Patting down the hole in front of him, his fingers jammed on something hard. He cursed under his breath, shaking out his hand. Emmeric explored more and soon realized it was wood. A ladder.
“Emmeric?” Iyana called.
“Coming. I think there’s a ladder here.” He swung his leg over, searching for a rung. Once he found one, he tested his weight, and when it didn’t break, he descended slowly, testing each rung. He’d hate to break the ladder because it would effectively trap them in this tomb, unless Iyana had learned to teleport. His stomach flipped at the prospect. Emmeric had never been claustrophobic in the past, but now would be a great time to start. Finally making it to solid ground, he estimated Iyana had fallen around ten feet. “Iyana?”
“Here,” she said, on the ground by his feet. Emmeric knelt down again, his hand feeling around himself until his fingers ran into Iyana.
He explored around her scalp, cataloging small areas of stickiness. Cuts which had already stopped bleeding. Moving his way downward, gingerly he brushed a finger along her nose, and down both sides of her neck. Her pulse beat strong and steady. A slight inhale passed Iyana’s lips when he reached her collarbones. Emmeric pulled back. “Did I hurt you?”
“No,” she whispered.
His instincts told him to continue his examination, to make sure she was okay, but he hesitated. “Do you want me to stop?”
There was a pause. Emmeric held his breath.
“No.”
He exhaled quietly. While she already knew how he felt about her, he didn’t want her to realize how much that one word affected him. She trusted him to continue searching her vulnerable body for wounds. And maybe she enjoyed his touch a little. If Emmeric were a better man, he’d stop now, knowing she was with Altair—this may be crossing a line. Phaedros take him, shelovedAltair. But Emmeric never claimed to be a good man, and he continued his search. He lightly grazed her arms next, both hands and each finger. Other than a couple broken nails, those were all intact. Smoothing his hands down her sides to her waist, she stilled beneath him. He paused, allowing her the opportunity to tell him to stop, but her body relaxed and he took it as an invitation to continue. Iyana’s legs were both without injury, only some rips in her pants, but when he reached her right ankle, she hissed in pain.
“Sorry,” he murmured. With a gentler touch, he prodded around her ankle. “I don’t think it’s broken. I’m not feeling any deformities.”
She sighed. “Thank the gods. I don’t know if I can mend broken bones with my magic, and I’d rather not test it now.”
“You healed me before without touching me. Do you think you can do that now?” There was no answer. “Iyana?”
“Sorry, forgot you can’t see me.” She hummed in thought. “I don’t think I can healmyselfwithout touch. But blood doesn’t need to be involved.”
“Tell me what you need.” His voice lowered against his own volition. Emmeric hadn’t meant to sound sensual, but this woman constantly had that effect on him. He cleared his throat, suddenly happy the darkness concealed her reaction.
“Hold my hand?”
Easy, he could do that. Shuffling back near her head, he took her hand, reveling in the sensation of her fingers between his own. He’d felt her hands before, of course, but it always surprised him to find they weren’t soft. Emmeric’s image of Iyana was this queenly leader who delegated the hard work, but the callouses on her hands proved she’d had her share of tough labor. He thought of her standing in her hut with a mortar and pestle, grinding ingredients for a medical remedy, or tearing cloth apart for bandages. No, this was a woman who knew how to work and relished in it. Without thinking, he rubbed his thumb against her knuckles.
The heady rush of Iyana connecting to their bond hit him harder than it had for a while. Maybe because they were in such a vulnerable and intimate setting, when lately they’d been separated and focused on their own individual tasks without touching. There was no enemy here for them to fight, and so he let the sensation flow through him while the pain in his ankle subsided. Once Iyana had healed herself, Emmeric jerked his hand out of hers. Her hurt pulsed in his chest, but if he hadn’t removed himself, he might have saidfuck itand given in to temptation. Already half hard, he tried desperately to get his body into check. Fire illuminated again in Iyana’s palm, and he adjusted his pants. Fortunately, she wasn’t facing towards him, but down another tunnel branching off from where she’d fallen.
“It’s this way,” Iyana said confidently. Emmeric really had no choice but to trust her instincts. She had led them directly to the tomb, after all.
Luckily for Emmeric, this section of the cave was tall enough for him to stand upright, and he luxuriated in stretching out his spine, arms raised up high. When he finished his stretch, Iyana’s eyes quickly looked anywhere but at him, and he grinned.
