“Yes, I know but—” I sigh as he runs his palm over the length of my chest. “You’re distracting me. It’s not fair.”
“Day, if you don’t want me to kiss Cas again, I won’t. Simple.”
“Really?”
“Really.” He wraps his arms around me under my shirt, and I love the feel of him so close to me. “I love you and Rosie more than anything in the world.”
“I don’t think I’m jealous, not really. We’re all mates with Rosie. It makes sense,” I say, trying to sort through my feelings. “But what if I’d really died? I guess I’m realizing how easy it would be for you to replace me. You’re so perfect, Fare. Everyone loves you.”
He stares up at me and glares.Glares. “You’re not replaceable. And you’ll never die. You’ll never leave my side again. Do you hear me, Daytonales?” A dark command echoes in his words.
“I hear you, Fare.”
He grabs my shoulders and kisses me, open-mouthed and wild. “You know, it’s sexy when you’re jealous. It was always me so jealous of you bringing other people back to Castletree.”
It’s all I can do to force a smile at those pained memories. “I did it so you’d chase them out and I’d have an excuse to fuck you. Fare, they never felt as good as being inside you.”
“I know.”
Leaning down, I track my lips along the column of his ear until he shivers. “So if you want to fuck the Prince of Thorns, be my guest. At least tell me about it after. Or better yet, invite me and Rosie.”
Farron sighs, fingertips digging into my shoulder. “Anything you want, Day.”
“Though now I need to fill you up so Caspian can smell who you really belong to.”
Farron becomes boneless in my arms. Suddenly, I’m very glad we’ve ditched our heavy coats. I lift and press him against the stone wall. Placing one hand behind his head, I tangle my hands in his hair, rocking our hips together.
“How about your mouth?” I whisper against his salty skin. “I’d like to see my cum dripping out between these pretty lips.”
He smiles, eyes fluttering closed, and trails his finger down my chest. “What a good idea.”
I moan as he palms me, reaching out to brace myself on the stone wall. It gives beneath my hand. The wall trembles, stone grinding against stone with a deep, rumbling groan. I freeze, holding Farron tighter as a narrow passage splits open.
Farron leaps down from my arms. “What is this?”
“A distraction from your lips around my cock,” I mutter.
“That can happen anytime. This is a scientific discovery!”
I give a low chuckle, unable to deny the way my heart flutters at how happy he is. “Wait for me.”
Adjusting myself, I follow him through the dark passage, but something smacks me in the head. A wild scrap of paper flying around my head like a bird. I grab the parchment and unfold it. It’s Justus’s reply, interpreting Pointy’s last words.
“Ominous,” I muse. “But strange. It doesn’t make any sense.” I look up and realize Farron has gotten far ahead of me. I jog after him. “Farron!”
Light shines up ahead, a dull glow. I step out from the tunnel into a cavern and realize we must be in the heart of the volcano. Sunlight filters in from above.
Farron stands at the edge of a cliff, looking down into the dark depths. A rocky bridge stretches from this side to the other. Shadows flicker over him, catching the sharp edges of his jaw.
“You finally caught up,” he says, gaze cast downward.
“And let you have all the fun?” My throat is dry, scratchy from the dusty air. I look downward. Nothing but darkness.
“Nothing out of the ordinary,” Farron mumbles. “I expected to find the assassin’s camp or some other disturbance. Why else would it be marked on his map?”
“I don’t know,” I say. “Let’s get out of here. Even if ol’ Rhuvie’s sleeping as always, I don’t fancy standing in the middle of a volcano.”
I let Farron lead the way back. For some reason, my pulse is pounding against my ribs. What was I expecting? To find the place dripping with lava?
