Then his tongue slips between my lips, conquering my mouth before I even realize I’ve been invaded. Lighting me up as he traces and teases, claiming me over and over again.
I finally break free. “Is this actually happening?”
“Just kiss me.”
Yes, sir.
I grab his shirt, pulling him closer as his tongue sweeps through my mouth. I catch his lower lip with my teeth, and he lets out a groan that makes it impossible to ignore how hard I am. He tears open my collar, ripping the buttons, sucking and biting at my neck while his hands travel down my chest.
My mind can’t keep up. “What are you doing?”
He lets out a short laugh and bites my ear, sending a sizzle down my spine, just as his fingers tug at my belt.
“No, stop. Stop.” If my brain had hands, it would’ve smacked me.
Emmrich pauses, his features warping in confusion. “What?”
I pull his hands off me and force myself away, fumbling to redo my remaining buttons. “Call me a romantic, but I’d rather not get fucked in an alley with my friend right around the corner.”
His expression’s unreadable. Catching his breath? Disappointment, maybe? I peek back at the main road to check on Ellie.
She’s gone.
So is Emmrich’s friend.
“Wait, where’d they go?” I turn back to Emmrich.
And… he’s running down the alley and not looking back.
Where’s he going?
Puzzle pieces snap together. I left Ellie with his friend. They’re gone. Emmrich’s running.
Arandur’s cock-sucking maw.
I bolt after him.
Emmrich leaps over the fence at the end of the alley with impressive grace, hopping off the side wall before grabbing the top and effortlessly pulling himself over.
I definitely can’t do that.
But summoning wind is easy—I’ve done it a thousand times in the last two months. The gust lifts me over the wall with a bounding leap. Landing lightly on the ground, I sprint toward the intersection, giving myself a boost with a blast of air. Even with tension gnawing at my stomach, it’s exhilarating to finally experience the fruits of my endless practice.
By the dusk light and paper lanterns lining the road, I spot Emmrich. Down the road to my right, sprinting past a mom dragging her screaming children behind her. I shift the wind and launch myself toward him.
Catching him from behind, I wrap my arms around his midsection and fly forward. He arcs back with my momentum, letting out a strangled yelp.
I rip a wall of earth up from beneath the cobblestones, then swing my legs around, planting them against it. I push off, slamming back into Emmrich. He collapses beneath me, the force of the impact leaving him gasping for air. Incanted roots erupt from the dusty road as I grapple his arms down by his sides, wrapping around his wrists.
“Where are you going?” I straddle him, my legs pressing firmly against his pelvis. “I thought this was what you wanted.”
“Get these things off me!” His face contorts as he squirms against the roots, trying to shake me off.
It isn’t the busiest street, but a small, murmuring crowd’s forming. The Wardens of Fortune will probably show up soon, as I just very publicly broke several laws about incanting outside of the Academy. As the king’s militia, they backed the Order during the war, but mostly keep the peace. Just regular people, though there’s usually an incanter assigned to them for moments like this.
I lean close to Emmrich’s ear. “I’m gonna let you up, then you’re gonna tell me why you ran and where Ellie is.”
“How should I know?” The mischievous spark in his eyes is gone.
