“I need to break my curse. I know you don’t understand, but—”
“No, I do,” he said quietly. “I understand far more than you think. And I want to offer you a deal.”
I squinted at him. “What kind of deal?”
“One where we both get exactly what we want.” Tormund closed the distance between us. His chest pressed against mine, and his eyes instantly went south. I didn’t even attempt to cover up the hint of cleavage. If he wanted to get an eyeful, then he’d get an eyeful. Bet he liked what he saw, too. Good.
Wait a minute, I thought to myself.Where in fate’s name had that bloomin’ thought come from!?!
I stepped back, but I hit the stone wall, my head haloed by a cluster of dim sunstones. The dying glow glinted in the depths of Tormund’s eyes, sparking something deep and aching inside me. Swallowing hard, I slid my finger beneath his chin and pushed it up. His gaze dragged back up to my face, but that wasn’t any better. He looked like he was ready todevourme.
All the rumors I’d heard about shadow demons tore through my mind. They weren’t known to be timid lovers. And when they chose a mate, they reallychoseone. They were raw and animalistic in their passions. At the thought of Tormund focusing all that intense energy on me, well. A blush was an understatement for how hot my face got.
“We both get what we want,” I repeated, desperately trying to focus on the conversation rather than on the utter lack of space between our bodies. But then I struggled to think what Tormund wanted. Other than something raw and passionate. And if he wanted that with me, then I was afraid he’d be sorely disappointed with how that turned out.
I’d had a brief fling when I’d been much younger, but it hadn’t lasted longer than a month, and I hadn’t known what I was doing. Since then, I’d only shared a couple of kisses with one other. My experience in the romance department was…limited, to put it mildly.
“That’s right,” he said, his lips curling into a wicked smile. “Wouldn’t you like that, Astrid?”
I nearly shuddered at the delicious way he spoke my name.
“That depends.” I swallowed. “What is it that you want?”
“You know what I want,” he said, practically purring now, strands of shadows curling and twisting around every inch of his body, including his deep black horns. The rhythm of their dance was mesmerizing, the way they whorled across his pale yet midnight blue skin.
“Do I?” I whispered.
“The Everstone.” His words snapped me out of my reverie. “Just like you.”
“Right. The Everstone.” I slid sideways. The rocky wall scraped my back, and then I found freedom in the open air, though a part of me ached to return to where I’d been—trapped with Tormund’s body against mine, his shadows nearly engulfing us.
“What else would I be talking about?” he asked. “Is there something else on your mind?”
“No, Tormund.” I sighed and rolled my eyes, desperately trying to cover up how flustered I’d gotten. “Just get on with it, all right? What’s this deal you want to offer?”
His expression sobered. “We join forces to find the Everstone. The real one, wherever it is. You let me have it so I can return to Azraak and heal Tahir.”
I scoffed. “That’s not much of a deal. In fact, it’s theoppositeof a deal, because I get nothing out of it!”
“I will vow to find a way to undo your curse,” he said solemnly. “And I do not take vows lightly. In my eyes, they are unbreakable. My life will be dedicated to the cause. I swear it.”
For a moment, I didn’t know how to respond. I didn’t much like his offer, mostly because I couldn’t be sure if I could trust him. The only thing binding him to his promise was his integrity. He’d repeatedly made it clear he’d do anything to get his hands on that gem. Would he stoop so low to make a false vow?
My heart pounded my ribs. I wanted to believe him. I wanted to trust he was one of the good people of the world, that he wouldn’t let me down. But it was a great bloomin’ leap of faith.
I didn’t need his help. I could find the stone on my own. And then I could un-curse myself.
And his brother would forever be trapped.
“Why can’t it be the other way around?” I asked. “I could get the stone first, then we could search for another way to save your brother.”
He rubbed the base of his horns, then sighed. “This is where I tell you I haven’t been entirely truthful about Tahir.”
“Wonderful.” I folded my arms. “I should have known. Let me guess, you’re not here for your brother, after all.”
“Iamhere for Tahir,” he said, his voice insistent. “But Tahir is not my brother. He’s not even a shadow demon. He’s a dragon, and the gem is the only thing that can heal the issue he has. Another gem caused it, so he needs a gem to undo it.”
My hands fell to my sides. “A dragon?”
