I don’t get to finish. Because his mouth is suddenly on mine, his hand fisted in my hair. I don’t know how he moved so fast, how he erased the distance like it didn’t exist, and I don’t care. I just need to change his mind, need him to stay, need to… Need to…
When his mouth moves, everything in me bursts into vivid life. The mate bond sings, gathering strength with every slide of his lips.
I cling to him, my tongue tangling with his. I pour everything into the kiss—terror and gratitude, relief and want andplease don’t die.
A sound escapes me, half-plea, half-moan. His arm bands around me as my hands snake up his back. Blood smears my palms, still wet, still warm—his, but he doesn’t seem to care. He just angles his head so he can kiss me more deeply. So he can make my stomach tighten and my head swim.
Goddess. Forget the blood, the death, the trolls, the Wildwood.
There’s only this. Only us. And the fact that I need him tostay.
But then light flares, so brightly it reaches me through closed lids. My eyes fly open.
A blaze pours off the gyre in Amriel’s hand. He must have grabbed it without me noticing, must have been holding it this whole time.
“No,” I gasp against his mouth.
His eyes meet mine, devastation and determination warring in those golden depths.
“If I die,” he murmurs, “just know that it was worth it.”
Reality crumples.
I stumble forward into nothing, my lips still parted, my hands clawing at empty air. Somehow, the Shadow is there, catching me, taking us both to the ground.
Instinct has me throwing my arms around his neck, climbing into his lap as if I can fight off death’s claim if I clutch tightly enough. His grip folds around me, and I mash my face against his shoulder, a choked sob bursting from my chest.
“You can’t die,” I babble, squeezing for all I’m worth. “You can’t, you can’t, you can’t, you can’t…”
Terror spins in my mind, questions I don’t want answered. If Amriel explodes, will the Shadow share the same fate? Or will he simply keel over? Will he go limp in my arms, the light draining out of his eyes?
My world narrows to the warmth of his skin, to the barrage of heartbeats battering at my ribcage—mine and his,thudthudthudas one. One two three…four five six…seven eight nine…
I suck in a gasp and hold it. Three seconds have passed, at least. Maybe four? Five? And still, he breathes, his chest rising and falling against mine.
I ease back, forcing my grip to loosen, enough that I can peer into his face. His glowing gaze ensnares me, the satisfaction there summoning a swell of hope. Andrage, so potent I pull back and slam my fist into his chest.
He laughs.Laughs.
And cages my hand in his, flattening my palm against the brand I carved into his shoulder. I try to pull away, because goddess, I want nothing more than to hit him again, to hitbothof them for putting me through that, but he holds me in place.
Then I realize how close I’ve gotten—my legs clamped around his waist, his hand spanning the small of my back, his mouth just inches from mine. A staticky thrill rolls down my spine, but…
No.No.
I’m angry. I’mlivid. I want to slap that gloating triumph right off his face. Tell Amriel exactly what I think of his infuriating little stunt.
So I do. Not through the Shadow this time, but by flipping the orb on my wrist and unleashing a stream of vitriol straight into the crystal.
“You bastard! You…you rude, horrible, reckless, ridiculous man! Do you have any idea how terrifying that was? How awful it would’ve been if you’d died? How not okay I would’ve been? How… How…furiousthat would’ve made me?”
A sultry laugh rolls from my bracelet as Amriel’s face appears. Some new emotion pierces me, an arrow striking me in the chest and passing clean through to the other side. Because he’s alive, staring out from the orb, sucking at his lower lip as if still tasting our kiss.
“I’m sorry, Princess,” he says, only he isn’t. He sounds anything but. “But you kissed me, and I figured this would be my only chance.”
“Your only chance?” I shriek, glaring at my wrist from over the Shadow’s shoulder. I don’t care if Amriel sees how entangled I’ve gotten with his other half. “Forwhat?”
His lips lift in a gloating half-smile. “To die with your tongue in my mouth.”
