Page 51 of Greed of Giants

But she didn’t speak of her ambitions, or of the accolades she hoped to earn. Neither did I speak of what awaited ahead. We let those things rest. Tonight belonged only to this: the lamplight, the noise, the food, and the ease of trading stories back and forth.

After my fourth pint, I felt a slight buzz, the faint reminder of the heady rush of losing control. While delicious, the pints weren’t enough to take me over the edge. I had the feeling I’d need to drink an entire barrel before I felt anything more dramatic. But Ilaris was already there. Relaxed, laughing, her fingers twisting a curl around one of them.

And then her hand moved. She set it over mine on the table. Light. Deliberate.

I went still, willing the fire in me not to flare. Actively repressing it. “Ilaris, what are you doing?”

She glanced at our joined hands as if seeing them for the first time, then cocked her head at me. “You’re warm, but not hot. And it doesn’t hurt.”

“Yet you are tempting fate.”

“Tempting you, not fate.” She didn’t move her hand. “You won’t burn me.”

Fire flared. I held it back. “Magic doesn’t always work that way. It’s dangerous, a tool to be controlled, not played with.”

Her gaze flickered to my face, lingered on my lips. “Are you always like this? So in control, never giving in, never letting go?”

That tug came from deep within, to relinquish control, to take her, consume her. “I have to be. Losing control means death.” I leaned closer. She mirrored me. “I would not lose you.”

For a moment, she didn’t answer. The inn moved around us, but I only heard the hollow echoes of it. She was so close, her breath so quick, I felt her pulse thumping against my fingers. Then, slowly, she slipped her hand away.

And there it was, that look in her eyes. “I’m right here, Killian. You’re not going to lose me.”

Was it her speaking, or the drink? We needed to have a serious conversation, but not right here, not right now. I preferred this lightness, this friendliness. And I wanted her.

I wanted to give in, to lean across the table, to cup her softness in my palms, to taste her lips. The desire was so intoxicating, so compelling, so tempting—I stood.

I needed air, to escape before I did something I’d regret.

25

Ilaris

Asong hummed in my head as I bid Killian good night and we went to our separate rooms. He was only two doors down, yet it felt strangely wrong to walk away from him. Not when we’d spent so much time together, from the train to nights out in the wild and, finally, the shared intimacy of surviving together. It was hard to imagine my life without him, before I’d embarked on such a unique adventure.

Tonight it was a relief to let go of control, to be inside the safety of an inn and drink deeply, forgetting about the confusion of Killian. My body was warm from the ale, my thoughts hazy as I undressed and flung back the covers.

A knock came at the door.

Three sharp raps. Precise, not patient.

Killian? Was he going to take me up on my offer?

A low hum of desire strummed through me. We had much to say, much to unravel, and I hadn’t dared to broachthe subject of the scroll. I tugged my tunic over my head and opened the door.

The person on the other side pushed past me before I could speak. The door shut. Something wrapped around my throat, fabric, thin yet strong, and pulled taut.

“Not a word,” she hissed.

She squeezed harder, and the edges of my vision went bright. The sound that left my throat was involuntary and undignified, a strangled rasp. I went up on my tiptoes, my fingers tugging against the fabric.

“Listen,” the woman said, voice low, words hurried. “You must be the scholar, bound to the fire prince. He does not fully understand why he is here, nor, I suspect, do you. He is nothing but death and destruction, and you are trapped in his maze. You need to escape, set yourself free, and I will deal with bringing him to justice.”

Justice. The words rang in my ears.

I gasped for air, wishing I hadn’t had so much to drink. “Are you Lady Justice?”

“I am, but now is not the time for questions.”