“And as such, you should?—”
“Just fucking go, both of you,” Kilia snapped. “You’re making my headache worse.”
Ottoh’s and Vero’s coughs sounded suspiciously close to laughter, and even Ilse turned her head down to avoid my glare. I refused to let my stiff legs slow me down as I swept past Darcke and made my way into the dark cave.
“Are we in a race I didn’t know of?” Darcke growled.
“Are we in a fight I didn’t know of?” I ducked beneath glittering stalactites that looked sharp enough to pierce through the top of my skull if they fell.
“Exactly,” I said when he didn’t reply.
Darcke’s hand found mine. I tried to free myself, but he firmed his grip, forcing me to a stop. It was almost impossible to make out his face—only his dark eyes glistened in the little light trickling in from the snow outside as he towered over me.
“I have never met someone who makes me as crazy as you do,” Darcke rasped.
“Happy to be of service,” I mumbled, still trying to step back.
“You don’t get it,” he continued angrily, a hint of that wild edge that set me on fire a few nights ago flashing in his eyes. “Sometimes I can’t tell if I want to kiss you to silence you or because your wicked little mouth is the only thing I see when I shut my eyes.” He raked his other hand through his hair. “You make me want to reach for your throat and capture your lips in the same breath. Fuck! I didn’t know it was possible for one person to be so consistently, infuriatingly alluring and irritating at the same time.”
“Is this… Do you want me to thank you?” My quip fell flat, because despite what I tried to convey, I felt his words in my bones, and my frozen toes curled in my boots. I couldn’t even breathe as he leaned in, his nose brushing mine with a featherlight touch.
“Everyone else gets to touch you,” Darcke growled, jealousy making his face even harsher than usual. His hands moved up my arm to weave into my hair. “Everyone else gets to stare at you when the sun falls over this hair, making it seem like it’s bleeding down your back.” He lifted a strand of crimson. “And now? Covered in ice and snow? You look like the queen of my own personal Hel, and it’s like I’m living a slow death, knowing I have no right to make you mine. I hate it.”
Tension rolled off him in waves, and there was a fight in my chest that was mirrored in his eyes. One we were swiftly losing. My hand moved on its own, sliding up his arm and over his shoulder.
I shouldn’t. I really fucking shouldn’t.
But the darkness wrapped so safely around us, the wind howling so loud no one would hear. We were in our own world here, and perhaps it was one where we could break the rules. Just for a moment. Just once.
When I reached his neck, I only hesitated for a second.
Darcke groaned as my fingers dragged through his soft strands. Then he leaned down, setting his mouth an inch from my own.
Everything within me was set alight at his nearness.
I didn’t need a fire anymore, because I was becoming our own pyre.
I fisted a handful of his hair and waited for a storm worse than the one outside to unleash. His breathing was deep, heavy, his chest rocking against mine as his arm slid around my back, pressing me against him.
“Guys! There’s something out there!” Kilia called.
When I tried to retreat, Darcke stepped with me.
“Maybe they’ll get eaten by the ghosts of your forefathers,” he whispered as his hand traced up my back to cup my neck, sending flames into my core. “And they won’t find us here.”
“Darcke,” I pleaded. For his mouth or for him to stop, I wasn’t sure.
“I know.” He pressed his forehead to mine. “That doesn’t sound like our kind of luck.”
My laughter echoed around the space, hollow as it was. “You’re right.”
“Seriously!” Ottoh called. “You need to see this.”
Darcke finally released me. “They’re the lucky ones.”
“How so?” I asked.
“Because if I didn’t hold out hope that I’ll get to kiss you soon, I would have killed them all already. But I have a feeling it’ll take you a few extra days to decide to give up everything for me if I do it, so I will hold off for now.”
