Page 113 of Fallen Nocturne

“Just hit it.” A quiet warmth touches his face. “Aim for where you want the metal to move.”

I raise the hammer and bring it down. The clang echoes through the forge, and the metal barely dents.

“Harder,” Arescaine says with a smirk.

I try again. This time, the metal moves slightly, flattening where I struck it.

“Better.” He moves behind me, and suddenly his hand is on mine, guiding my grip. “Hold it here. Let the weight carry the strike and focus on where you want it to land.”

His body is close. I can feel the heat of him against my back. His hand wraps around mine, large and strong. Together we lift the hammer.

“Now,” he murmurs, his voice low and close to my ear.

We bring the hammer down together and the metal flattens perfectly.

“Like that,” he says, and I can hear the smile in his voice. “See? You’re a natural.”

His hand remains wrapped around mine, keeping me close against him. Suddenly, I cannot breathe.

This feels familiar. We’ve stood like this before, his hand on mine, his breath warm against my neck. This is something we’ve done a thousand times.

For one impossible heartbeat, his arms feel like the place where I belong.

I turn my head slightly.

Arescaine is right there. Close enough that I can see the faint gold hidden within his dark eyes. His gaze drops to my mouth.

Neither of us moves away.

The forge seems to quiet around us. Even the fire fades to a distant crackle. His grip loosens, but his hand remains around mine. He lowers his face by the smallest degree.

A few inches. That is all that separates us.

If I leaned forward, our mouths would meet.

My lips part. His breath ghosts across them, warm and impossibly close. A soft gasp catches in my throat.

Stop. I can’t do this.

I jerk away like I’ve been burned. The hammer clatters to the ground. My heart slams against my ribs. I can’t stop shaking.

“I’m sorry,” I stammer.

I do not know what else to say. I only know that I need to put distance between us before I do something unforgivable.

Something like kissing a vampire who isn’t my mate.

This pull between us feels too strong to be simple attraction. But I will never betray Landon.

“Rhianelle—” Arescaine starts, but I’m already backing toward the door.

“Thank you. For the lesson and for Coral. For everything.” The words tumble out too fast. “I should go. I have… things. Important things.”

I see the hurt flicker through his eyes before he locks it away. I hate that I put it there. “Of course. Your Highness.”

The title stings more than it should, but perhaps the distance is necessary. I need walls between us before this feeling becomes something neither of us can undo.

I grab the sword, Hrolf’s beautiful and precious gift, and I go.