Page 106 of The City Of Fractured Memory

Riven shrugs. “What does it matter? We’re damned enough already.”

I debate our very limited options, before letting out a frustrated huff.

Please tell me we don’t have to run again…

“I say we run for it,” Riven murmurs as we continue to back away.

Of course. Why do men love to run all the time?

“This is the last thing I wanted to do tonight,” I moan.

He gives me a pointed glare. “Well saving you from certain death wasn’t exactly high up on my list of things I wanted to do either, yet here we are.”

I narrow my eyes at him and he–

He winks at me.

We are literally about to be arrested at best—killed at worst—and Rivenéan Ashfell, Governor of Aethermere and general all round scary psychopath, winks at me.

It’s official. I must have definitely hit my head at some point.

“You ready?” he whispers.

“Ready for wh—Riven!”

He cuts me off by grabbing me and throwing me over his Gods-damned shoulder.

The audacity of this man knows no bounds.

With me slumped over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, he turns and sprints away from the burning wreckage of the Division, the wardens chasing after us. I thump his back in annoyance but he ignores me, maintaining a tight hold around my thighs as he ducks down a dimly lit side alley. I look up and watch most of the wardens run straight past the junction a few seconds later, but a couple skid to a halt, their gazes catching mine as Riven takes another turn.

“There’s two still on your six!” I shout, and Riven squeezes my thigh in response, panting too hard to speak.

He diverts into another alley, this one almost pitch black, the only light dim at the end, guiding our way forward. I lose sight of the wardens, but can still hear their echoing shouts behind us, and an idea strikes. Just because I won’t use my magic to hurt them, doesn’t mean I can’t use it to evade them.

I close my eyes, trying to ignore the jostling of Riven’s gait as he thunders over the cobbles, and reach down into myself, summoning my magic. A blue aura starts to glow around my hands, illuminating the alley around us.

“What—are—you doing?” Riven chokes out.

“Just trust me!” I call back, and to his credit, he doesn’t argue further. I focus on the walls of the alley rushing past us and take a deep breath before releasing my magic in a wave of raw power, aiming for the wall twenty feet behind us. A mass of brick and wood explodes, forcing a plume of smoke and debris cascading through the alley, and I quickly cover my mouth with my hand before the dust hits us. Riven comes staggering to a halt as the smoke surrounds us, blocking his view of the path ahead, and he spins. I just have enough time to catch the result of my explosion though the smoke before he faces me the other way—an entire wall has collapsed into the alley, blocking the path completely. Riven lets out a breathless laugh.

“Brilliant, fucking, woman,” he pants, and I can’t help, but beam. It’s not the first time he’s said that; I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like it.

Angry shouts from the trapped wardens reach us and Riven laughs again, lowering me off his shoulder as he spins round, pinning me to the wall. Before I can give him an earful about picking me up, he grabs my face and kisses me hard. I melt into him, but I don’t let him off the hook when he breaks the kiss.

“If you ever pick me up like that again–”

“Oh come on,” he cuts in, “I reckon you secretly enjoyed it.”

I thump his arm half-heartedly and he cracks a devastating smile. “Okay fine, I had a vision that you broke your ankle running, so I figured it was the only way.”

I survey him through narrowed eyes. “Bull. Shit. You’re lying.”

“Maybe,” he murmurs with a sheepish smile, and damn me to the Voyd if that look doesn’t do sinful things to me.

I press myself back against the cold brick, adrenaline still sparking violently through my system, watching Riven’s chest which still rises and falls rapidly, the shadows clinging to the sharp lines of his face. For a moment, neither of us speak as we process what just happened.

His gaze drops to my lips for a second, but that’s all it takes. The kiss is desperate this time, born of fear and fury and the knowledge that either of us could die at any moment. His hand slides to my waist, drawing me closer, and I fumble for his collar, pulling him down to me like I can anchor myself to him.