Page 89 of In Between Death and the Devil

He was biting his lip.

My eyes zeroed in on his mouth like it was a lodestone. I knew what those lips felt like against my own, soft yet firm. The memory of our last kiss sent something swooping in my stomach. I swallowed and ripped my gaze away, focusing on his eyes instead.

Eyes that roved over my body. That wasn’t much better, even though his gaze was clinical.

“What?” I asked.

“This is what Daphne wears when she spars.” Fen’s eyes were focused on my bare arms. “But I think you could use more protection, given that you’ll be playing with something akin to fire.”

“What do you have in mind?” My voice was a little raspy.

His eyes flicked up to mine. His gaze heated for a moment before cooling into something more appropriate. Like he’d remembered I was hurting and wanted to give me the space I needed.

Except I was having a hard time remembering that. He’d said two things could be true at once. I could both be hurting and want to climb him like a tree, right? No. Bad Maeve. Even if things were normal, just last night he’d asked to take things slow. There was nothing slow about the thoughts I was having right now.

“It’ll be easier to just show you.” He took a step towards me and lifted his hand. “May I?”

“What are you going to do?” I eyed his hand suspiciously. If he touched me, I didn’t trust myself not to do something embarrassing, like moan or try to plaster myself to him.

“I won’t touch you. At least, not with my hands.” His smirk was downright sinful.

Or maybe that was my mind happily skipping right into the gutter, imagining all kinds of wicked things.

Clearing my throat, I nodded.

“Hold your arms out,” he said.

I sucked in a breath and did as he said.

Shadows wreathed his hand as he reached for me. Hovering his palm over my skin, he sent a tendril of shadow to wrap around my wrist. It felt like silk, soft and light as it widened and grew. Moving his hand up my arm, his shadows coated my skin, creating a protective barrier that looked like a cross between a sleeve and armor. When he reached my shoulder, he moved his hand over my chest to the other shoulder and down the other arm. Then over my front and back.

I watched in awe as the shadows gleamed and swirled, like they were a living thing. Then Fen knelt to cover my leggings as well and I swallowed heavily.

He kept his gaze fixed firmly on his hands and what he was doing, being a complete gentleman. His head was close enough that I could reach out and run my fingers through his hair if I wanted to.

Instead, I drank in his expression of intent focus. I’d never been the subject of such attention. It made me feel strange. Almost peaceful, aside from the racing of my pulse at his nearness.

“There,” he said finally, looking up at me. “That should keep you safe.”

“Do I need a helmet, too?” I joked, trying to lighten the mood and ignore how much I liked having Fen kneeling at my feet.

“I don’t think that will be necessary.” He stood and admired his handiwork.

“Why did I need the padded tunic if you were going to cover me in shadow armor?”

“I didn’t realize I was going to until I saw you in it. Why? Do you like the feel of my shadows against your skin, Maeve?” He practically purred as he gave me a teasing smile.

I did. I wanted to wear nothing but them, but that was a distracting thought I didn’t need. “I thought you wanted to take things slow.”

“Taking things slow doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun. I didn’t even touch you.”

I tried to suppress a smile and failed. After the heaviness of the reveal about Bea, I felt lighter. Which was maybe what he’d intended by flirting with me. Two could play that game. “But your shadows touched me.”

“They did.” His eyes darkened.

“Tell me, Fen. Are they an extension of you? Can you feel what your shadows touch?”

His cheeks pinked and my smile grew.