Page 143 of Tempting Fate

“Oh, you can be fierce when you want to be, but that isn’t why I call you kitten.”

I pressed a kiss to the tips of her hair. “I like your meaning better, my mate.”

She snuggled deeper into my embrace and let out a long, easy sigh. “How do we make it happen?”

“The bond?”

“Uh-huh.”

If only I knew. It had come upon Shohari at our parents’ house when she and Garrison had been apart, which meant it must have been to do with her emotions rather than anything physical. But it was scarcely possible for me to have more love for Imani than this, so what more could I do?

I chuckled, massaging her head with my chin. “That, I do not know. But when I say I feel it in my bones, I mean that literally. They tingle and heat when I am near you, which I am told is a sign. But the fates alone decide.” Although… “We should certainly try everything physical we can, just in case.”

“Well, let’s hope they can hear us under all these darn rocks even if the comms systems can’t.”

Happiness welled up, and with it, a smile, stretching my cheeks so much they ached. “If we had signal, I would scour the commnet to find their IDs and send them a personal message, telling the fates that I, Airida mai Tasra, am ready to wear my love on my skin for you, to bind my soul with yours.” To keep you forever.

“You big goof.” Her smile matched mine. “Tell them I’m ready too.”

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

Sign of life

Imani

“I AM UNEASY being unable to check the news. It has been two days now.” Airida cupped my face and drew me in for a long kiss. “And a wonderful two days. But perhaps we should move, find somewhere where we can access the outside world.”

I softened into him, wishing he was wrong, wishing we could just stay here in this magical cave and pretend the rest of the world didn’t exist. But part of me was as restless as he was. Even the idyllic surroundings of the caverns, or the time spent enjoying each other, couldn’t fully quell the underlying restless current.

We’d lost our worries in each other, seizing the now, delaying whatever danger came next, but we couldn’t wait any longer. If we were going to get out of here and be safe, he was right. This was limbo, and we needed to know what was happening on the surface.

How long would we have to hide out here? How long would we have before someone found us?

Stalker had mercenaries working for her. If she hadn’t been fooled by the decoy on the carrier, anything was possible. Surely the caves couldn’t be that unknown. Eventually someone could come down here, and we couldn’t be here when they did, not unless we knew we were safe.

I stared at my comm again. “You know, I think it’s these blue crystals that are blocking the signal. If we can find somewhere they aren’t, we may be able to contact someone at least.”

Airida dropped a kiss to my forehead. “You may well be right, my moonlight. And so we must move.”

If we had to. “Fine. It’s too risky to go back the way we came. So, further towards the mountains? Or to the lakes?” We had to assume there was a way out in whichever direction we took.

He held out his datapad, but it had only mapped a little past where we’d already travelled. A number of dark patches showed in the area towards the lakes. “These could be water, but I do not know. The person who attacked Orukem, does she not live in the mountains?”

The idea of deep, dark, underground lakes didn’t appeal in the slightest. “She lives up a mountain, not under one. That way sounds easier.”

“Then we shall do that.”

We packed up. I cast my eyes over the cavern, at the patch of silvered moss where we’d danced, at the small heated pool we bathed in. It had been beautiful, magical. Maybe one day we’d be able to come back here to fully enjoy it without impending doom hanging over us. But to do that, we’d need to be safe and free. And that meant getting out from under the gorgeous, signal-jamming crystal ceiling.

“We should put all the sensors on. And activate cloaking again,” Airida said, fastening the flexible strip to his collar.

Jitters started up in my stomach, but I tried to ignore them. We’d had no trouble so far. Kira and Reskavi should be keeping an eye on the entrances by the village and lake, and the mountains were far enough away from any of the inhabited areas. It was unlikely anyone would venture all the way from that direction to see if we were here. We hoped.

Airida became a shimmering ripple of movement beside me, reaching for my hand before I vanished too.

We picked our way along the passageway, periodically keeping an eye on his datapad. I tried to ignore the added undercurrent of worry that, despite the most incredible two days together, there was still no sign of the mate bond.

Airida squeezed my hand and drew to a halt. “Wait a minute.”