Chapter 13 #3
He sucked in a breath of surprise. I could sense the viscosity of the blood in his veins, and it was an intimate process, separating that from the fabric clinging to his skin. I had to sense the places where the material ended and his body began. Doing so, I discovered every contour of his form.
Thankfully, Forge magic didn’t require physically touching the subject, or I might have gotten lost in him.
A small cloud of dew surrounded him as I passed down his chest, his waist, gathering each drop of canal water from his clothes and letting it fall back to the earth. I held my breath as my focus lowered a little farther and passed over his hips.
Moments later, he was standing there like he hadn’t just dove into the canal. I hoped that the chill in my cheeks hid how flushed I felt.
“Very good,” he murmured. “Your turn.”
I was about to start on myself when he took the die from my hand. “What are you doing?”
“It’s not safe, using this kind of magic on yourself. I’d hate for you to… dry out your skin or something.” His lips were tight, like he was holding back a smile.
“You’re really worried about my skin, Maxence?”
“I am,” he said, rolling the die around his palm. “It’s very nice skin.”
I realized that was probably the kindest thing he’d ever said to me, even if it sounded a bit psychotic. “Go ahead, then.”
He was more careful in his approach, starting at my fingers and working his way up. At first, it felt like a breeze wrapping around my form. But as his confidence built, the strength of his magic flared, and though he hadn’t lifted an arm to touch me, I felt hands running over my body.
My clothes clung to my skin, and it was like he was peeling them away, his bare fingertips moving over my body. They roamed across my shoulders, rounded the curve of my neck before diving down my spine.
I held a breath even as my lungs begged for air, too afraid of what sound might come out if I opened my mouth.
The phantom fingers parted at the base of my back and curved over my hip bones.
They were light and gentle over the hollow of my stomach, the valley of my chest, and swirled over the hardened peaks of my breasts.
My eyes fluttered, and I stared at him as he wrung every last drop from my clothes, the surface of my skin, the length of my hair.
His smirk had disappeared, his gaze intense and unblinking.
The muscles in his shoulders bunched, tensing.
His breath was heavy but controlled, like he was holding back any sign of his arousal just as I was.
Neither of us was a particularly good liar. But neither would call out the other.
He finished quickly, and I let out a long sigh as the magic fell away. I wondered if it had felt similar when I’d cleared the water from his clothes. If he had felt my hands on him, too.
A cold breeze pulled me back to the moment. And any heat I’d found from the exchange was smothered by the chill—and sight of the dead woman between us.
“Well,” I said. “Now that we’re dry, we can get rid of her.”
He picked up the chain Dante had left for us. “I’ll handle this, Ace. Turn around.”
I didn’t turn, but I shut my eyes, listening to the sounds of the chain wrapping around Bria’s limp corpse. Max cursed when he made it to her chest, hissing about getting traitor blood on his hands.
There was a long silence before a great splash, and I opened my eyes to see her sinking into the dark waters. The weight of the metal pulled her down, and even when her body bloated, it would be too heavy for her to rise again. Unless someone scraped the bottom of the canal, she’d never be found.
“The one person who knew where my mother was sent.” I sighed. “She got what she deserved. I just wish we could have found out more.”
“This isn’t over,” he said. “We have another lead. If we keep following the bodies—the money—we’ll find her, Nina.”
“How? From what Dante said about their ‘financier,’ it sounds like the trail might lead back to Valveron. But I don’t know anyone there anymore.
I have no friends left. No allies. No contacts.
People I thought I could rely on had double-crossed me.
” I pressed a hand against my eyes before they leaked a tear or two. “I’m running out of time.”
“You might not know anyone else in Valveron, but I do.” Max nudged my shoulder, turning me from the disturbed waters where we’d thrown my old accomplice.
“And like you said before, someone knows who the buyer is. I’m going to bet the financier knows exactly who’s been hoarding these bodies, and we’re going to get that name tonight. ”
“You make it sound so simple.” I ended up leaning into his side to steal his warmth. Max’s arm fell around my shoulders, his fingers gathering the loose hair from my face in a fist.
“It’s far from simple, but we’ll take it one bastard at a time.” His hand skimmed my arm as it fell from my hair. “You need to get warm… And maybe a little drunk.”
I nodded mechanically and followed him to the houseboat, hoping they had something strong enough to numb this night.