18. Chapter 18
AMARIA
The walk back to our quarters felt like moving through a dream. We navigated the high-ceilinged passages side by side, passing under the glow of the torches. The scent of dried grass and smoke hung in the cool air, and the woven floor mats ate the sound of our boots against the stone.
Normally, walking this close to him would have been unbearable. The air between us would have been snapping with static, our Marks screaming to close the gap. Now, it was just... quiet. The dark metal hummed faintly against my skin, an iron wall locking the Marks away.
We halted in a passage near the great hall.
Eryndor adjusted his new chest piece, fingers working the buckles. His eyes met mine.
“Shall we?” he asked. I just nodded.
He took a step toward me. Deliberate. His eyes locked on mine like he was daring the magic to stop him.
I braced for the pull. For the magnetic drag that had made every moment in the same room a battle. Nothing.
Well—not nothing. The awareness was still there. The knowledge of exactly where he stood, how far away, the rhythm of his breathing. But the desperate, clawing need to close the distance had been tamed.
He took another step. Three feet between us now.
Still quiet.
"Is it..." I started.
"Yes." His voice was rough. Wondering. "It's working."
Two feet.
The Marks hummed. A low vibration, almost pleasant. Not the scream they'd been.
One more step. His scent hit me. Mineral water mixed with his storm and steel scent. My heart hammered, but my body stayed where I put it.
"This is..." I didn't have words.
"I know."
We stood there. Less than an arm’s length apart. Breathing the same air.
Not touching. But able to. Able to.
My whole body was vibrating with the possibility. The space between us—I could cross it. I could reach out and nothing would burn.
"We should test it," I said. The words came out steadier than I felt. "Make sure it holds. Before we trust it in a real situation."
"Test it." His voice had dropped. "How thoroughly?" A grin spread across his face, transforming his features from brutal to devastating.
"I'm thinking a highly rigorous stress test," I shot back, though my pulse was hammering in my throat.
My mind went straight past gentle. Past careful. Straight to skin and heat and finally getting my hands on him. I had to forcefully shut the thought down before I combusted right there in the corridor.
"But not out here," I added, taking a step backward toward our quarters. "We need a locked door."
His eyes darkened to pure pitch. "Then stop talking and walk."
We didn't run. We were highly trained, lethal warriors, and we absolutely did not run. But the aggressive, synchronized speed-walk we immediately fell into as we hit the corridor was definitely pushing the limits of a casual stroll. We had exactly zero dignity left, but we had a destination.
We turned a corner and nearly walked straight into Maxx and Serenya.
"There you are!" Maxx spread his arms wide. "We've been looking everywhere. Food's ready. Great hall. Thyra killed something massive and they're roasting it whole."
Serenya smiled. "You should come. After the day you've had, you need to eat."
I opened my mouth. Closed it.
Eryndor had gone very still beside me.
"We can't," I said. "We need to, er—the armor. We need to test it. Make sure it works. Before we're around other people."
The words hung in the air.
Maxx's eyebrows rose slowly. Very slowly. A grin spread across his face like sunrise breaking over a mountain.
"Test it."
"Yes."
"The armor."
"Yes."
"In your room."
"For safety reasons," I insisted, heat flaring up my neck.
"Safety." Maxx nodded gravely. "Of course. Very responsible. You should definitely go to your private room and test how close you can get to each other. For safety."
"That's not—"
"Take your time. Be thorough." His grin had reached maximum width. "Really put it through its paces. Check all the... functions."
"Maxx—"
"Don't rush on our account. We'll save you some food. You'll probably need the energy after all that... testing."
Serenya elbowed him. "Leave them alone."
"I'm being supportive! This is my supportive face." He gestured at his grin. "See? Supportive."
"You're being insufferable."
"Those aren't mutually exclusive." He waved us off. "Go. Test. Be safe. Use protection—and by that I mean the armor, obviously, what else could I possibly mean—"
"Maxx." Eryndor’s tone dropped, quiet and dangerously even. "I will remember this conversation."
Maxx's grin didn't falter. "Worth it."
"We're leaving now." I grabbed Eryndor's arm and yanked.
The Marks flared—just a pulse, quickly dampened by the armor. But I felt it. And from the way Eryndor's breath caught, he felt it too.
Maxx's eyes locked onto where my hand gripped Eryndor's bicep.
"Oh, would you look at that. Physical contact. The testing has already begun."
"Goodbye, Maxx."
"Should I have someone bring water? Snacks? A healer on standby—"
"GOODBYE, MAXX."
I pulled Eryndor down the corridor. After three steps, his hand closed over mine—lacing our fingers together. Taking the lead without breaking stride.
Maxx's voice echoed after us. "USE THE ARMOR RESPONSIBLY!"
Serenya's laughter followed. Then a thud that might have been her hitting him. We walked faster.