Chapter Thirty-Five
Arianna
Arianna stumbled down the hall, half giddy, half exhilarated, and completely free from the turmoil that had been plaguing her for the past several days.
She could finally see the appeal of alcohol despite the horrid flavor.
It felt like every worry had melted from her shoulders.
She was free. Sleep would come easy tonight and perhaps, if she were lucky, the strong drink would keep her nightmares at bay, too.
Her guards paused at the end of the hall.
Good, she didn’t want them overhearing anyway.
Arianna’s gaze paused on a table laden with flowers.
She used the wood to brace herself, then buried her nose in the sweet fragrance of a carnation.
Its petals were wide and vibrant, not a speck of deterioration in sight.
Her eyes lifted to the door across the hall and Arianna forced her swimming mind to focus. She scented the air and her body reacted to that familiar smell.
Her fingers didn’t even shake as she reached for the handle, then let the door swing open.
That same scent assaulted her, along with the pleasant heat from the fire and the smell of cedar wood as it popped in the blazing hearth.
It was far too hot for a fire.
Rion was already on his feet, half turned, his magic rising, but when their eyes locked, he went utterly still.
He hadn’t even finished turning. The male had one hand on the back of the armchair, the other extended midair as if he’d been reaching for something.
A quick glance and she found a long knife resting on the end table.
“Arianna?” His voice was deep and rough, as if roused from sleep. The sound had her heart galloping, magic spreading through her limbs as if it knew to cool her down.
Slowly, ever so slowly, Rion straightened. Her eyes roamed across the planes of his bare chest, taking in every groove that spoke of a well-honed warrior. She counted every scar and mark, wondering what stories they might hold and whether she’d been told any of them.
Arianna’s mouth went dry as her gaze traveled lower, snagging at the band of his pants and the way they clung perfectly to his hips. Had he always been sculpted like a god? Why hadn’t she noticed before?
Arianna stepped inside, pushing the door closed behind her. She watched Rion’s nostrils flare and could have sworn his pupils dilated in response. She stepped closer, her eyes never leaving his as her fingertips grazed over everything in her path.
His gaze followed, watching her hands with barely contained fascination.
This male. This beautiful, terrible, fierce male was supposedly hers in every way. He was a blight on the earth, according to the texts. But those texts were nothing more than fabrications. And even if they weren’t, right now, looking at him, did she really care?
Desire roared through her. She couldn’t remember ever wanting someone like this. Was it the bond at work? Was that tether the reason she couldn’t stop imagining what his body would feel like beneath her touch? What sounds she might be able to coax from him with whispered kisses alone?
Arianna rounded the main sofa, the very one Rion must have been lying on. She paused a few feet away, still looking him over. Rion did the same, remaining still as he studied everything about her. He could probably see the flush on her cheeks. Her whole body was flushed at this point.
Rion swallowed hard, his throat bobbing in an enticing way. “Arianna?” he repeated. Gods, what would it be like to hear her name in a breathless whisper? To know that she’d reduced this male to nothing more than want and desire for her and her alone? “You’ve been drinking.”
The shift in his tone interrupted her daydream. She met his unflinching gaze and tilted her head. “Is that judgement?”
“Never.” His gaze flicked toward the door. “I’m just wondering why you’re alone.”
Arianna waved a hand. “The guards followed me to the hall but didn’t seem to think they’d be needed any further.”
“You drank alone, too?”
“No, Talon was with me.”
A slight flex in his hand. “And where is he now?”
“Does it matter?”
Rion looked ready to say more, possibly to scold her, but whatever had been about to come out of his mouth died and was left forgotten when she dared a step closer.
She took another, then lifted one hand, ready to see whether he felt exactly how her fantasies were imagining.
“Careful.” It was a breathless warning. A plea.
Arianna met his emerald gaze, then stared at the frost covering her fingertips. They were alone. Utterly alone. Both were weakened, but everyone else was too busy to intervene should she try to take his life. Again. She supposed she couldn’t blame him for the caution.
Her eyes locked with his again, then the tips of her fingers connected with the hard planes of his chest. A jolt flew down her arm, tingling along the surface of her skin at the same moment he released a sharp exhale.
Her skin prickled, hairs rising. Rion’s fists clenched in a white-knuckled grip.
“I thought I was the only one who could feel it,” she said. Rion’s heart beat wildly beneath her touch and she let her palm fully press against his skin. “You’ve never reacted before.”
“I’m remarkably good at self-control.” She nearly smiled, wondering just how far she could push that self-control. Judging from his breathing and racing heart, it wouldn’t take much. Her hand moved slightly lower and he gasped. She studied the grains of earth dancing at the edges of the room.
“What does it feel like for you?” she asked.
“Like I’m going to lose myself. Like at any moment the dam is going to break.”
“And if it did?”
“I’d take you in my arms and remind your body, if I can’t reach your mind.”
A jolt of pleasure shuddered through her. “What’s holding you back?”
“You haven’t given me permission to touch you.”
Arianna offered a shy smile and stepped to the side, running her hand up to his shoulder, then gently down the top of his arm, frost covering his skin in the wake of her touch.
Rion didn’t pull away.
Her voice lowered. “I thought a gentleman was supposed to talk me out of such things, considering I might not remember what I truly want.” She paused at his side.
His breaths quickened. “I’ll only talk you out of things that might hurt you. And right now, you and I both know exactly what you want.”
She flushed but quirked a brow when he turned his head slightly to look at her. “And you’d just give it to me? Be content with my body for the night?”
“I made a vow. I’m yours, heart, body, and soul. You can have it all or just one piece. I care not.”
“And if I want none of it?”
“Then I’ll be content with this for however long it takes.”
She hummed and circled to his back, keeping her hand on his body. Her gaze traveled over his muscles, all the way down to the two jagged scars just above his waistline. Her fingertips trailed lower and Rion’s back tensed, but he didn’t turn or pull away.
“Have you told me the story behind these?”
“You never asked.”
Had she been sober, she might not have asked even now. “Tell me.”
Rion still watched her from the corner of his eye, his neck turned just enough. He took a breath. Let it out. “Betrayal.” One word, clipped with the flexing of his jaw.
“From who?”
Silence. They stood there, her fingertips resting against his back. “Her name was Selina.” His eyes dropped to the floor. “I don’t think I’ve said it aloud in seventy years.”
“You were young.” She didn’t know why that surprised her.
“Young and full of idiotic hope.”
Arianna’s hand stilled, her magic shifting to something gentler as she studied the lines. “Did you love her?”
He loosed a sigh from between his teeth. “Yes.” More silence. His voice was softer when he spoke again. “Everything was half-truths with her. She’d mastered the art of deception. She saw my vulnerabilities and exploited every single one of them.”
“Is that what you think I’m doing?”
“Gods, I hope not.”
More silence. “You killed her?”
His jaw tightened again. “Yes.”
“Would you—”
“No. Never.” The words were out before she could even finish her sentence.
Arianna’s hands traveled to the other scars, four small holes bordering the two lines. “And these?”
“Just more heartache.”
“Another lover?”
“A teacher. A friend.”
Heartache. One after another. Is that all his life had been? “I assume Saoirse was there to put you back together.”
“If it weren’t for her, I would have died in my father’s study when I was eight years old.”
Eight. A youngling. The world had tried to kill someone who’d barely begun to live.
Arianna continued circling him, her hand still brushing his skin. She’d reeled her magic back, no longer leaving a trail. Now she let it trace up to his shoulder then around to his other arm until it connected with his chest. Arianna met his gaze again.
Longing. So much longing.
Their heartbeats raced in perfect synchrony. His magic had drawn closer, moving in time with his breath.
Arianna allowed ice to spread across his chest again. Gooseflesh pebbled his skin. “Not scared anymore?”
Rion’s throat bobbed, the movement entirely too distracting. “Presently, scared isn’t exactly the word I’d use.” Her lips parted. Silence engulfed the space as they stood there, neither daring to move. “What do you want, Arianna?”
She tilted her head back to look at him again. Gold flecks danced in those beautiful, anguished eyes. They reminded her of the stars dotting the night sky.
“You said you already knew what I wanted.”
“I need to hear you say it.”
Consent. Arianna chewed her lip. Could she just let herself give in? Would passion finally allow her memories to surface, or would that passion dissolve into rage, forever tainting a moment that was meant to be sacred?
Arianna furrowed her brow, suddenly uncertain. She should have drank another glass before leaving Talon. “Do you still feel the bond?” she asked.
She could tell he was struggling to remain still. “It’s not what I’d call a bond. It’s more like an echo. A single thread.”
“But you can feel it?” He nodded. “Why haven’t you pulled on it?”
Rion’s face softened. “I didn’t want to risk hurting you. It seemed like every time a memory surfaced, your body rejected it.”
“I didn’t think anyone noticed the reason.”
A small smile. “I notice everything when it comes to you.”
Heat rose through her and Arianna let the frost fade once again. Rion’s magic inched closer.
“Try,” she whispered.
He drew in a ragged breath, as if the action of moving too much might scare her away.
She waited, her gaze locked with his until—pain exploded behind her eyes.
Arianna jerked back, nearly stumbling over the table in the center of the room.
She reached for the sofa, supporting her body as her other hand instinctively shot to her head.
Sive claimed the discomfort would be minimal. She’d been so wrong.
Pain radiated behind her eyes and Arianna’s stomach rolled. Her world tumbled, turning upside down. She slid to her knees, feeling the soft rug beneath her. Noise swam in and out as her world was consumed by shadows, all buzzing through her head like a swarm of angry insects.
A male’s voice, no, several voices, bounced through her head, all chanting the same line.
Kill him, kill him, kill him.
She hated that voice. She hated the way it slithered through her mind. She wanted to kill it instead.
Arianna gritted her teeth, then something warm touched her shoulder.
Her magic exploded. She grabbed a wrist and flipped around, pinning the owner of it beneath her body.
Colors blurred for a fraction of a second, then all came crashing back into focus.
She tilted to one side, but a strong hand caught her shoulder, holding her upright.
The body beneath her shifted, rising, then Arianna leaned forward, grounding herself to his warmth.
Her eyes cracked open. She stared at a bare chest, his hot skin scorching.
That same buzzing pulsed through not just her skin, but her entire body.
She pushed up, finding a set of wide, gentle eyes staring back.
His breaths clouded in the cold air. Then Rion moved a strand of hair away from her face.
She hardly noticed. Arianna was straddling his lap, her body pressed close to his.
“Are you okay?” he whispered. Gods, why did he have to be so close?
“Not really.” She’d reacted, but she’d also come out of it quickly. That was progress. Something Sive had done had worked. A few more sessions and maybe she’d be able to reach for the bond. Maybe—
Rion’s fingertips trailed down to her neck. He watched her carefully. Arianna’s breath hitched, that same flushed feeling returning tenfold. Her eyes darted to his lips and back up. She leaned forward, then a loud knock had Arianna scrambling off Rion’s lap. She bolted for the door.
Raevina stood on the other side. Her eyes widened slightly as she took in Arianna, then Rion behind her. “We have a problem.”