Chapter 31
Thirty-One
Avery
Felix killed someone.
He killed Julian.
But the feeling that ran through Avery wasn’t fear.
Not even close. Perhaps she could blame the drunkenness, but deep below the whiskey haze, she knew that wasn’t the case.
Sparks prickled her skin, racing from where Felix’s hand touched hers.
It should have repulsed her, should have had her yanking away from a killer’s grip, but instead she relished it.
How could she ever let him go when it felt this good?
Felix guided her out of the woods. A misting rain fell from the sky, the world around her unfocused apart from the man in front of her.
The maid costume was gone—discarded in the lake with Julian.
Avery’s mouth went dry as she watched water droplets cascade down Felix’s bare chest. The way they caught the firelight, sliding down his ribs and disappearing below the waistband of his shadow pants, was almost hypnotic.
A shifter. A killer. It was what the witches thought of them.
And what she should have too. Julian’s walloped head, or what was left of it anyway, still haunted her mind.
But she didn’t feel a lick of remorse. It was strange, considering she felt bad about crushing an ant.
The ants, she would feel bad for. They were innocent.
A man who tried to take what he couldn’t have?
He should be crushed and pummeled into the ground.
Even the ground didn’t deserve that level of filth.
The Coelcerth warmed her chilled skin as they moved closer to the party.
Students spun around the bonfire, some tossing their stones into the flames, others grinding and forgetting the world around them.
How she wished she could. Out of all the damn witches, why had she been chosen for this life of danger?
She was built for bed, not for beheading.
Regardless, she wouldn’t change it for the world.
Because she had met Felix. And that made it all worth it.
“We should go to the cave,” he whispered against her ear, a delicious jolt of electricity down her spine.
But she didn’t want to go to the cave. Not yet.
She wanted to stay here with him. Bonded to him.
He wasn’t a shifter to her anymore. He was just Felix.
The man who had taken care of her in so many ways.
So instead of letting him drag her away, she fought against his hold just to pull him into her, the fire warming her back and him flush against her front, an intoxicating heat she wanted no escape from.
If she was going to burn, this was the way she wanted to go up in flames.
His eyes darkened as he gripped her body tightly, as if he knew exactly where to place them to drive her crazy.
Avery started to sway to the music, Felix following in her footsteps.
Despite his height, his forehead found hers as they moved to the beat, her body alive next to his.
She felt him everywhere. His chest against hers, his thigh pressing between her legs, breath ghosting along her lips.
It was too much, and not nearly enough. The world around them didn’t matter, the riddle didn’t matter, the fact that her mortal enemy had been where she had found her sanctuary. None of it mattered.
The music swelled, and with it, Felix dipped his head even lower and gently, ever so gently, bit her bottom lip.
A moan tumbled from her, and Felix responded in kind as he sucked harder, the rumble of a purr vibrating against her body.
The sound traveled through her, igniting every nerve.
She knew shifters could be dangerous, but never in this way.
More than ever, she craved the danger in front of her, like teetering on the edge of a cliff.
She knew that only a single word from him calling from below would have her falling over the edge.
But for right now, she stayed firmly on that edge, enjoying the blissful moment before everything changed. In the way he held her, it was like he felt the same. If he let her go, she would simply disappear.
“Please don’t kiss me again,” he said, voice pained.
“Why?” she whispered against him.
He exhaled deeply like he was trying to steady himself. “Because if you do, I might not be able to stop.”
“I don’t want you to stop.”
Their lips almost collided. So close. But instead, he flipped her so her back was against his chest. He laughed darkly, tilting her chin with his hand so she watched the others just as lost in their own dances as she was.
“When I finally get to kiss you the way you deserve, no one will be allowed to watch. You are mine. Mine to touch. Mine to watch. You are an angel that is undeserving of the eyes of mortals.”
A fire burned through her at the possessive rasp in his voice, the promise threaded through every word. Her pulse hammered in her throat where his fingers rested, and she wondered if he could feel it, if he knew exactly what those words did to her.
“We need to go,” he said, a solemn tone in his voice.
Instantly, her face fell, the cold finding its way between them. Her body begged and pleaded to go back to him. But it wasn’t just her body that wanted that; it was his, too. The bond made sure that both of them knew.
Still, he pulled away.
“Felix, wait,” she said.
He turned on his heels, his stare so intense she thought she would simply disappear beneath it.
The words were on the tip of her tongue; all she had to say was that she didn’t want to break the bond.
The words stuck in her throat. What right did she have to ask him to stay, though?
To ask him to be bound to her, to live in danger of getting caught every second?
As much as she wanted to be with him, she cared about his life more than for it to be tangled with hers.
And what a fucking tangle it was. So, against every fiber of her being, she let the wind steal her words away.
“Let’s go,” she said, smiling, letting go of his hand and walking toward the cave.
The cave entrance was near the north woods, close to where Avery had originally performed the ritual. How fitting—it would end where it started. It had only been less than two weeks, yet her whole life had changed.
They walked past the statue of Cerituen and the plinth that had been cut clean, where pines gave way to the cliffs of Caerwyn.
A set of stairs was carved into the very cliff face itself.
The stone was worn smooth by wind and salt, treacherously slippery in the dark.
Avery moved down first, keeping one hand on the rock wall, feeling the damp algae slick beneath her fingers.
Dust bunnies wove between their legs, almost tripping Felix as he walked behind her, muttering curses at the little things.
Did they disintegrate in the water? She didn’t want to think about it.
Waves crashed against the moonlit stairs, sending the spray high enough to cover them with mist. She didn’t even need to look back at Felix to feel the annoyance coming from him.
The lower they went, the higher the tide rose.
They stopped at the lowest step, waves breaking on her ankles.
Felix stayed on the step above, a nervous jitter coming through the bond that, for once, wasn’t hers.
Turning around, she saw Felix’s face recoiling as he looked upon the inky depths of the ocean.
The cave entrance was at least fifty yards away, the mouth of the cave still partially underwater. They still had time until midnight.
“We’re going to have to swim to it,” Avery said.
Felix looked toward the water, then back at Avery, his jaw tight. She had never seen the man be truly afraid of anything. Even when he was stuck in the tree, he was still sassy; now, he was just… silent. An ‘O’ formed on her lips as the realization took hold of her.
“Are you afraid of the water?” she said.
“No,” he said too quickly.
Avery narrowed her eyes at him. “Then what is it?”
“I can’t…”
“Can’t what?”
“I can’t…” He licked his fangs.
Finally, he closed his eyes and huffed out a breath. “I can’t…swim.”
“Oh.” Avery raised her eyebrows in disbelief.
“Yeah. Oh.”
Avery fought the urge to laugh; it was almost poetic—a cat that couldn’t swim. “Do you at least know how to doggy paddle—well, cat paddle?” An almost laughable thought came to her mind of Felix paddling in the ocean with his head barely above water. She shouldn’t laugh. She really shouldn’t.
“Funny.”
She bit her lip to keep the smile from forming. “It’s the only way to get across.”
“I know,” he said, resignation in his voice.
Avery could tell he was truly nervous. Out of all things that would best him, it would be the ocean.
As if nature wanted to remind them just how mighty she was, a large wave came up and drenched them both in icy water. It hit like a gut punch, stealing all the breath from her lungs as her already tight dress became heavier with the cool water.
Still, the water dripping off Felix’s brow onto his bare chest was enough for Avery to let a giggle slide out. His long tongue came out to catch the drop. Felix looked less than impressed.
“Do you trust me?” Avery said, echoing his words from before, holding out her hand for him to take.
“No,” he said, but she knew he didn’t mean it, as his hand slid into hers.
Avery gave him a reassuring smile.
“Just don’t let go of me, okay?”
She squeezed his fingers, looking over the moonlit water that thrashed against the rocks. Even with his body weight, she was a strong swimmer, and would be able to guide him through the water. “On the count of three, we jump,” Avery said, a wicked smile forming on her face. “One—”
She pulled him into the water.