Chapter 9
Throwing these books across the room in frustration wouldn't help right now…
right? Because maybe some kind of cosmic entity would take pity on me and my poor overwhelmed brain by making sure the books landed on the one page I needed.
The page that would explain everything so I could move on to save the day.
It could happen, couldn't it? I sighed as I slouched back in my chair.
The planning room was too quiet, wound tight with everything going on between Kearan and me.
Hours had slid by with the two of us tracing the same runes.
Being this close to him was almost too much.
I wanted him, plain and simple, and the world around us kept demanding we deal with anything other than our bond.
I stared at the symbols sprawled across the table, working their shapes, their meanings, anything to keep my head off the charge in the room.
But every time I looked up, Kearan was right there, completely focused on something.
Time disappeared while we worked without talking, the scratch of the dagger across parchment the only thing breaking the quiet, and none of it released any of the building tension.
The clock ticked loudly, but every minute together stretched out until everything became daunting.
I gripped the edge of the table to keep myself from testing my theory about tossing everything off the table just to see if fate would step in.
Instead, I shoved the instincts down and gripped the table harder. Kearan moved close enough that his warmth reached me, and I held my breath. I was torn between destroying the room or climbing on Kearan and kissing the daylights out of him.
"You still with me?" He glanced over, the weight of his gaze toning down some of the built-up panic.
I forced a nod. "Just... thinking." Oh good. Another masterclass in evasion, Parker. Real smooth.
His lips twitched, fighting a smile. "About the dagger, or something more... nebulous?"
Maybe he caught the gears grinding behind my eyes. Or he knew a whole flood of feelings was about to come loose. I adjusted in the chair, trying for normal and missing by a mile. Kearan's eyebrows lifted, curiosity curling around him while he waited for my response.
"I mean..." I stalled, hunting for words. "You'd think we'd be fine without throwing ourselves into the inferno." Weak joke, forced, but it was all I had. "I think I've jumped into enough fires the last two weeks."
Kearan leaned a little closer, eyes narrowing, reading me. "Sometimes you've got to leap into the fire to find out what you're made of."
My mouth went dry working out what he meant by it, what it meant for us, in a moment this loaded.
Before I could disappear into my own head, which I had a hell of a track record for running from conversations like this, Kearan moved. The heat of his gaze swept over me and pinned me there. He didn't hesitate. He tilted his head and pressed his lips to mine, and everything else just dropped away.
I didn't know what to do at first, thrown by the raw urgency of it, all that intensity wanting to be met. Time went somewhere. A quiet gasp slipped out of me and turned into a sigh of relief.
His hands found my waist, gentle but sure, a little caution tucked into all that warmth. Then, fast as it started, he pulled back. My heart raced, caught between the thrill of the kiss and the suddenness from which he pulled back.
"Wait." Kearan's brow furrowed, concern shadowing his eyes. He started to say something.
"Don't pull back this time." The words spilled out before I could think, my own heartbeat thudding in my ears.
His breath was warm, close, while he hovered somewhere between uncertainty and resolve. "Okay." Firm, then he leaned in again, pulling me closer to him.
I gave in to his tug, letting my body press into his. The world faded out past the edges of us, and all that mattered was right here. His lips on mine again, and the want that had been building for way too long.
The kiss deepened and we lost ourselves in it, tangled up in the thing we'd built around each other, the two of us hanging somewhere between uncertainty and promise. The weight of everything slid off with every touch, and I crawled into his lap.
I slid my hands all over his chest, feeling his muscle through his shirt.
Kearan made soft breathing noises and little moans as I touched him.
Straddling his thighs, I settled into a more comfortable position.
Kearan finally let go, his hands returning their exploration of my body.
My hips, thighs, and then my sides. He didn't quite reach my breasts, but this was definitely a start.
And right when I thought it might tip over into something else entirely… the scream of a klaxon filled the space, cutting straight through our kiss. The siren blew the intimacy apart and shoved us off each other while adrenaline flooded my veins and hijacked the whole moment.
"You have to be fucking kidding me." I snarled under my breath.
Kearan stepped back, warmth flipping to warrior in a blink, focus snapping to the door. "Shit. Hold that thought."
He didn't sound frustrated, just sharp and sure. And I knew we couldn't afford to continue what we were doing. Whatever had set off the alarm wouldn't wait.
Kearan was already moving, instinct shoving him toward the door. "We have to go now!" The command in his voice pulled me right along, my feet barely registering the concrete as I followed him to the corridor.
Adrenaline surged as I caught up to him, the rush sharpening everything around me. I wasn't thinking about the kiss anymore. I was thinking about that alarm and the very real things it came with.
"Can you grab the dagger?" Kearan shot a glance back, all calm competence as he grabbed my backpack from the other side of the room.
My instincts kicked in. "Of course." And just like that, I was packing away everything I'd just felt. It could wait until we were safe. I grabbed the dagger, its familiar weight settling into my hand. Once we had all the important things, we tore through the hall.
We barreled toward the weapons closet because our lives probably depended on it.
Every step screamed urgency, cranking up the tension from before.
Chaotic and exhilarating both, the kind of thing that sharpens every sense and reminds you you're still breathing. We'd either have to fight or evacuate.
We burst into the closet, and I froze. No guns or knives.
Actually, there was nothing I would consider a weapon…
except for a few stakes. Oh, wait, there was a gun off to one side next to…
were those silver bullets? Kearan's gaze flicked to me, sizing me up and steadying me at the same time. No time to hesitate. Not now.
He grabbed a few vials, satchels, and some other things I couldn't identify. I wanted to look mildly competent, so I grabbed a few things, shoving random items into my pockets.
"Let's go!" He was already moving, and I nodded, heart pounding with adrenaline as we continued toward a red flashing light at the end of the hallway.
Then the alarm just stopped.
The corridors were stark and silent after all that, a false calm that had me hyperaware of every heartbeat echoing somewhere off in the distance. No time to dwell, though. Before I could ask why the klaxon turned off, Kearan spoke up.
"They're already on alert." Kearan's intensity deepened with every measured step. "No need to keep making a ruckus.
We stepped into the main area together as it filled up with the team rushing in. Rhiot and Trux were a few steps away, and were already gearing up with weapons ready. "What the hell is happening?" Trux's voice boomed through the room.
"We're about to find out." Rhiot slid into a defensive stance beside me even as he said it.
Nobody said anything else. We all moved for the comms panel, running the checklist of protocols. We took our positions, instincts kicking in while we waited for whatever was coming.
A crash against the demon barriers that rattled the entire compound. My entire body jerked in shock at the sudden noise. We traded a look, both of us bracing for the next hit.
Kearan leaned in, voice low but fierce. "Whatever comes through that door, we face it together."
"Always." It was out before I'd thought about it. I'd just thrown out there because I knew it was true. No matter what conflict came up, my mates would always be there for each other and me when we needed it.
Then the air shifted again as demon barriers took another hit. This was going to suck.