Chapter 54 #3
Adara whirled and closed the distance between them with three short strides.
“How can you do it over and over again? You show me a glimpse of who you are deep down—of a person that’s not entirely heartless.
You make me want to trust you with all that’s hurt me, claiming I won’t fight alone, but then it’s you that I’m fighting!
” She jabbed him in the chest with an accusatory finger, right where that jagged scar lay beneath his green tunic.
“How can you look at me with nothing in your eyes after all we’ve been through?
” Her voice rose as she went on, unable to control the rising panic and anger.
The dungeons of the Shadow Empire flashed in her mind.
It was like she was back there all over again—weak, fighting for her life, desperate to be seen or heard, constantly grappling to differentiate between what was real and what wasn’t.
Her eyes could not be trusted, for they could be deceived by magic. Her ears could not be trusted, for words could be filled with lies. She couldn’t trust people’s actions, for they could all be a machination to lure her to her demise.
Adara could only trust her instincts and the fire within, gifted by the gods. And it told her it needed to be let out, to scream and rage at him.
Perhaps if she finally snapped, it would break something inside him. Perhaps he’d be unable to stand her anger and finally give in to his emotions rather than the display of cruel hate that always shone in his eyes.
“Why, Dom?” she yelled. “Why, after all we’ve been through?
Why can you not stand me? You have the dragon scale.
You can find another key. So why not just kill me and be done with it?
” she shouted at him, her arms splaying wide at her sides.
She’d given him everything, and he loathed her still.
She didn’t know how much longer she could keep up with their deceptive game of love, how much more her fractured heart could take.
Because somewhere along the way, she realized, it was Dominic’s key she wished belonged to her. But he, clearly, did not wish the same.
“Why must you hate me so much?” Adara’s voice faltered, betraying her. Heat sluiced through her entire body. Fire flashed beneath the surface. Then she took a deep breath, one after another, and let it dissipate.
A long silence passed between them. Dominic averted his gaze.
Adara didn’t take her eyes off him, searching for any tiny morsel of emotion.
That was all she wanted—something, anything that showed the slightest bit of feeling for her.
The stars twinkled outside the porthole, the eyes of the many gods watching too.
The world fell still, like the gods indeed held their breath with her, waiting for a response.
Slowly, Dominic lifted his head, eyes filled with malice. “You want to know why I hate you?” he said, voice a low growl.
A chill snaked up Adara’s arms, down her spine. An icy caress as Dominic’s powers rolled over her, like an embrace and a threat all at once.
His eyes darkened. His lips twisted into a snarl. “I hate you because you make me feel things I don’t want to feel,” he snapped, the distance closing between them.
Adara struggled to stand her ground, and not because it trembled beneath his footsteps, with waves gently rocking the ship.
“Things other than rage and violence and bloodlust, when that’s all I should feel toward you!”
Adara could only stare as he neared, mouth agape in shock. Even as his confession shook the world, Dominic’s words from before echoed in her mind. It’s all lies, darling. Yet here, as his voice broke with every word spilling from his mouth, they didn’t sound like lies.
“I should feel nothing for you.”
A gentle breeze caressed her lips. Adara hadn’t even realized how close they stood until they shared the same breath.
Expression softening, Dominic’s eyes gleamed in the lantern light, glazed with fear and desperation.
Her breath caught in her throat as he lifted a hand.
His fingers grazed her temple as he brushed a strand of hair out of her face.
She found herself able to breathe again, albeit shallowly.
“I hate you because you are changing who I am, and it terrifies me,” he breathed softly, a slight tremor to his voice.
Dominic’s fingers outlined the shell of her ear, trailed down to her cheek as he rested his palm there, her warmth seeping into his cold skin.
He gritted his teeth, features contorted like he was in pain.
“I hate you,” he said a bit breathlessly, “because I want you so badly, and it is killing me.”
There it went—Dominic stealing her breath again. Although this time, it wasn’t with his powers when he was choking the life out of her, snuffing out her fire like he’d done in the Ruins. Adara almost preferred it that way, though.
This . . . This was something else entirely. This felt like the world had crumbled beneath her feet, like she was falling into an endless void. But, at least if she was falling, she was not falling alone.
Dominic suddenly turned and walked toward the door, unable to meet her eyes. Adara’s heart shattered, jagged edges slicing her insides, slowly tearing her apart.
“That’s it?” He was just going to say that he wanted her, then walk away from all they could have, his hatred of emotions outweighing his desire for her.
He was a coward. Adara, too, was afraid.
Terrified even. Flamecarriers did not suppress their emotions.
They learned to control them. She had mastered all of hers, except this one.
This thrashing, chaotic thing that writhed inside her chest, trying to claw its way loose, toward him.
She hadn’t yet defined what it was, but she would not run from it.
She would not run from him—not anymore. “That’s all you have to—”
Dominic whirled back around, so suddenly that the words died in her throat. He stared at her for a moment, expression unreadable. But his eyes . . . His eyes were frantic, determined, fearful, and a little besotted.
She hesitantly took a step in his direction, nerves quaking with anxious energy. As if fueled by her action, he strode toward her with newfound purpose, jaw set in a determined line, eyes fixed on her like she was the only thing in all the realms that mattered.
Closing the distance between them entirely, Dominic said, “But if there’s anything I’m going to let be the death of me, it’s going to be this.” His palms cupped her face, his calluses brushing her cheeks as he leaned toward her.
His lips crashed into hers.
Adara froze, wide-eyed, afraid that if she acknowledged this, it would all drift away, nothing but a dream. When he didn’t pull away, her eyelids drifted closed as she melted into him, kissing him harder.
Adara had tasted poison before. It didn’t surprise her that Dominic’s lips tasted the same.
What did surprise her was that it wasn’t a bitter poison that left her rotten and hopeless.
It was the sweet kind that left her wanting more, like she’d die without it.
But it was the addiction that would kill her in the end.
A death she’d gladly meet if this was how it felt, blissfully wrapped in Dominic’s embrace, her lips moving against his.
Her hand ran up his chest, resting there as he torturously pulled away.
Beneath the fabric of his shirt, Adara felt no beating of a heart in his chest. A chest that was a hollow hole, a mirror to his usually empty gaze.
Surely, that should have been enough of a reminder that this was a very bad idea.
Dominic stared at her, his emerald eyes searching her own for a response. Adara’s heart warmed at that gaze, lit with fervor for her. Heat that had nothing to do with her power rushed to her cheeks, still cupped in his palms.
He pressed his forehead to hers, his eyes drifting shut. “You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to do that,” he whispered.
“Then why stop?” she said.
His sensuous lips tugged up, mirroring her own.
Adara fisted his tunic in her fingers and pulled him toward her once more.
Her other hand snaked around the back of his neck, grasping at his hair as she brought his lips to hers.
Sparks ran across her skin as one of his hands slipped beneath her shirt, resting on the curve of her hip, gripping gently, and tugging her closer.
Adara gasped, going rigid at the sudden feel of their bodies pressed so closely together.
His tongue traced her bottom lip, a silent question to which she answered by letting her mouth open for his tongue to sweep in as she melted into his blissful taste.
His hands grasped the back of her legs, lifting her off the ground.
A guttural groan came from deep within his throat as she wrapped her legs around his waist, drawing him closer.
Something crashed to the floor as he held her with one hand and the other swept away the contents that had been scattered on his desk, making room for her to sit.
Adara laughed against his lips, her arms still wrapped around his neck, legs still hooked around his waist, holding him close. “This is a bad idea,” she murmured between kisses.
Dominic’s hand gripped her thigh, sliding higher, igniting a fire in her core. His other hand skimmed her hip, tracing a line across her waistband before sliding up her ribs. Everything inside her felt wound tight, begging for release as his lips trailed up her neck, his teeth grazing her skin.
“When has anything we’ve ever done been a good idea?” he panted against her throat. His lips worked their way up her neck, across her jaw, until they were hovering over hers again. His hands had stilled along her thigh and ribs, desperately awaiting her commands.
There was a pause, tension filling the air as her head fought with her heart. She shouldn’t be doing this—but she couldn’t find it in herself to resist that ravaging devotion in his eyes.
“You’re right.” Adara smiled. “Fuck it.”
Dominic grinned, and it was so magnificently beautiful that Adara couldn’t help but laugh as his lips met hers with renewed fervor and he lifted her once more. His hips ground into hers, drawing a pleading moan from her, muffled against his lips.
No longer would she deny the immense burning desire she felt for him. No longer would she deprive herself of his touch. Could this be what she truly wanted? Perhaps Dominic was the reason the gods had put her through so much pain. Was it all to lead her to him?
She didn’t care what the answer was. Her destiny was not written in the stars as Moira, Goddess of Fate, demanded. She’d write her own fate, and it was terrifying yet beautiful that she couldn’t help but want Dominic to be part of that.
When he placed her feet on the ground, the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed. Dominic supported her weight as he lay her down, hovering over her with forearms braced beside her head. His fingers tangled in her brown hair streaked with red that spread out around her like a bloodied halo.
Dominic stared down at her, glancing back and forth between her eyes and her lips. “Gods, you’re so beautiful,” he murmured. He shuddered as she reached beneath his shirt, fingers roaming over the muscles of his back, gently tracing the divots and ridges of his scars.
She gazed up at his glittering green eyes, taking in the sharp angles of his jawline and cheekbones and his soft lips that tempted her to taste them again. She idly ran a hand through his silky, chestnut hair. Adara could only think the same as she drank in his appearance before drawing him closer.
His warm breath grazed her lips. He didn’t move, waiting to see what she’d do.
A multitude of emotions fought behind his eyes.
Perhaps he was angry that she’d managed to worm her way under his skin, searching for a heart that would never be found.
There was a flash of fear. He was probably wondering if this was a trick to get his key.
But desire for her and only her ultimately won as his eyes ran up and down her body, coming to a halt as his gaze fixed on hers.
The edges of Adara’s lips turned up. “If this is what it feels like to be hated by you, then kiss me until your heart is full of despise.”
That was all it took for him to come fully undone, kissing her passionately as his hands roamed her body, making her desperate for more of him.
If this was what it was like to be hated, Adara didn’t think she’d ever long for love again. She’d gladly drown herself in his sea of detest.
“Tell me you want me as badly as I want you,” he murmured against her lips.
“Yes,” she breathed. “I want you more than anything.”