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Too much.
She’d said too much. She’d meant it all, but she’d never meant to tell him all of that.
Her gaze fell onto her hand where the Mark swirled down her pointer finger, the Rescuing Trial already completed.
She slid her hands into her sleeves, balling them around the ends as she reached the bottom of the stairs, and then she froze.
Razik was not only awake but up and moving around the space. His back was to her as he did something in the small kitchenette area. His wings were still out, the right one with faint silver lines spider-webbing out from where the bolt had been embedded. Niara had told her wings heal differently. They would scar, unlike his chest.
The area the bolt had been was still raised and a little red, but there was hardly a mark on his skin. It didn’t even require a dressing anymore. His Avonleyan blood healed him faster than her Fae blood. She scowled at the thought, instantly annoyed that his more extensive wounds would take less time to heal than hers.
Irritation that he apparently felt because he turned to face her fully. Bright sapphire eyes swept her up and down—twice—before he crossed his arms and leaned back against the counter, wings shifting behind him.
They just…stared at each other for a long moment before Razik said, “Come here.”
Eliza clicked her tongue, ignoring the way relief flooded through her at hearing him speak for the first time since that day in the Fiera Mountains.
She also ignored the way her stomach dipped and heat pooled at the mere rumble of his voice. She had to actively hold back her magic from reaching out for him. His eyes seemed to darken as he felt her internal struggle.
“Come here,” he growled again.
She took a single step before she managed to stop herself. She clenched her fists tighter, feeling her nails dig into her palms. “We should talk about this.”
Razik’s eyes narrowed. “Did you accept the bond solely to save me?”
“What? No, but I…”
“You what, Eliza?”
She couldn’t think with him looking at her like that, knowing exactly what was going to happen if she obeyed his order to go to him. She could feel it all down this damn bond.
“Do you regret it?” he asked when the silence lingered.
“No,” she whispered. Then louder, she added, “But it is not something we discussed beforehand. I do not want you to feel forced to accept this if it is not something you want.”
“Why would you think I do not want this?”
“You said it yourself. I have no idea what you want,” she shot back in annoyance. His lips twitched, and she wanted to punch him. “All I am saying,” she gritted out, “is that you deserve to not have this forced on you, and I will understand if—”
She stopped speaking when Razik lifted his left hand, turning it so she could see the back where the twin flame Mark stood stark against his golden skin. “Come here.”
“But your injuries—”
“I swear to the Fates, Eliza, if you make me say it again—”
But she was already moving, all but running to him. When she was within reach, his hands grasped her face, fingers sliding into her unbound hair and his mouth crushing against hers. And this kiss— Gods, this kiss was everything the others had been and more. Hot and desperate and all-consuming. He didn’t wait for her to let him in. His tongue invaded her mouth, taking whatever he wanted from her.
“I meant what I said,” she panted into his mouth. “You’ve fucking ruined me.”
“I know,” he rumbled, hands leaving her face to grip her thighs and hoisting her up. Her legs wrapped around his waist, arms looping around his neck.
“You’re so godsdamn arrogant,” she snarled as he carried her to the dining table, setting her atop it and peeling off her tunic.
“I know,” he said again, hand cupping her face and tipping her head back so he could take her mouth once more. Her teeth sank into his bottom lip at the comment, and something between a groan and a laugh came from him.
Leaning back, his eyes dropped to her nearly healed wound. He brushed his fingertips over it, and it sent a shiver down her spine. He met her gaze as he said, “I am sorry I could not get to you.”
She was shaking her head before he’d finished speaking. “It wasn’t your fault.”
