Page 26 of Tears of Gold

It feels like we’ve been running for hours.

I slow down as we reach a jagged crack in the road, breath tearing at my parched throat. The far side has lifted nearly six feet off the ground, and an exposed broken pipe pumps water into the air like a geyser.

Harper tests his weight on the raised edge of the roadway, and a few pavers crumble but the rest holds. He waves his hands at me to come, then clasps them together. I’m not sure I can make the jump, but a feral shout behind us spurs me forward. I put my foot in his hands and bounce once before jumping. Harper pushes me high, and I swing myself over the ledge on my stomach, the rough edges scraping my belly. I hope Rita doesn’t want her dress back in one piece.

I turn on my knees to see if he needs help, but Harper’s already pushing himself over the edge, his strong arms bulging as he lifts his weight.

“Let’s keep moving,” he rasps, helping me up.

Two goblins holler at us on the road below, shaking dark green fists as they snarl in our direction, and my throat constricts. They disappear out of view as we slide down the ramp formed by the lifted road. Harper keeps hold of my hand, and we run until I can’t breathe, threading through rows of houses and sheds.

“I think we lost them,” Harper says, panting hard.

I wedge my hand into my side, trying to relieve the pressure of an aching stitch. “What did they want?” I gasp.

“Who knows? People go crazy at times like this. Maybe because we’re witnesses, or they think we have money, or—” He looks me up and down, eyes lingering on the curves of my chest. “Maybe something else entirely.”

“Right.” I press a hand over my frantically beating heart and peer around the alcove. “What the hell happened?”

He scowls and slaps one hand against a nearby brick wall. “Crowded city, enough qi in the air to knock a flying bird loose, the royals partying. I think I can guess.”

“The Davinas attacked again?”

He nods. “Yea, that’s my guess. We should keep moving.”

Shit. And we’re wandering around with no identifications and no sign of Rita. “Any idea where we are?”

He shakes his head. “Nope. Never been here before, but we just need to find somewhere to lay low. Erritt will be able to find us.”

“How?”

He lifts his arm to show a silver band around his wrist with symbols etched on it. Then he points to mine. “The prince has trackers on both of us.”

I raise my wrist and study my silver bracelet studded with red stones. Delicate tiny silver chains loop between the gems, making it appear benign, just a pretty decoration, but now that I think about it, I can’t remember how I got it. “He can track me through this?” I frown. This is something I should have known.

“Yeah. And yours is also supposedly a death charm. We can’t take them off ourselves.”

“Did I let him put this on me?” I wonder out loud. “I can’t remember.” I tug on the silver links, but there’s no release catch. Rita called it a protection charm, but with a name like a death charm, does that mean I’ll die if I take it off? A shudder runs through my body.

Harper reaches out and smooths strands of hair out of my face. “Yes, you did. It helps to keep you safe, but don’t worry about remembering now.”

His fingers glide down my collarbone as he follows the path of my necklace, lifting the necklace’s gold stars and making them brush against my bare skin where it’s exposed by the low-cut dress. That’s right; I’m safe with Harper. My lips part, his touch melting my inner tension and sparking desire. “I’m glad you’re here.”

He smiles back at me. “Me too.”

His gaze fixes on my lips and he brushes them with his thumb, teasing a ragged breath from between them. Traces of light glimmer in his dark eyes as he leans in and presses his mouth to mine. Damn, he feels so good, and it doesn’t even matter that he tastes of smoke and ash because I know I’m the same. His tongue quests against my lips until I open to him, letting him quest through my mouth as I grip his arms, my knees weak from more than the run.

Harper moans against my mouth, cupping my cheeks in his hands as he consumes my mouth. A whimper escapes me, and I wind my leg through his, burning with need, my tangled emotions frenzied. I brush against hardness between his thighs and heat pools between my own legs.

“Girl,” Harper groans softly against my lips. “You have no idea the things you do to me.” He pecks my lips again, then sighs and slides his hands to my shoulders, reluctantly creating a bit of distance between us. “It’s not safe here. We need to find somewhere to hide.”

I nod, knowing he’s right, but I’m already feeling cold without our bodies pressed close together. For now, it’s best to focus on getting off the streets and finding our companions. “Do you think Rita’s okay?”

He tosses his head, fingering the shapes of daggers under his shirt. “Yeah, she knows her way around and can protect herself. Let’s just worry about ourselves.”

Harper reaches for my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze, the movement jangling my bracelet. We’ll find somewhere to hide and wait for Prince Erritt to come find us, but who knows how long that will take.

I glance at Harper, watching as he presses a hand to his mouth, his tawny cheeks illuminated by faint moonlight and the distant glow of raging fires. Harper seems more affected by kissing me than bombings and fleeing from goblins.