Page 135 of The Reaping Rose

But when his purple eyes meet mine, I’ve never been less in control than I am right now. And that’s what has me shaking. What sends me over the edge as his hips pulse, and he follows me.

I let go.

Chapter 45

Atlas

Morning comes with a rock digging into my shoulder. I’m halfway hanging off the blanket, which is sideways from how I set it up after Greer and I moved from the ground to the spot where she set up our beds, and still, we couldn’t keep our hands off each other.

Reaching out, I search for her back. Her warmth. But my hand finds a cold, empty space beside me.

Rustling pulls my attention to the cave’s opening.

“We need to get going.” Greer stands as far away as possible without stepping outside, shoving her torn leathers into her bag.

She’s already dressed. Her braids are tied off her face. The cold, glassy distance I’m familiar with has returned, hiding any vulnerability she showed me last night.

I push myself to sit, the blanket strewn across my lap. Greer glances at me out of the corner of her eye, quickly catching herself and looking away. Her shutting down isn’t unexpected, but it pisses me off.

Through the feisty quips last night, I know she felt something between us. She can bury it, and she can run from it, but she can only deny it for so long.

Standing, I don’t bother covering myself as I walk toward my clothes, shoving my legs into my pants. It’s not like she’ll let her guard down enough for it to affect her anyway. I shrug on my shirt, leaving the laces loose as I start to pack.

When everything is in my bag, I meet her at the cave entrance, pulling down the magic that kept us safe last night. “You good?”

Her chin stays high, her eyes refusing to meet mine. “Always. Built for battle and blood, right?”

I hate that she uses my own words against me. Especially when it’s bullshit after last night. But there’s no use arguing with her or forcing her to talk to me when she refuses to let down her guard for a second.

We need to focus on what’s ahead to stay alive today anyway.

If she were anyone else, this wouldn’t matter. I’d have already lost interest after losing myself inside her. But Greer isn’t anyone else. She’s infuriating, mind-altering. Perfection. I grit my teeth and ignore the nagging truth that stirs.

The forest is noisy this morning. Critters skitter along the ground. Something slithers up the trees, and the steady thrum of the orb pulls us north. Cyan has either yet to catch up with us or is already waiting for us because he knows where we’re headed. Either way, his shadows don’t nip at our heels.

I’m ready for this to be over.

We walk in silence the entirety of the morning. Greer stays a few paces ahead so I can’t see her face. She doesn’t slow or look back. I do my best to shove down everything I want to say to her in favor of staying alert.

The sun is high in the sky when we finally reach the border of something.

Greer freezes like she’s struck a wall, and I nearly run into her back but manage to catch myself.

“What is it?”

“I don’t know.” She holds her palm up; light sizzles between her fingertips and the air ahead of us. “A barrier of some sort.”

“We must be close.” I lift my hand, and she steps back while I call flame to my fingers. It rubs against the light, and I realize it’s not a true barrier but an illusion of one. Magic that only convinces Greer she can’t pass through.

Malachi’s power is growing.

I wave my hand over the thin film, searing it away. “It’s not really there. You can step through.”

With that reassurance, Greer manages to take another step. She draws her sword, and I do the same, unsure of how much farther we have to go but needing to be ready. The air changes in this part of the forest. Any sound is drowned out by the hum of the orb.

It’s no wonder Nym and Nyxia lost their minds hearing the voices of the gods if this is what a gods-touched object sounds like. When I was in the Ley Court, I don’t remember it sounding like anything. Whatever feeds it now has the magic fully awake.

It doesn’t take long before we reach a camp. Through the trees, Fae wearing Crown Guard armor bustle around. At the center is a large tent draped in blue and gold.