Page 198 of Captive of Secrets and Storms

His mouth slides back up to my ear. “Why resist me?”

Gods know I don’t want to.

“Because we’ve been here before,” I pant, unable to catch my breath with him so close. “And this is nothing but a game to you.”

A game I refuse to lose again.

A growl vibrates in his chest.

Rian’s hand slides up my front and wraps around my throat in a loose hold. His forefinger hooks around my jaw, and he pushes up, forcing me to meet his stormy gaze.

“Trust me, Elara. This is far from a game to me.”

The magic in my veins titters, and the marks on my arms draw tight.

The urge to lean in, to close this distance between us and capture his lips with mine, consumes me.

His touch slides up my face. The manacles clamped to his wrist press against the exposed skin around my clavicle. The cool metal bites. I suck in a breath.

The haze of desire clears for a brief moment, and a question I’ve been putting off bubbles to my lips. “What is Fae Fire?”

Rian’s fingertips press gently against my jaw before falling away. “It’s exactly what it sounds like.”

He takes my hand and gives me another spin. When I stop, I’m back in his hold, facing him. He steps back, grip firm, and I’m forced to follow his lead.

More shadows glide over my skin, around his arms. They weave between us, as if they are active partners in this dance.

I glance at the dais. “Can anyone hear us?”

Helen and Augustus are seated back in their throne-like chairs. Jason and Daphne are nowhere to be seen, but Iris hovers behind her parents.

If she were a water wielder, I have no doubt her icy glare would freeze me where I stand.

“No,” Rian answers.

I meet his gaze. “You’re sure?”

An arrogant smirk tugs the corner of his lips. “I’m sure.”

A pulse of shadow darkens around us before fading from sight.

My lips part. He’s erected a barrier, similar to the one Helen used on the maze platform.

Rian’s smirk grows. “You were saying?”

He guides me into a quick spin. I grip his hands tightly. My hair and skirts flare out behind me.

I stumble to a stop. “What?”

“About Fae Fire?”

Oh…right.

A truth I’d been suppressing rises to the surface, no longer content to be ignored.

“Ferria created those manacles.” I frown at the offending dark metal wrapped around his wrists. “Didn’t she?”

The fingers holding my own flex. “Unknowingly, yes. It appears she did.”