Page 42 of For the Ghastly and Beautiful

Chapter12

Adelaide

DAY THIRTY-THREE

The weight of my words settle over Ecaeris like a sheet of torrential rain dropping from the sky to douse the fire of his humor. But I won’t take them back.

“There is no victory when it comes to you,” he whispers in defeat. “I lose if I walk away; I lose if I stay.”

“Sometimes you have to lose the battle to win the war, Ecaeris. But I wonder if you even know what you’re fighting for or fighting against.”

He grabs the center of my shirt, dragging me toward him until we’re nearly chest-to-chest. My hands grip his thighs, holding up my weight. Not that he cares. I still struggle to comprehend the mongrels’ strength, even as he lifts me and places me properly across his lap.

“I know what I fight for and against,” he tells me, lips hovering a hair’s breadth from mine. “Those two things just happen to be the same person.”

This isn’t the first kiss I’ve shared with Ecaeris, but the circumstances make this exceedingly more intimate. I don’t know which of us closes the distance, but he devours my mouth, leaving me no time for a witty reply.

His touch scalds my skin, his burning fingertips a stark juxtaposition to the cool air in the room. Goosebumps ripple over my arms, racing across my chest as my body temperature rises.

I untuck my legs from his lap to wrap them around his waist. He tips me backward before I’m fully seated, one hand in my hair as the other lands beside my head.

Then he sits back on his heels, pulling his soft linen shirt over his head in one fluid motion. And once again, I’m reminded that these people are built for survival. Ecaeris would have gods weeping at his feet. He makes Neptune look like a boy in comparison.

My gaze tracks every ridge and cut of his torso, soaking in the scars as well as the muscles he keeps hidden from view. I idly wonder if I can talk him into walking around shirtless when we’re in his wing of the palace.

But I quickly drop the thought when I hear fabric ripping. He tears my shirt straight down the middle. Then he closes his eyes like I’m testing his patience when he realizes I only have some skimpy lace panties underneath. I feel rather proud of myself, because I made these.

“I liked that shirt,” I playfully chide.

His mismatched eyes are alight with humor and hunger. “I’ll give you another one.”

“This one was Connak’s,” I point out, pulling my arms through the sleeves.

“I’ll get one of his, too.”

I begin to scoff, but gasp.

Icy water pools on my stomach, trailing up to circle my nipples.

They pebble painfully as he tears through my thin lace panties. He sucks on his teeth before biting into the side of his lower lip as he gazes down at me. A devilish expression crosses his features.

The heat of his body slowly returns, searing my bare skin. He moves my arms until they’re over my head, his left hand holding both my wrists together.

“Stay like this. Don’t move.”

When I furrow my brows, he grins wickedly. Cold water swirls around my wrists in a continuous loop.

“Be careful, Ada,” Ecaeris murmurs against my neck. “Water is powerful. One slip, and it will cut you too deep.”

The warning is clear in his tone, both meanings of his words repeating in my mind. Instead of calling him out, I wiggle my hands. The water bites into the back of my wrist, threatening me with a deeper wound if I move too much.

It’s then I notice the pressure of the mist that’s created from the unnatural speed of these liquid cuffs. He’s using his element to restrain me. The danger of the situation kicks my heartbeat up a notch.

I’ve seen a pressure washer flay a man’s arm wide open. I should be freaking out right now.

I’m not, though.

I know Ecaeris won’t hurt me; I’ve known that since I met him. But still, the thrill sneaks into my center, bringing my desire to a boil.