Page 56 of A Trial By Blood

Jealousy fired through me, hard and fast. “With someone else? Sex?” What the hell was wrong with me? I had no filter either, apparently. But then, that was how Ronan and I had always talked to each other. He’d had no filter, so I’d spoken to him in kind.

The thought of him with someone else physically hurt. Fucking Relic. I was going to knee him in the nuts when I saw him next.

“No,” he said roughly, then swallowed thickly. “Alone.”

Relief filled me as an image of Ronan with one of those large hands wrapped around his hard length, his beautiful body bare and straining. Heat pulsed through me, and my mouth went dry. What did you say to that? Yeah, me too. Not that I’d been very successful. I’d been sick and sheltered my whole life. I mean, I saw movies with sex scenes and read books, but I’d never experienced any of it myself. I’d tried to touch myself but had only ended up even more frustrated.

“Oh, okay,” I said, because I couldn’t stand the deafening silence. I didn’t want him to think there was something wrong with doing that.

Goddess, thinking about Ronan exploring his body for the first time—I shivered and quickly shut those thoughts down.

“This is as far as we can go,” he said, dragging me from my dirty thoughts.

I looked around us. The “road” had thinned out even more, too narrow for a car. The path led deeper into the dense forest. “We’ll have to go on foot the rest of the way.”

He growled under his breath. “It appears that way. Put your jacket on, and your hat. Do you have gloves?”

“Yep, I’m ready for a hike in the Arctic.” I chuckled at the stern look on his face.

“Hypothermia is no laughing matter, Rose.”

“No, it most definitely isn’t.” My grin grew wider.

“Are you…teasing me?”

“Yes.”

He stilled. “Your eyes, they grow brighter when you smile.”

“Do they?” The male knew how to verbally knock me off my feet and had no clue.

“Yes.”

He reached out and tucked my hair behind my ear and my breath caught.

“Your face, it’s…I like to look at it. I never understood how people could risk everything, could give up or take a life for beauty, for a chance to gaze upon it, to be close to it. I think I do now.” Then he dropped his hand and opened his door. “Put on your jacket,” he repeated, then got out of the car.

I sat there stunned while I watched him look around, searching the shadowy forest for danger. Had he really just said that? He strode to my door and opened it. “Ready?”

CHAPTER 18

Rose

I yanked on my coat and shoved on my hat. “Yep, ready.” I strode toward the path, but he grabbed my arm, stopping me.

“Gloves, Rose.” He frowned, completely unaware that what he’d just said about me and beauty had completely thrown me.

“Right.” I tugged them on, and immediately the buzz of Ronan’s power filled the air around us. “You’re using your power, yes? Are we invisible?”

“We are.” He took me in from head to toe, I assume, making sure I was sufficiently covered up. “But I still want you to stay close.”

“Will do.” I took a step, and he grabbed my hand, and without looking at me again, headed along the path. He seemed to like holding my hand. Should I ask? We’d just talked about Ronan getting himself off, so I couldn’t see why not. “You don’t need to hold my hand to protect me with your power, right?”

“Right.”

“Are you worried I’ll run off and do something reckless?” I asked, and held up our joined hands. I wanted to hear his reasoning for it.

He frowned again and looked at his hand wrapped around mine. “No.” He thought about it for another few seconds. “I like the way it feels. It’s a good feeling.”