Confusion washed over me and I buried my face into his chest. “How long have I been out?”
“Almost six hours. You’re getting better at evading me, but as soon as you looked into my eyes, as soon as I said your name, you came back.” He smiled down at me and for the first time I realized I was naked, in his arms, but too exhausted to care. These episodes were taking everything out of me.
“I don’t know what happened,” I whispered, “but I was right there, standing on the edge of the sacred circle. I was ready to step inside, when it felt like I was being ripped away.”
“I stopped you from entering the circle,” Dane admitted, his eyes focused on the ground in front of us.
“Why?”
“I won’t be able to reach you once you’re inside. Only Katia’s blood can pass. You’d be completely on your own.”
“But there’s something there. I can feel it. Whatever Marie wants to show me . . . it’s inside that circle.” I held his face in my hands, forcing him to look me in the eyes. “Promise you won’t stop me next time.”
He stared ahead, his brow knotted up with worry. “I promise,” he whispered.
As soon as we emerged from the corn, into a stretch of woods, I felt like I could breathe again. The air no longer held that metallic edge of adrenaline-spiked blood. The oxygen going in and out of my lungs took the conduit feelings far away from me. Almost as if they’d never been there at all.
There wasn’t a clear path leading through the dense wooded area, but Dane seemed to know where he was going. We stepped out of the trees and into a small, secluded cove. Slashes of pink and gold painted the surface of the water, reflecting the majesty of the sun rising over the endless sea of corn.
Dane waded me into the salt lake, gently dipping me in. The pearlescent water clouded into soft billows of pink as he smoothed the blood away from my arms, my neck. Now I felt naked. My skin prickled up in goose bumps.
“I’m sorry if it’s cold,” he said.
“It’s not cold,” I said, meeting his gaze.
I drifted from his arms, completely submerging myself. It was so peaceful below, not a sound, not a care. When I could no longer hold my breath, I came up to the surface to find the air thick with strawberries, musk, sandalwood, and fertile earth.
Everything inside of me reached out for him. Even the blunt edge of the black silk ribbon tied around my neck drifted toward him longingly. I was no longer merely existing or surviving—I’d never felt more . . . alive.
“If I gave you my blood, would you be able to follow me inside the sacred circle?” I asked as I swam around him, my heart pounding at the memory of Katia giving her blood to Alonso. “Then I wouldn’t have to be alone.”
“I don’t know if it’s that simple,” he said as he stood in the waist-deep water, following me with his eyes. “But I’m honored you’d consider sharing that with me.”
Dane still didn’t understand how I felt about him. At this point, words meant nothing. I needed to show him. I didn’t know how much time I had left and I didn’t want to waste it playing games.
I took in a steeling breath as I planted my feet into the soft clay floor and stood tall, exposing my upper body to the humid air. It was so quiet; the only sound came from the last few drops of opal liquid that dripped from my navel back into the water.
Slowly, he closed the distance between us. Though he still wore all his clothes, so little separated us now.
It seemed like an eternity before his penetrating eyes met mine again, and when they did, they no longer held any doubts.
Dane reached for the ribbon draped between my breasts, and coiled it around his fingers.
I felt the slight pressure of it straining against my neck, but not enough to pull it from the bow.
“You can pull harder,” I said. “You can’t hurt me.”
“You’re wrong.” Dane held me close. “I can hurt you,” he whispered in my ear, “but I don’t want to.”
He kissed me so delicately it felt like a feather brushing my lips. I twined my fingers in his thick hair, and he kissed me harder this time, his tongue dancing on mine. A surge of warmth radiated down from the top of my head, settling deep inside of me.
He pulled me closer, lifting me from the water, his fingers digging into the backs of my thighs. My body trembled. I wanted him to crush me—consume me, body and soul. I took in a gasping breath when Dane suddenly let go of me, lowering me back into the water.
“Is she naked?” Lauren screeched.
Lauren and Brennon stood on the shore, looking on in disbelief. Dane stepped protectively in front of me. I pressed my face between his shoulder blades, feeling a deep shudder run through him.
“What are you doing here?” Dane asked.
“I could ask you the same, but that’s pretty obvious,” she replied, hands on her hips, staring daggers into me. “Where are her clothes?”
“We lost them,” Dane admitted, a beautiful flush creeping over his collar.