“I needed to see you. Are you well? Fully recovered?” He stepped closer. My pulse sped faster.
“I’m fine.” There were a dozen things I wanted to say in this moment. How I felt about him. The danger my emotions embodied. The way I desperately wanted to kiss him again.
“You look perfect.”
“Thank you.” A blush colored my cheeks. I stepped back under the cool shade of the fire tree, leaned against the huge trunk, and forced my features into the classic show of Necromancer calm. Don’t lose your head. Keep control. I cleared my throat. “Since you’re here, I wanted to ask you something.”
“Anything.”
“Amelia’s been helping me search for my lost Sisters. Yesterday, she got some strange news.”
Suddenly, there stood six-plus feet of Rowan right before me, his body giving off waves of heat. He rested his palms on the massive trunk so his arms framed my head. At least a foot of space still separated us. His green eyes turned so intense. “What did you hear?”
“Someone’s asking for Amelia’s hand in marriage.”
Rowan’s features didn’t so much as twitch. “That’s happened before.”
I lifted my chin. “You seem to know a lot about it. Something come up in your political work with Genesis Rex?”
“I know what you’re suspecting, but don’t go near this, Elea. It isn’t safe. Keep looking for your Necromancers and stay out of Caster politics.”
My brows lifted. “So, Genesis Rex is negotiating for her hand in marriage, isn’t he?”
“And if he is?” Rowan moved closer until our bodies were inches apart. I couldn’t tell if he wanted to hold me or was getting ready to press off and run. Maybe he didn’t know either.
“You should tell me, Rowan.”
“When it comes to Genesis Rex, there are some things I can’t discuss, Elea. Even with you.”
“If there’s some marriage being planned between Rex and Amelia, then it’s my business. She’s my friend, Rowan. Everyone around her is trying to pull her puppet strings, and it’s all because I stepped into her life.”
“And if a wedding was in the works, what objections would you have?”
I’d met Genesis Rex before. “The obvious one. Rex is simply too old for her.”
Rowan narrowed his eyes. It didn’t seem fair that the man should have thick lashes on top of all his other gifts. “What about Rex? Not worried about his side of things?” There was an edge to his tone that I couldn’t quite place or understand.
“Your uncle seemed nice enough. Even so, he’s lived a long life. Amelia’s young in a lot of ways. She’s sweet and trusting. Your uncle seemed very—” I looked around the forest, trying to find the right words. “Worldly.”
“You care about her, don’t you?”
I nodded. It was a weakness to have gotten attached to another person so quickly, but I had. “I don’t want to see her used as a pawn.”
Rowan sighed. “She’s the Vicomte’s only heir. There’s no way to prevent that. If it isn’t Rex, it could be someone else.” He lifted his hand and gently rubbed my cheek with the backs of his fingers. Every brush of his skin sent pleasant shivers through my core. Rowan leaned in until his breath brushed my ear. “Not all of us are lucky enough to be Commoners like you.”
I frowned as his words sunk in. I leaned my head against the trunk, despair weighing down my bones. “This is why we’re impossible. I’m a Commoner and you’re a member of the Imperial family. You shouldn’t be anywhere near me.”
“I told you that I’d find a way for us. If you don’t believe me, you can walk away at any time.” He shifted his head until his mouth hovered just above mine. “But I think you believe me.”
I meant to march off, I really did. Somehow, I couldn’t move a muscle. Instead, I slowly licked my lips. “So, what’s this ‘way’ you’re talking about?”
“I’m working on it.”
“I won’t be some secret, Rowan.”
“And I don’t want that either. We belong together, Elea. Openly.” His voice deepened, and every word seemed to resonate through my soul. “When you left me in the desert, it was the hardest night of my life. I thought the pain of losing you would fade, but it only grew worse. I want you with me, and I think you want me too.” He brushed his nose up and down mine. My legs shook. “I will make things happen between us, Elea. And in whatever way you want. No secrets. Count on it.”
With those words, something inside me snapped. I leaned in, pressing my mouth to his. All of a sudden, I couldn’t touch him enough. Our kiss turned fierce. I brushed my fingertips against the scruff of his chin, then ran my palms over the firm planes of his chest and even slid my hand down his thigh, feeling the steel of his muscles under the soft leather.
Rowan’s mouth devoured mine. Still, his hands stayed firmly in place, set against the tree trunk while mine explored. Every so often, he’d let out a low growl of pleasure to show what he liked. It was a rush of power to know how I could affect him.