Hotbloods (Hotbloods #1)

“Oh yeah? You should tell that to the two thugs who decided to use my face as a punching bag.”

Ezra smiled thinly. “Rey and Xander can be a bit too enthusiastic at times, I admit. They shouldn’t have done that, or they should have at least stopped after they managed to get you aboard the ship. But we’re not here for a philosophical debate, are we? Why don’t you tell me your name.”

“Navan Idrax. My father is Jareth Idrax.”

Ezra did a double take. “Your father is Jareth Idrax? One of Queen Gianne’s advisors? That Jareth Idrax?”

A sour smile appeared on Navan’s face. “He’d be thrilled to know he had such an ardent fan. Yeah, that’s the one. Good old Father. If you let me go, maybe I can get you his autograph.”

I could see Ezra struggling with whether to believe him or not. He steepled his fingers together and stared at Navan. “If that’s true, it makes sense why you’d be skilled with potions… and this really is our lucky day. I’m glad our shifter failed to kill you. Your father would likely go to great lengths to see your safe return… Excuse me a moment,” he said, pushing back the chair from the table and standing up. He exited the room quickly, closing the door behind him.

Now was my chance. I didn’t know how long he’d be gone for, but I slipped out from underneath the bench, pressing the button on the sleeve as I did so. I knew it would’ve been smarter to stay invisible, but I’d looked around and hadn’t seen any cameras. I knew I could talk and he’d hear me, but I wanted him to see me—I didn’t just want to be some disembodied voice he was hearing. I materialized beside him, and he jumped when he saw me.

“Riley!” he hissed. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m going to help you get out.”

“Unless you’ve figured out a way to get that invisibility suit to melt metal, you’re not,” he said. “Now, get back into invisible mode before Ezra returns and sees you. We’re in enough trouble here as it is without them realizing there’s a human in the equation, too.”

“I’m not leaving you,” I insisted. “And there’s nothing you can say that’s going to change my mind.” I touched the side of his face. “They hurt you,” I whispered, using my fingertips to wipe away the wet mark where the coldblood had spat on him.

“It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine. I heard everything that Ezra said! And did you see the expression on his face when he found out who your father is?”

“How could I miss it? My father’s reputation precedes him, even all the way here on Earth. I wasn’t kidding when I told Ezra how delighted he’d be to find out something like that.”

“I don’t care about your father’s ego! They’re going to try to use you as a pawn, Navan. Did you hear what he said about your father going to great lengths? They don’t really care about you. They’re going to try to get what they want, and if you end up dying in the process, that’s not going to matter to them one bit. So we’ve got to get you out of here.” I bent down and tried to untie him, but it was like the knots had fused over; there was nothing to grab onto, nothing to untie.

“You’re wasting your time.” Navan sighed. “You can’t untie it.”

“What the hell is it?”

“It’s inselo gut.”

I stood up. “It’s what?”

“It’s the cured intestine from an inselo. It’s an animal like a leopard seal. If they cure it a certain way, with a special binding potion, it becomes a ‘live wire,’ which means it’s only unlockable by the person who cured it. Which I’m assuming is Ezra.”

“How am I supposed to get you out, then? What should I do?” I glanced at the door, which was still firmly shut. I looked back at Navan.

He looked exhausted, and it tore me up on the inside. “If they’re going to use me as a pawn, then they need to keep me alive. So maybe take some comfort in that. But if they find you—who knows what they’ll do to you.” He shuddered. “I don’t even want to think about it. You need to press that button and get invisible again. And then stay hidden. They very well might have the technology to detect you, and if they do, there’s not much I can do to help you.”

“I’m going to figure out a way to get you out of here,” I promised. “I know you don’t believe me, but I’m going to.”

We looked at each other, neither of us saying anything for a moment, then another. The air around us grew thick, and I suddenly felt a magnetic force drawing me to him.

“You need to press that button,” Navan repeated.

“I will,” I whispered. “But… first, I need to do this.”

The words came out of my mouth without my brain fully registering them; it felt as if something had taken over my body and was propelling me forward, though there was nothing more I wanted in that moment. We were here, prisoners, but all I could think about was kissing him. If I was honest with myself, I’d wanted to do it for a while, but I’d held back because I’d been afraid, because I thought there might be a chance that he’d just laugh and push me away. There was still a small part of me that harbored that fear, but it was eclipsed by a bigger fear—that one—or both—of us wouldn’t make it out of here alive. I put my hands on his shoulders and leaned down, my face right against his, our lips just millimeters from touching.

He inhaled slowly. “What a time for my hands to be tied behind my back,” he said softly.

My entire body felt electrified when our lips finally touched, and I breathed in his scent, one of my hands going around the back of his head, as though I could pull him even closer to me. The other rested against the side of his cool face, my fingertips running lightly along the taut skin of his stubbled jawline. His mouth responded to mine hungrily—so much so that it took me aback. His tongue parted my lips, and I felt his desire for me with its every stroke, his every hitched breath.

As his firm lips caressed mine, I felt myself light up, my body feeling weightless. He was kissing me back, burning for me just as much as I was for him, and I mentally kicked myself for not allowing myself a taste of this sooner, for delaying it so long.

Everything seemed to fall away. Nothing else mattered. I let that kiss completely consume me. We were prisoners trapped in this bunker, but the rush of happiness that flooded through me made my heart feel like it was going to explode. Kissing him was like coming home, like arriving at the very place I’d always wanted to be but had been unable to find until now. I would have been content to stay there forever, but Navan finally pulled back, his eyes still half-closed, an anguished expression on his face.