“We can escape together and forget about all of this. We’ll build a life in Allu. You and me.” It was strange to think that weeks ago I had only ever wanted to be alone, but now I couldn’t imagine life without her in it.
She dropped her head, hiding her face so that I couldn’t see her clearly.
“Luna,” I whispered. She made me crazy and reckless. I reached for her, closed my fingers around her arms, and pulled her to me. As though I could somehow absorb her into myself . . . remind her what it was like between us. Remind myself. The reality of what it felt like to hold her in my arms had dimmed.
She faced me, her expression set into something grim. “I’ll escape with you, but I’m going to Relhok. With or without you.”
I kissed her, drinking in her sigh rather than arguing with her anymore. Maybe a part of me hoped to influence her, seduce her, get her to say she would go anywhere with me, but I had forgotten what kissing her was like. The first brush of her lips seduced me.
Pulling back, I held her face, skimming her features, engraving them into my soul. I waited, giving her time to pull away if that was what she really wanted.
She didn’t pull back. Her fingers circled my wrists, tugging me back to her, so I kissed her again, drove my fingers into her shorn hair, curving my palms around her skull. Her pulse bled into me through the connection of our mouths, the rhythm passing through my palms.
I had ceased all thinking and let sensation take over. The back of my neck pulled tight, goose bumps breaking out over my skin and chasing all the way down my body. A heavy tightness pooled low in my spine as we backed up together. I didn’t look up. All my focus was on her mouth. Her scent. The callused pads on her small palms. I vaguely registered a slight bump as we reached the bed.
Then we were on the bed, and all the desperation, all the near scrapes spiraled into this need for each other. We had overcome every impossibility and were still alive and still together. Maybe it couldn’t last, maybe it wouldn’t, but for now we had this.
Solitude. Hands. Mouths. Warm lantern light gilded her skin as I peeled the edge of her nightgown down to reveal a smooth shoulder. She sighed at my mouth skimming her skin, and then her hands were in my hair, her nails lightly scraping through strands and reaching my scalp, sending shivers up and down my neck.
I inched back slightly, just to look at her, to see her beneath me. Her features so soft, her pale skin flushed pink over the smatter of freckles. I was breathing hard as she brought her fingers to my lips, touching, tracing the shape. I kissed each one; her palm, her wrist, the back of her knuckles.
“Luna, how do you taste like this?” I breathed against her skin, my tongue licking, savoring her flesh.
She sighed in response, and I brought my mouth to hers again, kissing her harder. Her lips slanted against mine hotly, searing me. She knew how to kiss, how to affect me. Our breaths crashed and collided. Her hands moved faster, skimming my arms, my back, dipping lower.
My heart hammered like a wild bird in my chest. Everything felt new. With Luna it was love. It spiked my need, made everything more desperate, more feverish. She thought she didn’t need this. Need me.
Everything flew faster then. Hushed words, groping hands, dragging mouths. I tried to hold back, thinking I was too rough, moving too fast, but she nipped at my lips with a growl and then all was lost. I was lost.
There was nothing but sliding skin and smell and taste. The sound of my name on her lips. Her nails scoring my flesh. Her warm breath in my ear.
I buried my hands in her hair, massaging her scalp, holding her to me and kissing her until my lips grew bruised and swollen. I pulled back, watching her, not missing the dark heat in her eyes. Her fingers dug into my shoulders and my name rasped on her lips in a way that lit a fire in my gut.
I settled my weight into the warm cocoon of her body, swallowing her kiss, her moan. Her. I thought I was flying out of my skin. She did that to me . . . made me feel like I was soaring. Like I was free.
TWENTY-TWO
Luna
I LAY ON my back, Fowler’s arms loosely wrapped around me. I could smell his skin, clean and musky beside me. I knew he would have to go soon. The castle would wake and a maid would come to my room. It wouldn’t do for her to find Fowler here. That would create a whole new set of problems we hoped to avoid. Even knowing this, I snuggled deeper into his arms.
His fingers trailed through my hair, which ended near my ears. It still felt strange that it was so short. Each time Fowler started at the roots and stroked his way down the strands I was reminded that it was gone. Fitting, I supposed. That girl was gone, too.
“It bothers me that you think you don’t know me.” His voice rumbled beside me. I flinched slightly.
“I was angry when I said that.”