Page 65 of Renegade Queen

We’d all done it as kids. Seen who was brave enough to pass the tree line. Hell, it had been Rhidian’s favourite game whenever our Courts had travelled together up to the Winter Palace.

“If we’re doing this, we need to move now,” Fizzle told us.

“Okay, we’ll wait here until they pass, then cross the river behind them,” I agreed.

My eyes moved between Ryder and Tank, taking in as much of them as I could. This wouldn’t be the last time I saw them; I wouldn’t accept anything less.

Unsurprisingly, Ryder was the first to move forward.

“Fuck it,” he muttered, hauling me into his body as he kissed me.

His lips slammed down on mine, and I wrapped my arms around his neck without hesitation. As his tongue moved past my lips, he grabbed me by the ass, pulling me closer as he ground his hips against mine.

It was all passion and fire and over far too quickly.

It probably wasn’t the best time to swoon, but damn if that wouldn’t stop me.

“When I get back, we’re talking properly and seeing where this thing is going,” he told me confidently.

I found myself nodding because, hell, there was absolutely no reason.

“Stop hogging the lady,” Tank grunted, barging Ryder out of the way, who just laughed.

I might not have been ready to let Ryder go, but then Tank was there, staring down at me with a soft smile on his face.

We’d had one night, and I wanted it to be the first of many. But we hadn’t had the chance to talk about what had happened because I’d run out of there full of good intentions and bad fucking ideas.

There was no forceful kiss, no mind-bending declaration of love. He just cupped my cheeks with his hands, tangling his fingers in my hair and kissed me gently.

“No heroics, no stupid decisions. I’ll see you on the other side of this,” he told me.

“Right back at you,” I quipped, balancing on my tiptoes to kiss him again. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily, you know.”

He grinned at that.

I knew how I felt about Tank. If I was honest with myself, those feelings had been there for longer than just last night. And just because more than one name was branded across my heart didn’t make my love for him any less.

But now wasn’t the time to be making whispered declarations. I didn’t want to distract him any more than he already would be, and the little girl inside of me wanted it to be more special than blurted out as a hurried goodbye.

“We should go,” Fizzle said urgently from where he’d taken up a perch in one of the nearby branches.

Gliding down, he landed on my shoulder, bumping his head against mine. “The forest will keep you safe, young one. Trust in Nymeria, and they will pass you by. There is much we need to talk about when you have this human you seek, so try not to die before I get back.”

“I’ll try my very best.”

“Now come on, perch. We don’t have all day. Do your bear-thing.” Fizzle cleared his throat as he spoke, and it meant a lot that my little friend was getting all choked up over the idea of saying goodbye to me.

The others were giggling like children at the sight of the little owl Gryphon staring down Tank. Especially when he opened his mouth to argue, but then shut it and shrugged. Fizzle was right. We were on a tight schedule here.

When Tank stepped back from me, I immediately felt his loss. The safety that was Tank moving away felt far too symbolic for what we were about to go into.

But then his hands reached for the back of his loose white shirt, and he pulled it off, watching me the entire time.

Damn, I could still remember what it felt like to run my hands across his chest, and it made my mouth water.

I was transfixed as I watched his hands drop to the laces at the front of his pants; he pulled them free slowly, grinning as I gulped in anticipation.

“Even I’m a little bit turned on right now,” Ryder whispered from next to me, and I blindly reached out to shove him because there was no way I was looking away.

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