Page 21 of Corrupted Tyrant

“Oh, it’s on.” Her eyes flash with challenge, her lips curving into a smirk. “Prepare to eat my dust, wolven.”

We step to the edge of the platform, the cavern yawning below us. My heart is pounding, the rush of the impending flight making my blood sing. I haven’t been on An’Wa since I was young, but this calls to me, as though there’s something in my blood that knows I was meant for adventure like this. Beside me, Candy bounces on her toes, her energy infectious.

“Ready?” the guide asks, his hand on the release lever.

We nod in unison, our gazes locking in a moment of pure exhilaration.

And then we’re flying, soaring through the air at breakneck speed. The cavern walls blur past, the colored lights a kaleidoscope, the breeze whipping at our faces. Adrenaline surges through my veins, a primal roar of pure release tearing from my throat.

Candy’s laughter rings out beside me, a sound of unadulterated joy. We race each other from platform to platform, trading quips and challenges, our competitive streaks on full display.

“Not bad for a bodyguard,” she teases as we land on a particularly tricky platform, breathless and grinning.

“Not bad for a rock star,” I counter, my hand finding the small of her back. “But I think we both know who the real daredevil is here.”

She leans into my touch, her smile wide and her eyes crinkling at the corners. “Oh, do we now?”

The tension between us is charged, the air practically crackling with sparks. For a moment, I’m tempted to pull her close, to claim her lips with mine and damn the consequences.

But before I can act on the impulse, the guide ushers us to the next platform, the moment lost in the rush of the next flight.

We spend the next hour exploring the cavern, zipping from one end to the other, our laughter and shouts of exhilaration echoing off the walls. By the time we finally come to a stop, we’re both flushed and giddy, high on adrenaline and each other’s company.

“That was amazing,” Candy gushes as we unclip our harnesses, her smile wide and unguarded. “I know you try to hide your fangs when we’re in public, but that was a gigantic fail. You were having so much fun they were on full display. Your smile is handsome by the way. If we lived closer, I’d want to do this again… like tomorrow!”

Handsome? She just called me handsome. And in public, no less.

“If I know you, Candy…” Although my mind is still stuck on her compliment, I try to change the subject. “This Back-to-Basics Tour is going to be full of fun. We’re just getting started, after all.”

She leans into my touch, her nose almost pressed to my throat as her eyes flutter closed. Is she smelling me? I thought human’s senses of smell were shit compared to ours. When she opens her eyes again, there’s a heat in their depths that makes my chest tight.

“Courage…” She breathes my name like a prayer, her hand coming to rest over my heart.

But before she can say more, a group of tourists comes barreling onto the platform, their eager chatter shattering the spell. We spring apart, the reality of our situation crashing down around us.

As we make our way to the surface, I can’t shake the feeling of missed opportunity, of words left unsaid. But I push it down, forcing myself to focus on the task at hand. I’m here to protect Candy. My goal is now less about keeping her from self-destructing and more about keeping her safe from the threats lurking around every corner.

I can’t afford to let my feelings interfere with that. No matter how much I might want to.

And yet, as we step out into the sunlight, Candy’s hand finding mine once more, I can’t help but wonder what might be, if we were free to explore our fiery connection.

But we’re not. So instead, I tuck her into the passenger seat of the van, my touch lingering a moment too long. As we pull out onto the highway, the cavern receding in the rearview mirror, I steel myself for the long road ahead.

Because falling for Candy Wood? It’s not just a risk.

It’s a gamble with my heart. And I’m not sure if I’m ready to roll the dice.

Chapter Fifteen

Candy

“I killed it tonight.” It’s hard to stop grinning as I flop onto my hotel bed, the adrenaline from my Louisville concert still buzzing through my veins. “Did you see the crowd? They were on their feet for half the show!”

Courage leans against the doorframe, his arms crossed and a smile playing on his lips. How can he exude so much sexual energy in such a casual pose?

“I told you, Candy. You’re a rock star—literally. They couldn’t get enough of you.”

I grab a pillow and hug it to my chest, my cheeks stretched from smiling so hard. “It felt different tonight, you know? Like I was connecting with them. Like they were seeing the real me. This acoustic vibe, I thought I’d hate it, that it wasn’t me, but in a way, it feels like coming home.”

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