Page 24 of Kissed By the Sun

“Agreed on all counts.” I nodded firmly at him.

Thorn rubbed at the back of his neck. “It’s going to get cold overnight and with no fire, we should, uh, stay close to preserve body heat.”

“Is this your way of saying you want to cuddle?” I forced a grin as I spoke to try and lighten the mood.

He just shrugged. “Cuddling is practical.”

I snorted a genuine laugh.

“I want my back to a tree, though,” he added, as though that would make it all more respectable.

The truth was: if we were that close, I was worried about what would happen. Could we keep our hands to ourselves?

I felt a blush creep up my cheeks as I nodded in agreement. "A tree it is, then."

We found a sturdy oak that seemed less affected by the blight than its neighbors. It was still clinging to life, at least partially, though probably not for long.

As night fell, the temperature dropped rapidly. Thorn settled against the trunk, and I hesitantly positioned myself between his legs, my back to his chest. His knees were raised, making his muscular thighs press against my arms, while his own arms rested on his knees, somewhat encircling me, though he still had his hands loose and his sword at the ready. I could feel the steady rise and fall of his breathing.

"This isn't so bad," I murmured, trying to keep my voice light despite the tension I felt coursing through me. We’d had sex before, been in so many positions, had hands and mouths all over one another, yet somehow this felt just as intimate. Had we ever actually cuddled before? I honestly couldn’t remember.

Thorn's chuckle rumbled pleasantly against my back. "No, it's not."

We sat in silence for a while, both hyper-aware of our proximity. I tried to focus on our surroundings, listening for any signs of danger, but all I could hear was the pounding of my own heart. It felt like a drum beating a staccato rhythm as it counted down to something else going wrong.

"Senara," Thorn said softly, his breath warm against my ear, making me shiver slightly. "I know this isn't the best time or place, but... I need to tell you something."

I turned my head slightly, meeting his intense gaze, the kiss of the sun making him glow in the darkness. "What is it?"

He hesitated, then leaned in closer. "I?—"

A blood-curdling screech pierced the night air, causing us both to jolt upright. In the distance, we could see a mass of writhing shadows moving toward us at an alarming speed.

No, not shadows, corrupted fae.

"By the gods," I gasped, barely comprehending what I was seeing.

"It's a horde!" Thorn yelled even though I was still right in front of him, frozen in shock. He was on his feet a second later and was pulling me up with him. "We need to move. Now, Sernara!"

I wasn’t sure whether it was the use of my name or my brain finally catching up to what was going on, but suddenly everything that had been frozen was moving at hyper speed.

Us included.

We sprinted through the blighted landscape, the sounds of pursuit growing louder behind us. Death was nipping at our heels; there was no time for thought, not if we wanted to survive, all we could do now was move. Our only hope was to outrun the corruption and make it somewhere safe before the horde could overwhelm us. The Veil of Life was still days away so I knew there was no chance of us making it there. If only we’d been able to steal one of the horses from the city; but the need to make it out unnoticed had made that impossible.

As we ran, the corrupted fae's screeches grew louder, their eerie cries echoing through the night. My lungs burned, and my legs ached, but I forced myself to keep pace with Thorn, as my pack thumped against my back in a rhythm that would havebeen soothing had we not been running for our lives. His hand gripped mine tightly, pulling me along when I stumbled.

"There!" Thorn shouted, pointing ahead with his free hand.

Through the gloom, I could make out the silhouette of a stone structure. It wasn’t large, an old watchtower or something similar, its stone structure barely visible in the overwhelming darkness.

We veered toward it, hoping against hope that it would provide some refuge from the horde. As we neared, I realized that to say the tower was in disrepair would be a vast understatement. Its walls were crumbling and possibly missing in places, and what was there was covered in a sickly black growth.

But it was our only option.

Thorn reached the door first, slamming into it with his shoulder and a grunt. It burst open and we tumbled inside, shoving the rotting wood shut behind us. Thorn quickly barred the door with a fallen beam while I searched for anything else we could use as a blockade.

"Up the stairs," Thorn panted, grabbing my arm. "We'll have a better chance of defending ourselves from above."

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