Page 116 of Bound By Darkness

His hand slid down the rock until it rested by my ear. “I would call that far from lucky. What if I hadn’t stopped my swing in time?”

“You’d never accidentally hit me. You’re too skilled.”

He stared at me, the silver flecks drawing me in. “Besides the point.

My throat tightened as his thumb brushed over the sensitive welt on my neck.

“This mark makes you her slave, Thalia. If she commands you to fight, she will if it means ending this war.”

His fingers wrapped around the back of my neck, histhumb resting below my ear. Each stroke of his thumb caught my breath as I bit my lip to keep from moaning.

“What other choice did I have?” I managed to spit out between the increasing beats of my heart. I wanted his thumb to trace across my throat. His hands to wrap around my neck and pin me close—to taste that honey-wine my lips constantly craved.

“You could have walked away.”

My eyes lowered to his lips. “You know as well as I did there was no other plausible answer. I did what needed to be done.”

Ivan’s forehead brushed against mine as he leaned close, our lips less than a stone away. “There it is.Needed.”

My breath hitched as devious thoughts of the last time we’d kissed resurfaced. It would be so simple to cross that line, to lean a stone closer.

“You talk about things that are needed. Things expected of you, but when have you ever stated what you want, Thalia?” His hand brushed a few strands of hair from my neck. “What is it you want?”

Gods, what did I want?

I knew it, but I was too afraid to say it out loud.

I wantedhim.

Despite everything, I did. He had lied to me, but I had also lied to him about the pages. We’d both been selfish in protecting each other by refusing to carry each other’s burdens. It’s why I couldn’t blame him for what he’d done, because I’d done it too.

We were both stubborn—two gemstones cut from the same rock that somehow made sense when fitted together.

Grabbing my sword, I shoved it between us as my thoughts sunk into darkness. “I don’t want anything,” I lied again.

Something flashed in his eyes, but it quickly vanished as he gripped his sword. “Very well.”

He stood back, his sword resting against his shoulder. “We have a lot of sparring left to complete before tonight, then.”

The streets were emptying as vendors prepared for the dinner celebration this evening. The celebration Iyanna had decided to show off her newest trophy to the Hideaway.

Since leaving the bathing tent, no one had interacted with me, the smell of pine and lemon clinging to my freshly washed skin. I was thankful most people here did not seem to mind I was the most wanted woman in Cethales or I possessed an unnatural ability to wield darkness.

Mulling over the stalls, a young man, no more than twenty, surveyed me from head to toe. His cheeks flushed under his tanned skin as he quickly lowered his head in greeting, his hands full of random wares.

Bottles lined the lengthy stall as he stowed them underneath the wooden caravan.

As I stepped closer, silver caught my eyes. “What is that?” I pointed to the shimmering liquid. A red seal covered the top half of the bottle, an unfamiliar crest etched into the ruby wax.

“T–this?” He placed the bottle in the middle of the cart, the contents stirring slightly. “It’s nothing useful,” he said quietly. “No one knows what it does or if it’s magical.”

The young man tipped the bottle to the side, exposing iridescent colors of purple, green, and blue as they collided with the side of the glass. “However,” he paused, swallowinghard. “There is a rumor my boss told me. He said if someone swallows even a drop, they will gain extra power before the next morning.”

“Do you believe it?” My eyes followed pearls of blue and green.

“I don’t mess with wares I’m unfamiliar with.”

I rummaged at my side, taking out a black pouch as I revealed three silver coins from inside—my allowance, as ordered by Iyanna herself. It was more like hush money, but still, it was a luxury in itself to have my own coins. “Will this cover it?”

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