Page 66 of In Darkness Forged

“I knew this was dangerous before we started,” she reminded him. “Whatever happens, it will not be your fault. You tried to warn me.”

“That doesn’t matter anymore.”

Aislin took a single step towards him, needing to be nearer, as if that might help her understand the warring impulses that drove him. Where he had once been cold and hard as the winter wind, he now seemed caught between fear and pain, pushing her away with one breath and pulling her closer the next.

And oh, how she wanted to be closer. With every moment she stood ensnared by that intense amber gaze, her pulse only raged faster, making it far more difficult to deny the attraction coursing through her with every quickening beat. It was like standing beside a raging bonfire, yearning to be warmed by the flames but knowing it would only get her burned.

Tal had not grown less beautiful with closer acquaintance, nor with her deepening awareness of the scars and burdens he carried. If anything, the pull he seemed to exert on every fiber of her being had only grown stronger. And with every touch over the past few days, she’d come closer and closer to forgetting the vast gulf that lay between them.

An impossibly gorgeous night elf warrior bent on revenge could have nothing to do with a bedraggled human woman who could barely survive on her own.

He’d been kind in his own way—patient and protective—and she trusted him not to abandon her. But this other feeling—the one that made her chest ache and her stomach feel hollow and caused flutters of anticipation in every nerve she possessed… Even now, when she looked at him for too long, her mouth went dry, and she forgot how to speak.

It was easier in the dark. Easier when she thought of them as chance-met companions with no choice but to rely on one another. Harder when she fell too far into those amber eyes and remembered that she was a woman and he was everything she had never dared to imagine wanting.

“I don’t understand it.” Tal sounded angry again, and that anger seemed to be directed solely at himself. “But I cannot seem to change what I feel. I only know that I am not content unless you are close. I am furious at the thought of you being hurt, and if someone tried to kill you, I would end them without remorse.”

Aislin’s breath caught as she replayed those words. They begged for a response, but what could she say in answer to such a declaration? Especially when she wasn’t remotely certain what he meant by it. Did he see her as some sort of pet he was fond of and would be sad when she died?

“What would you have me change, Tal?” she asked softly. “We are here, and this is a path we must both walk.”

“Or I could take you out of here. You would be safe with Cuan, until I can do what is necessary.”

She shook her head. “No. I won’t let you attempt this alone. You already told me that you would be unlikely to succeed.”

His eyes blazed up with furious amber light. “Then we walk away.”

“We…” She stopped and stared at him. “What do you mean? You want to give up?”

“I want youalive,” he growled. “That is what matters. Not my revenge. Not some petty lordling’s demands.”

“This isn’t petty, Tal,” Aislin snapped. “Have you forgotten? This is about whether or not my family has a home. Whether they will survive the winter.”

“And how will they survive the winter if you die here?” He was still only inches away, staring down at her, hands flexed and stiff at his sides.

“Is that really what’s bothering you?” Aislin demanded, eyes narrowed. “Or is this some ploy to get rid of me? Why should you care if my family survives?”

“I don’t,” he raged. “But believe me when I say that they will not thank you for throwing your life away.”

Oh.

“Tal, your sister…”

“Notmy sister.” His head fell back, and his eyes closed with frustration. “This is not about her. Not anymore.”

“Then what?”

He moved, so swiftly that a cry of surprise escaped Aislin’s lips. His palm suddenly rested on the side of her neck, his fingers threaded through her hair, his thumb brushing her cheek. His body did not touch her, but he was so close she felt the heat of him all the way to her toes.

His eyes burned, and that same fire seemed to blaze up in the center of her chest, drawing her in and scorching away whatever doubts or dismissals her mind could supply.

“I don’t know,” Tal whispered, his face only inches from hers.

Aislin was caught, helpless, and she did not care. Nothing mattered aside from the rasp of his calloused fingers against her skin and the focused heat of his gaze searching hers. Whatever he was looking for…

Motion caught her eye, just behind him, hidden in the shadows.

“Tal,” she said urgently, “behind you!”

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