Page 263 of Psycho Pack

"You're not driving," he says with a half-hearted scowl.

"Yeah? Watch me," I say, hauling ass around the car for the driver's seat. "It'll give you time to brood and stare out the window. Besides, I'm a better driver than you any day."

"That's highly debatable," he says flatly, but he gets in.

I grin, starting the engine up. "Driver gets to pick the tunes."

"That's the eject button, you idiot," he says right as I'm about to reach for the big black button on the console.

My hand freezes and I glance over at him, not sure if he's serious or just trying to keep me from blasting rock all the way home. "You're joking, right?"

He doesn't answer, just turns and looks out the window with a ghost of a smirk on his lips.

Whatever.

Guess I don't really mind the silence when it's with him.

Chapter

Forty-Three

IVY

My heart pounds as I race up the rocky hillside, my legs burning with exertion. The wind whips my hair into my face, but I don't slow down.

He saved us.

He saved Plague.

The realization hits me again as I crest another small rise, my eyes scanning the craggy landscape for any sign of that telltale shock of bone-white hair. Valek could have let Azarel kill Plague. Could have stood by and watched as everything fell apart.

But he didn't.

A flash of white catches my eye, and suddenly he's there. Valek emerges from behind an outcropping of rocks, his sniper rifle slung casually over one shoulder. Even from this distance, I can see the wariness in his posture as he watches me approach.

He thinks I'm still angry.

He has no idea.

I don't slow down as I near him. If anything, I speed up, my feet flying over the uneven ground. Valek's eyes widen a split second before I slam into him, throwing my arms around hisneck. The impact knocks us both back a step, but Valek's arms come up instinctively to steady me.

"Ivy?" His voice is rough with confusion. "What are you?—"

I cut him off, burying my face in his chest and inhaling deeply. That familiar scent of stone and smoky metal fills my lungs, and I tighten my grip on him. "Thank you," I whisper fiercely. "Thank you for saving him."

For a moment, Valek is utterly still.

Then, slowly, hesitantly, his arms tighten around me. One hand comes up to cradle the back of my head, his fingers tangling in my wind-tousled hair.

"You're... welcome," he says, his scarf askew, sounding almost dazed. Like he can't quite believe this is happening.

I pull back just enough to look up at him, drinking in the sight of his face. Those silver eyes I know so well are wide with surprise, a vulnerability there I've rarely seen.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I stretch up on my toes and press my lips to his.

Valek goes rigid for a heartbeat, and I wonder if I've made a terrible mistake. But then he's kissing me back with a desperate intensity that steals my breath away. His rough hands frame my face, tilting my head to deepen the kiss as he pours weeks of longing and regret into it.

When we finally break apart, we're both breathing hard. Valek rests his forehead against mine, his eyes searching my face like he's trying to memorize every detail.

---