Page 99 of Twin Crowns

“I know magic.” This time when Tor closed the space between them, Wren didn’t move. He braced himself against the bookcase and brushed his nose against her neck. “I can smell it on you.”

Wren closed her eyes as every part of her went taut. “Please,” she whispered, but she didn’t know what she was asking.

“If Alarik finds out you’re a witch, he’ll make you his new plaything,” breathed Tor.

Wren snapped her eyes open. “I could hurt you, you know....”

“You mean with this?” He lowered his hand, finding the dagger hidden beneath her skirts. He pressed it gently against her hip. “Try it.”

Wren’s cheeks flamed. “I have other weapons in my arsenal.”

Tor pulled back from her. “I’m not scared of you, witch.”

“And I’m not scared ofyou, wrangler.” She tilted her chin to meet thestorm in his gaze. “You caught me out with luck, not skill.”

“I would have caught you a lot sooner if you hadn’t kept distracting me.”

Wren laughed in his face. “Oh, please. You enjoyed it. Youwantedit. You want it even now.” She pressed herself against him. “I canfeelit.”

Tor swallowed whatever he was about to say.

Wren didn’t move. It would have to come from him. “If you want it, take it. I’ve made it more than clear how I—”

With a rumbling growl, Tor took her face in his hands and kissed her. It was like being swept up in a storm. For a moment, Wren lost her senses entirely. She let the Gevran devour her, his tongue finding hers in an explosion of fireworks. His arms tightened around her waist as he pressed her up against the bookcase. She ran her fingers through his hair, nipping gently at his bottom lip as she ground herself against him. Tor groaned in pleasure, and she drank it down.

She forgot what they were arguing about—only that they had wasted precious time sniping at each other when they could have been doingthis.They should have been doing this all along. The kiss deepened, growing fast and urgent until they were both gasping for breath. Wren tore his coat off and then his shirt, running her hands along the hard planes of his chest. Tor kissed her neck, skillfully trailing his tongue along the shell of her ear as he loosened the ties on her dress.

Wren was hungry for every brush of his lips against her skin, the warmth between them getting hotter and hotter until she felt as if she would burn up.

The bookcase trembled at her back, but she barely noticed. Tortangled his fingers in her hair, kissing her hungrily, but this time, when he moved his body against hers, the bookcase gave way entirely. A shower of books rained down on them. The first one thwacked Wren hard on the shoulder, and Tor grabbed her waist and spun her out of harm’s way before the rest of the case came crashing down. She shrieked as it hit the floor in a clatter, sending books flying everywhere.

When the dust finally settled, they stood in a puddle of history, gasping for breath.

Wren pressed a hand to her swollen lips. “Oops.”

“That was... unexpected,” said Tor hoarsely.

Wren stared at his bare chest. “Which part?”

He ran a hand through his tousled hair. “Was that magic just now? Is that what it feels like?”

“No,” she said. “That was no spell.”

Tor’s face was stricken. Wren couldn’t tell if it was regret or longing warring in his eyes; all she knew was if he kept looking at her like that, she would fling herself at him and tear the rest of this place down.

She surveyed the mess instead. There were books everywhere, shelves broken and splintered where they had hit the ground. Everything was destroyed beyond repair. What on earth had come over her?

A leather spine cracked as Tor took a careful step toward her. “I should... return to the ball. Prince Ansel will be looking for me.”

Wren whirled around, feeling a little lost. Her evening was unraveling around her, and she couldn’t seem to stop it. “And I have somewhere else to be....”

Tor took another step. “Do you need help with...?”

“My dress?” Wren looked down at the loose ties. “I think I can do it.”

Another step.

She heard the staccato of his breath in the silence. His lips parted, as if he wanted to say something.

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