Page 104 of A Fate so Cruel

She placed one hand over her chest. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” Selina took a long drink from the bottle, then hissed and smacked her lips. “Nowthatis good.”

She passed him the bottle and Rion tried to ignore the fact that her lips had just been on the rim. He tried to ignore that it tasted like her, too. The amber liquid glided down his throat, leaving a pleasant burn in its wake. It reminded Rion of the bottle Saoirse had stolen for his sixteenth birthday. “I thought you said it was horrible?”

“The other one was horrible,” she corrected. “This,” she gestured to the bottle, “is liquid gold.”

He shrugged. “They all accomplish the same goal.”

“I’m going to pretend you did not just say that.”

Rion passed the bottle back to her. She took another long drink, then shifted her gaze to the heavens. They passed it back and forth, and Rion watched the clouds roll by overhead. No stars tonight.

The ocean roared from beneath the cliff and the salty air brushed his face. It was all a lullaby he didn’t want to resist.

He lost count of the drinks. Stopped thinking entirely as he laid back and tucked one hand behind his head. It had been too long since he’d allowed himself to relax. He ought to carve out more time to appreciate the world. Once again, moving to the countryside didn’t sound like such a bad idea.

A shadow passed over him, then Rion was looking up into Selina’s hooded gaze. Her eyes darted to his mouth. Once. Twice. His lips parted and he scarcely risked a breath as he reached a hand toward a loose tendril of her hair.

She stared at that hand and Rion froze entirely when she reached out and ran her fingertips through his hair. She did it again and let her hand linger there, playing with the short strands before her gaze dropped back to his face.

Her eyes darted to his lips. The curve of his jaw. His throat. She could have it. She could have him.

“Is this okay?” she whispered.

Rion nodded, unwilling to trust his voice. She was touching him. Selina was touching him and it didn’t have anything to do with the mission or façades.

The way she was looking at him. Leaning closer. He hadn’t instigated.

Would she allow him to sit up and capture her lips in a gentle kiss? Would she balk if his arms slid around her slender frame?

Rion slowly pushed up onto his elbows, watching the rapid rise and fall of her chest. He listened to the flutter of her heartbeat, tasted the slight nervousness in the air.

It’s just the liquor, a voice in his head whispered.

But her hand lingered, drifted to his neck until those fingers rested just over his racing pulse. She leaned closer and the scent of wildflower dipped in whisky threatened to be his undoing. Gods, he wanted her. He wanted this female like he’d never wanted anything in his life.

Her lips parted, eyes wild and wary—a twig snapped to their left. He whirled, grabbing Selina and shoving her behind his body as his magic lifted to surround them on all sides. Rion palmed a knife, ready to launch it through the dark. Antlers emerged from within the trees ahead and a deer paused to stare at the pair. It lazily chewed on a piece of bark.

Rion exhaled through his teeth and fell back to the damp earth. He draped an arm over his eyes, dropped the knife in the grass, and struggled to calm his racing heart.

“Gods above,” Selina whispered.

“I know,” he groaned and peered around his arm. He contemplated putting the dagger through its hide just for ruining the moment.

“No. You. Gods, I didn’t even see youmove.”

He smirked at that. “I told you I was fast.”

“That’s not fast. That’s god-like reflexes.”

“And I’m inebriated, so imagine me at my best.” His smile faltered when she didn’t return it.

“Right. The alcohol.” Her face pinched and he wondered if it had all been a mistake. Maybe he shouldn’t—Selina suddenly grabbed her stomach and, to his absolute horror, hurled all over the ground near his feet. Well, if the deer hadn’t ruined the moment, that certainly did.

Rion stumbled to his feet and turned away to give her some privacy.

She heaved again and Rion walked over to the edge of the cliff, peering down at the sheer fifty-foot drop. Rion tilted his head into the breeze, letting it ruffle his hair. The sea felt so powerful. It sang to him in a way nothing else ever had. He wondered if it always would.

After collecting herself, at least somewhat, they started back. Her face was still pale and a light sheen of sweat covered her brow. The pair slipped inside an inn under the cover of darkness. No one asked questions. Dawn wasn’t far off, but a few hours of sleep was better than nothing.Ifthey were able to sleep.

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