Page 72 of The Sacred and the Tormented

“It drives me crazy when you look at me like that.” Rion pressed a kiss to the back of her hand, then worked his way up her arm.

“Look at you like what?” she teased.

The heat in his gaze told her enough. “Can I kiss you?”

“Aren’t you already?” Arianna leaned forward and Rion smiled against her lips. Then he devoured her. His hands traced up her back and he threaded one hand in her wet hair.

She wasn’t dragging it out today.

Their bodies joined and Arianna kissed him over and over, relishing the taste and feel of her mate. She ignored the faint tinge of fear plaguing the back of her mind when his teeth grazed her throat. She ignored the pain when his hands traced her scars and wounds. She ignored everything and let Rion consume her body, mind, and soul.

Something about having the most dangerous male on the continent beneath her, worshiping her, had a thrill of excitement shooting through her body. She was the reason his eyes were half-lidded. She was the reason his breathing had accelerated.

He was hers.

Her mate.

Her everything.

Another strand of their bond knit together and Rion gasped before pulling her impossibly tighter. She could feel his emotions now as if they were her own and it sent them both toppling over the edge.

Arianna kissed the side of his neck and Rion tilted his head to allow it, baring himself to her. Only to her.

“Arianna—”

“Shhh.” She didn’t want this moment to end. Not yet. Here, they were tucked away from the horrors of the outside world and everything that would come. Here, in one another’s arms, they were safe.

Rion kissed her again and Arianna settled into the crook of his arm. The pair basked in the silence as the heat chased away the tension from their bodies.

“When I was chained,” he started. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever make it out of there. It gave me time to think about every moment I’d regretted.” Arianna tilted her head to look at him, but he was staring at the water. Rion’s hand moved up and down her arm. “I’m sorry for what I’ve put you through. I kept pushing you away, hoping it might be better for you in the long run. Ellie helped me see otherwise.” Arianna’s heart clenched at her sister’s name. “I kept thinking you deserved someone with less darkness in their soul. Yet you’ve accepted that darkness over and over again.”

He angled his body toward her and cupped her cheek. “You’re mine, Arianna, and I’m yours. I’m committed now. I’m not letting you go.”

A wide smile broke across her face. “You think I’d let you at this point?”

A crooked smirk. “No, but before we go through,” he tilted his head toward the exit, “whatever we have to face out there, I wanted you to know I won’t disappear. I’ll never leave you. I won’t back down. As unbelievable as it still is, I’ve accepted that you want me.”

“Took you long enough.”

A breathless laugh. “I think Saoirse is rubbing off on you. You never used to be so … mouthy.” His thumb traced her lip.

She shrugged. “Or Raevina. Both females seem to have an edge to them.”

“I like it. The challenge is—” Instead of words, Rion leaned down and kissed her again, taking her lower lip between his teeth. “Enticing,” he finished.

“Glad I don’t bore you.”

“Never. Not if we live a million years.”

Arianna settled against him again, listening to his heartbeat as she watched the steam curl from the water’s surface. But Arianna couldn’t stop the intrusive images that followed. Steam turned to smoke and the fresh air shifted to a burning scent that left her throat raw. She closed her eyes to the memories, willing them away. No matter how much she wanted peace, they were about to encounter all those terrible things again. She wondered if she’d ever escape war or if it’d follow her for the rest of her life.

Arianna threaded her fingers through Rion’s and squeezed. “Do you think we can save her?” Arianna tried not to think about all the monstrous things Vairik might be doing to her little sister. She tried to push those images away too, but a memory of Rion when she’d first found him in iron and covered in filth refused to leave her alone. Ellie could very well be experiencing the same torment.

“I’ll get your sister back.” His unwavering resolve floated down their bond. It strengthened something in her and Arianna was silently grateful for her mate’s confidence. Niall hadn’t killed Rion and Conall had already assured her that they wouldn’t kill Ellie either. But the torture—her sister had such a light spirit. Arianna feared that spirit could be crushed under the weight of too much darkness.

“Don’t think about it too much,” Rion said. “Just focus on getting her back.”

Arianna swallowed hard, fighting the emotion rising through her. “You and her really connected over the spring.”

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