Page 85 of Darkness and Deceit
He nods. “I have never felt anything like this. Even the Balance feels… distant. And that is quite unusual for a Keeper.”
That makes my stomach twist. The Balance is his constant. If that’s faltering… we’re way past trouble.
We move a few paces forward, stepping lightly. The tunnel opens up again, revealing another fork up ahead. “Let’s go leftagain,” I mutter, stepping toward it when a low crack splits the silence.
I freeze. “Did you hear that?”
Augustus lifts his hand, his glow brightening enough to show the ceiling above us. There’s a thin fissure, and it’s spreading fast.
“Back!” he snaps.
But it’s too late.
A deep, grinding groan shudders through the stone and the ceiling caves in. Dust and jagged rock rain down in a violent crash.
Before I can move, before I can think, Augustus lunges. His arm wraps around my waist as he tackles me out of the path of the collapse. He twists at the last second, taking the brunt of the fall as we slam into the ground.
I land on top of him with a breathless thud, his glow flaring bright under me.
For a beat, all I can hear is my own heartbeat hammering in my ears. Then, slowly, I realize the rocks missed us by less than a foot. Where I’d been standing is now just a heap of rubble.
I blink, lying sprawled across Augustus’ chest, both of us caked in dust, my pulse fluttering like an insect trapped in a jar. His breath is warm against my neck, fast and ragged. I’m vaguely aware of the fact that his arm is still wrapped tight around me, like if he lets go the tunnel will finish us off for good.
I lift my head just enough to look at him. “You alright?” I ask, voice still a little wobbly. We’re both panting. Hard.
He gives a shaky exhale. “I find myself reasonably intact. Are you injured?”
“No,” I say, then I laugh—a thin, hysterical sound that echoes off the stone, bouncing back at me louder than it has any right to be. “That was close.”
I realize then that he’s staring at me, his pupils blown wide. His hands are on my waist, fingers splayed under my shirt, skin to skin. His glow flickers violently, like evenhis powerdoesn’t know what to do with this.
We’re touching.
AKeeperis touching me.
“I didn’t think Keepers were allowed to touch anyone,” I say, still catching my breath. “Since it messes with your connection to the Balance.”
“We are not,” he answers, voice low.
I sit up, feeling the frantic beat of his heart underneath my palm.
Augustus’ fingers flex against my side and I shiver, but not from the cold as he rises until we’re at eye level with one another. He lifts one hand, brushing back a streak of hair that’s fallen in front of my eyes. His thumb lingers at my temple, an oddly gentle gesture for a man who isn’t used to physical contact.
His eyes don’t leave mine. There’s a charge in the space between us, a tension as palpable as lightning about to break; it’s not romantic, exactly. It’s rawer than that. Older. For the first time, I sense a fracture in his mask.
Augustus, meticulous and careful, is close to losing his grip.
I say, “You can let go now, if you want.”
He swallows, his throat working. “I am… considering.”
The moment stretches. His thumb presses just below my eye, a barely-there pressure that, for some reason, makes the whole world feel weightless. I wonder, not for the first time, what it costs him to maintain that Keeper composure. I wonder how many moments like this he’s smothered in favor of the rules.
He leans in, just a fraction, his lips hovering close to mine. My hands, traitorous things, have found his shoulders, and I can sense his struggle between instinct and training, want and duty.I don’t know which side I want to win. I just know my own rules are failing me, slipping away like water through cupped hands.
He closes the final bit of distance and brushes his mouth against mine. No preamble, no hesitation, just the brief press of his lips, softer than I ever expected. A spark jumps through me—magical, chemical, it doesn’t matter. It’s soft at first—unexpected from someone who looks like he’d treat affection like an equation to solve.
His mouth is warm, and when I don’t pull away, he lets out a little hitch of breath that’s almost a gasp. The glow of his magic splutters, sparking violet momentarily.
