Page 84 of Above
“That man loves you so much, Nova.” Her jaw was slack, eyes blinking rapidly.
Stunned, I scrunched my nose and waved her off. “I don’t know about that.”
“No, I’m serious. Talon looks at you like you hung all three moons. Actually, wait, that’s not right. He looks at you as if you’re the stars themselves.”
“Zura, are you going to turn out to be one of those hopeless romantics? If so, I’ve got a few smutty book recommendations for you.” She laughed, shaking her head and following me toward the dining hall.
“Definitely give me the book. Seriously though, he’s giving up a lot to be with you. I mean, think about it. Everything he’s been raised to believe exists in exact contradiction to you. Choosing you means denouncing all that the cores stand for.”
I stiffened, unable to take another step. Zura walked on, still speaking for a moment before realizing I had stopped. She dashed back to me, her eyes wide and panicked.
“I’m so sorry, Nova, I wasn’t trying to say anything rude!”
Did she say something horriblytruethough? If Talon chose to be with me, would he then need to completely cut off his family? I knew his mother was mad, as was his father. Dove tried to kill me. His friends threatened me. They said he needed to stop before he was killed. I hadn’t taken it seriously because I always imagined us parting ways after this, but what if we didn’t stop?
Yes, Talon was giving up everything for me. And I was just letting him.
“I’m an awful person, aren’t I?” Rhetorical as it was, Zura was still quick to disagree.
“Absolutely not! You’re a person with feelings and a heart. There isn’t anything wrong with letting that guide you sometimes.” Was that what I was doing? Letting my heart lead the way? It didn’t feel like it. Rather, it felt more like letting Talon’s heart guide me. “Plus, he’s a grown man. He can make his own decisions. You don’t get to hold guilt for his choices.”
While I knew she was right, I was still slow to speak after that, my head pounding and my teeth grinding into my lips, tearing off layers until they bled. My fingers instinctively rubbed together, my skin feeling like it was infested with bugs. My free hand went to my necklace, twirling it relentlessly. The nerves were getting the best of me.
By the time I got to our room, all I could do was sit and wait. So I grabbed my academy text on alchemy and reread the passages about crystallization. So far, I had been unable to get one ingredient in enough surplus that I’d be able to craft three, but otherwise I was fairly confident I could make the crystals.
Not that it mattered when my mind was drowning beneath the pummeling waves of guilt.
“I got you the last chocolate danish!” Talon cheered as he burst through the door about half an hour later. I was still onmy bed, in perfect view of his face as he beamed down at me. So proud. So happy. So utterly doomed. “What’s wrong?”
“After we graduate, what happens?” Talon’s lips pursed, his brows knitting together as he walked over to me and sat on the bed.
“We become elites.”
“Yes, but what about you? Will your family punish you for being with me?” For some reason I couldn’t fathom, Talon’s face lit up like the bright glow of magic. He was radiant as he stared at me, his amber eyes flitting between mine and a smile slowly growing.
“Supernova, are you suggesting that we’ll still be together after academy?”
“What? No. I don’t know. I’m scared of what they’ll—what are you doing?” I asked as he set the ceramic plate down on my bed and grabbed my face.
“We’ll figure it out.”
“Seriously, Talon, we have to think this through. Your family will never approve. My family needs me to fight for them. We’re practically from two separate worlds.”
“Yet you’re picturing a future together. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be worried right now.” He leaned in, our lips only inches apart. I shook my head, his hold making it hard. “Don’t lie to me now.”
His fingers slipped into my hair, getting lost in the curls. I groaned, wishing I hadn’t found myself growing comfortable here. In his arms and in his heart. A better person would walk away, but for the first time in my life, someone loved me for everything I was rather than despite what I could never be.
“All I ask of you is to let me be here, at your side, while you shine. Just let me stay here. Let me love you,” he murmured, leaning in and kissing my lips leisurely. When he pulled away, he whispered, “I’ll do such a good job at it.”
Talon’s lips lowered to my jaw, peppering kisses down and down until he landed at the patch of skin where my neck met my shoulder. His teeth marred me there, a sharp bite of pain that he soothed with his tongue.
“Please, let me show you how good I can be,” he murmured, his breath cooling the wet skin and making me shiver. My movement pulled a groan from his throat, and he released my face to instead part my legs, his body finding home between them. His mouth continued its descent, his teeth and fingers tugging at my training wear. Stripping me bare one inch at a time.
“I’m sweaty and smelly,” I argued, feeling the warmth pool between my legs and wishing I could stop it. We were meant to be having a serious conversation for stars’ sake.
“Yet you taste so good,” he moaned, letting his tongue trail across one of my hardened nipples, the action sending a jolt of pleasure through me. He was getting better at understanding my body—at hearing its silent pleas and reading its invisible words.
His arms wrapped around my thighs, his nose gliding past my belly button.
