Page 8 of Ignited Spirits
As blood pours down my front, I can no longer keep myself up on my knees. I crumple to the ground. Briefly, I feel arms cradling me and cushioning my fall before the pain steals my vision and my awareness of anything around me.
I don’t fight the blackness and all-consuming pain that washes over me as I hope that I have enough magic to get through this.
CHAPTER 4
IZZY
Consciousness sneaks up on me gradually. Before I know it, I’ve slowly floated from the comfortable darkness of sleep into the muted light of being awake.
When I open my eyes, I’m surprised to see navy walls that aren’t mine. It takes me a moment to figure out that I’m in Levi’s space. When I do, everything that happened with Lua comes crashing in.
I bolt upright with my heart pounding frantically in my chest. I have no idea how long I’ve been asleep, if Archer woke up, or if Lua has wreaked havoc while I’ve been out.
“What’s wrong, sunshine?” Archer asks, breaking me out of my panicked thoughts.
I whirl around to see him leaning against the headboard next to me. His blond hair is rumpled like he just woke up, and he’s smiling softly at me.
Without a second thought, I launch myself at him and land against his chest. Wrapping my arms around him, I cling to him, like the strength of my hold is all that’s keeping him here. “You’re awake. And you’re okay,” I whisper into his neck.
He grunts on the impact, but his arms wind around me, holding me close. “Yeah. I’ve been awake for a little while. I was starting to get worried that you were still asleep.”
I let out a slightly hysterical laugh at that. “Worried about me? I’m not the one who died, sunny boy.” I close my eyes briefly, regretting blurting that out without thinking about his feelings. “I’m sorry,” I tell him softly as I open my eyes to focus on him.
Archer’s chest rumbles with laughter. “Why are you sorry? I did, in fact, die. You’re allowed to mention it.” Pausing for a moment, Archer gently grips my chin to tilt my face up so he can look into my eyes. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry I put you through that. I’d do it again in a heartbeat to keep you safe, though.”
“I know you probably have a lot of feelings about what happened. Most spirits do. I shouldn’t just casually mention it when you haven’t even had a chance to process everything.” I pause for a moment before I narrow my eyes at him. “Do that again, and I’ll raise you from the dead just so I can murder you myself for putting me through that, understand?”
My threat is half-hearted, but I can’t handle anything else happening to him. Despite my best efforts to keep them at arm’s length, I’ve come to care so much about all my mates that it hurts.
Archer barks out a laugh. “That’s my sunshine. And I understand.”
After bouncing his gaze between my eyes for a long moment, he slowly leans in for a kiss, giving me ample opportunity to stop him.
I don’t. Instead, I meet him halfway, slamming my lips onto his. He tangles a hand in my hair and holds me where he wants.
While the kiss starts out achingly sweet, it quickly turns frantic. We both need to reassure ourselves that the other one isreally here. His hips buck against my core, and I grind down on him, getting lost in how good he feels under me.
After what seems like hardly any time at all, Archer abruptly rips his mouth from mine and leans back, his chest heaving. I have to resist the urge to pout at him for ending the kiss I was thoroughly enjoying.
“I want you,” he rasps. “All of you. If you’re not ready for that, then we need to stop.”
He runs his hands down my sides to rest at my waist, where he draws small circles. I shiver at the light touch that isn’t even close to enough.
When I can form a coherent thought past how much I want him, I nod enthusiastically. “I’m ready. So fucking ready.” At this point, I don’t even care how desperate I sound, as long as Archer gives me what I need.
Archer chuckles before swooping in for another kiss. When he breaks away, he shoves his hands under my shirt. I lift my arms up to help him take off the faded gray tee that I’m just now realizing isn’t mine. Judging by how huge it is on me, I’d guess it’s Luca’s or Levi’s.
Once he lifts the shirt up and off me, I cross my arms over my chest, feeling weirdly vulnerable being in only my panties in front of him. My bra mysteriously disappeared, along with almost everything else I was wearing. At least my undies are still here.
“None of that, Izzy,” Archer gently chides. He wraps his hands around my wrists and tugs. I let him pull my arms away from my body, and his eyes heat as he looks his fill. Leaning down, he licks one of my nipples before nipping at it.
I gasp and arch into his touch, so Archer does it on the other side. Shoving my fingers into his hair, I hold on to him as I’m overwhelmed by how his mouth feels on me. He continues toswitch back and forth until I’m about to beg him to touch me lower.
Surprising me, Archer lifts me up by my waist and deposits me on the bed on my back. He straddles me and reaches back to pull his plain white T-shirt off. I’m momentarily hypnotized by his starkly defined muscles. My eyes rove over all the tanned dips and ridges of his abdomen.
I’m forcefully yanked out of my appreciation of him by remembering how he looked when we brought him toInfernus. I have to close my eyes as I force those images out of my mind, refusing to let them ruin my time with Archer.
When I blink my eyes open, I see Archer staring down at me worriedly. I give him what I hope is a bright smile.
