Page 71 of Unraveled
The pressure in my stomach is more present now, a bubbling that’s heating my blood as it rushes through my body. Even my face feels warm. Dread fills me when I look at Finley’s ring on the table. I don’t want to put it back on.
Nera’s stone spins again, and I curse my luck. One round left.
“Truth or lie?” Nera asks.
“Lie.” I bring the stone close to my lips and close my eyes.
I love the castle. And I envision the lunargyres. All the times I almost died. The never-ending storms and gray skies. The roses. Somewhere deep inside me, I know all these things are connected to the curse. Then Naheli flashes as she fills the rooms with starlight. And I know I’ve lost this game. Lightning cracks in the sky, thunder follows, and my stone doesn’t spin.
By the time Nera stops hollering over her win, I’ve accepted I might end up drinking an entire bottle of wine and swimming in that frigid lake Finley keeps talking about.
“Your dare is simple.” A mischievous light shines behind Nera’s newly blue eyes. “I want you to give in to something you’ve been wanting but haven’t allowed yourself to have.”
Finley ticks his tongue on the roof of his mouth. “You can’t be serious...”
“What? It can be anything. Perhaps she’s never gotten drunk on whiskey, unlike others at this table, and wants to let loose. Orshe wants to go skinny-dipping in the lake, though, fair warning, it’s frigidly cold?—”
“Or”—Finley slams his drink on the table—“maybe she isn’t you, and her wild desires are to escape.”
“She doesn’t want that anymore.” Nera leans forward on the table, waggling her brows at me. “I like you, Mia. Take this chance and do something fun. Don’t let fear steal away your life.Live.”
Something magical spreads in my veins, through my chest. I want to do so many things; the possibilities are endless and impossible to narrow down right now. I open my mouth to tell her this, but I feel something click in the back of my mind. A crawling sensation that matches the energy coming alive in the pit of my stomach.
I want to prove to myself I’m good enough to save Irene, like I couldn’t with Father. I want Nera to be free. I want... Ash.
A magnetic pull turns me toward the entrance to the restaurant just as he strolls in. He swipes droplets of rain off his shoulder, and his wavy hair sticks to his forehead.
He was caught in the rain outside and looks so... kissable.
Oh gods. No.
The chair scrapes under me as I stand in one fluid motion. I want to sit back down, but the little spark of energy inside me challenges that impulse.
Idon’twant to sit back down. What I really want is to go over there and kiss him. My steps are long, and panic bubbles in my gut because magic binds me to move forward, regardless of my reservations.
Oh no, oh no.
We meet in the middle of the dark room, where, being closer to the door, the air is cooler. He tilts his head to the side, eyeing me with curiosity.
He must see something in my expression that makes him drop his guard because he lets me take hold of the collar of his coat and stands still as I fit my body against him. His scent is intoxicating, and this time, I don’t chastise myself for loving it.
Pine, mint, and power.
Everything around me falls silent.
I want him.
“Mons—?”
I lift to my tiptoes and press my lips to his before he can finish speaking. The little pressure of the magic pact falls away as I fulfill my side of the bargain, but I remain there, my lips on his as his hands descend to my waist. He pulls me to him and kisses me back like there is no tomorrow.
The air around us grows hot against the cold, and everything feels like too much and not enough. His lips devour me, and he demands more.
Heat bursts between my thighs as his tongue enters my mouth and dances against mine. I can’t get enough of this—of him. When we break apart, I tell myself to step away. But I can’t, not when Ash lingers, dipping his face ever so slightly until our lips barely graze.
“Do you often kiss unsuspecting people?” He presses his forehead against mine, and his breath washes over me.
“Only when I lose my fucking mind.” I shift just a little closer to feel the smoothness of his lips against mine again. Perhaps he will understand the signal and kiss me without holding back.
