Page 49 of Ensnared
Darkness envelops us once more.
Skye’s warm hands clutch mine, and she lets out a surprised huff. “Wow.”
I can’t speak. There are no words to describe what just happened. So I do the next best thing and find her lips with mine.
Seventeen
Skye
In the darkness,Aiden’s lips are scorching hot. His hands slide up my arms to grasp my shoulders, and he pulls me closer, into his embrace. I’m still reeling from that brush of magic we shared, from the intense knowledge that I touched the very core of Aiden’s being.
I wrap my arms around his neck on instinct. Nothing in the world could stop me from returning his kiss. I slant my head to the side and open up for him.
He tastes like summer. There’s no better way to describe it, and I know, from that one short kiss, that I will always crave more. He’s a good kisser, but we’re frantic now, our noses bumping and teeth clashing as we fight to get closer, deeper.
“Skye,” he groans, his lips leaving my mouth to press kisses over my jaw, my neck.
The sound of my name jolts me from the moment. I freeze, and a second later, so does he. Then he slowly unclenches his arms, letting me take a step back from him, though I can’t bring myself to let go of his shoulders.
This man doesn’t really like you.
My brain immediately goes into damage control mode. I can’t allow myself to even pretend that Aiden is genuinely interested in me. This kiss, hot as it was, is just a reaction to the magic we shared. He’s encouraged me, yes, but for his own purposes.
Some part of me knows I’m being unfair to Aiden, but he hasn’t done anything to show me that he likes me as a person so far. I won’t let myself get a stupid crush on him. It would only end in heartbreak and embarrassment for me, and it wouldn’t be fair to Ty and Jack, who have shown me that they actually want to be with me.
“I’m sorry,” he says, finally releasing me.
Ah. There we go. He already regrets the kiss, which was nothing but an instinctual response to the intimacy of opening up to each other.
He steps back from me, clutching the back of his neck with one hand. “Skye…”
“It’s okay,” I say quickly. “We’ll just pretend it never happened.”
I try to keep my voice light and airy, but it comes out too high instead. I swallow and look at my boots, even though I can scarcely see them in the darkness.
Aiden clears his throat. “Yeah. Okay. Do you want to try again? See if you can figure out that levitation spell?”
The last thing I want right now is to touch Aiden’s magic again. Will he feel how agitated I am? But by refusing, I’ll show him clearly that the kiss shook me more than I’m letting on.Fuck.
“All right,” I say and hold out my hands. “Let’s see what happens.”
We try, again and again, but levitation is freaking hard. I manage to burn the leaf we’re practicing on, flip it over, and even crush it with our magic, but it remains stubbornly un-floatable. It’s weird, how Aiden’s hot magic lends itself to me eagerly, even though he can’t use it for spells on his own. His insides feel like molten lava, and my fingertips sting with a phantom pain every time I take a pinch of his power, but it’s not unpleasant.
I wonder whether any witch has done this before. I doubt any dragon—sea dwelling or not—has done this voluntarily. I shiver at the thought of taking magic from Aiden by force. It would be the deepest violation of his being. My stomach roils whenever I remember taking Jack’s power, even though I did it without knowing what was happening. I need to talk to him and explain, make amends.
Finally, I can take it no longer. Aiden’s presence is too inviting, and I want to curl up by the pit of his magic, remaining on this mystical plane forever. When I return to myself and open my eyes, I’m dismayed to find that I can no longer see much at all. The night has grown black. The moon hasn’t risen yet, and I can’t see well enough by starlight.
Aiden’s eyes are still closed, his arms by his sides. It’s all I can see, and only because I’m standing mere inches from him, close enough to smell his wild, fiery scent. I want to move away from him, but I’m not sure in which direction I need to go. It’s a terrifying, disorienting sensation. We’re not far from the village, and I know, rationally, that we’re still inside the bear fence, but at that moment, we could be anywhere in the Alaskan forest, lost and forgotten in the dark.
I listen for a moment, trying to get my bearings. In the distance, an owl hoots, and then I hear it: the sound of the waves, coming from my right. My breath hitches from relief, and I realize that tears are trickling down my cheeks. I don’t know why I’m crying. Maybe it’s the life-changing experience of sharing someone’s magic, or maybe I’m just too tired and sore from the entire day. Too much has happened, and my brain needs rest to process it all.
I dash the tears away with the back of my hand and get a shock when I realize how cold my cheeks are. We’ve been out here for more than an hour without moving. My hands are warm from Aiden’s touch, but the skin on my legs is going numb despite my thermal trousers.
“We need to get back,” I say, and my voice comes out scratchy. “Aiden?”
He blinks, then sways. On instinct, I put out my hand to steady him, and he leans against me, heavy and warm.
“Oh, shit,” I yelp. “Hey, hey! Are you—Aiden!”
