Page 53 of Captured in Love
Something flickers in her eyes, and she lets her hand fall away.
“This is goodbye, then?” she asks.
“Yes.”
We might be going in the same direction, but I’ll do my best to avoid this trio. For my own sanity, if nothing else.
Nora gives me a sad smile. “I wish…” she says, then trails off and shakes her head.
She’s smarter than me and seems to know wishes are useless in this world. A dull pain blooms in my chest, and I rub my sternum absentmindedly. My fingers graze a burn scar slashed across my ribs, a fresh reminder of how close I came to dying today.
Suddenly, Nora surges forward, places her hands on my shoulders, and presses a kiss to my cheek. “Thank you,” she breathes. “For bringing us out.”
She pushes herself away again, but I sneak my arm around her waist and stop her. She came too close to the dragon, tempted me with her sweet, intoxicating scent.
I kiss her on the lips, catching her surprised exhale. She softens against me, and her fingers dig into the muscles at my neck. Her tongue darts out to touch mine, and I harden instantly, unbothered by the cool water surrounding us.
I pull back after a moment and stare down at her. Then the tension between us snaps, and the realization that she’s probably exhausted and half frozen slams into me.
Fuck.What am I doing?
I release her, and she floats backward, away from me. For the first time, I register the cold—but it has more to do with the widening chasm between us than the Nordic Sea.
“Thank you,” I call after her. “For saving my life.”
Her smile is brilliant, and then she turns toward the boat where Raphaël and Levi wait to lift her out onto the deck.
If my life wasn’t as complicated as it is right now, I could swim after her, climb up, and see if there’s room for one more in their intriguing relationship. The thoughtful look the vampire slings my way tells me he’s aware of at least some of what’s going on in my head, which is unnerving, but at the same time, he doesn’t snarl at me either, so maybe he’s thinking the same.
But this isn’t how my future is supposed to play out.
And I need a good head start on my way to Greece.
I hate being an asshole.
But I picture Tinna in my mind, our queen without a crown, and I picture Kiran’s smug face, the jeering twist of his lips.
This is the last thing I’ll do.
The promise to myself is both binding and freeing. After the Games, I’ll leave the clan, let go of any hope to assume a more significant role in leading it. After the Games, my life will be my own.
I swim closer to the boat, my human limbs slicing through water.
“Hey,” I call.
Three heads turn my way. Nora steps up to the railing, a smile lighting up her face. Levi and Raphaël eye me warily. They’re right to worry, and it sits wrong with me that Nora’s faith in me will lead to disappointment.
“Can I have my token now?” I ask. Better to have it safely stowed away before starting this conversation.
Levi takes it from his wetsuit and tosses it to me. “Sorry,” he says. “Totally forgot.”
I snatch the golden medallion out of the air and turn it in my hand while treading water next to the boat.
“So, if we’re keeping score of the times we saved each others’ lives, I’m ahead, right?” I say, trying for levity but failing. “I helped dig you out of the tunnel and gave you a ride out of the desert.” I hold up two fingers on my left hand. “And you saved my ass from that portal back there.” I hold up one finger on my right hand.
Nora’s dark eyebrows lower in a frown, and she opens her mouth to speak, but I roll over her.
“And then I brought you out of the tunnel.”
