Page 58 of Of Serpents and Ruins
He helped me to my feet, keeping one arm around my waist to steady me. I leaned into him, grateful for his strength.
"Do you think it's over?" I asked.
He lifted his head, eyes scanning the grotto walls. Dark cracks had formed in some places, but the formations were largely whole. No large chunks had fallen away except for a large sheet of stone that had cracked away and covered up the passage he'd told me to follow before. No chance of me leaving here that way now.
"For now," he said, his voice dark with concern.
The hum of the crystals had resumed. The notes had changed a little though, a touch rawer, or perhaps that was just me.
My brow furrowed as I looked at the dark cracks. "That doesn't look good."
He nodded, drawing me out from under the arch, his hand firm beneath my elbow. "It's not from the earthquake. Those are the effects of the Gola Resh and the Babadon's magic."
Oh. I glanced back up at him. "They were in Auntie Runa's house," I murmured.
Another nod. His hand gripped my elbow tighter. "Yeah. They're draining the life out of everything. They're everywhere now, getting deeper and stronger by the day until the point when they drain all of every scrap of life away. I don’t know if it will worsen again soon, or if the Gola Resh will focus it again as she did with Taivren. But I fear what happens when it is strong enough to destroy our heartstones."
My heart dropped into my stomach. This vile magic was spreading like a deadly fungus. Heartstone magic would last the longest because of how deep and grounded the magic was. It was reserved for the most sacred and protective measures.
I took a deep, steadying breath as I turned to face him. His jaw was set, eyes dark with determination. He gave my arm a reassuring squeeze, and a sensation of déjà vu swept over me. We'd been here before. Had a conversation so similar that I feared our conclusion was going to wind up being the same.
I opened my mouth to speak, and suddenly the belief that I had nothing of value to add overtook over me.
He smiled a little. "We'll figure this out," he said in that deep sexy voice that probably sounded more confident than he felt. "We'll find a way to defeat them before…" His arm got tighter around my waist as he drew me in. "I won't let you die again, Stella," he whispered in my ear. Hot breath caressed my skin.
The haze was starting to return. I swallowed hard, knowing that we were running out of time in more ways than one. I could practically feel the stupidity returning as the adrenaline wore off.
All I wanted was to be with him.
He dipped his head forward, a wisp of laughter escaping his incredible lips. "I feel it too," he whispered. "It's taking everything I have to not throw you down right now and strip you naked."
"Damn you! Why do you have to talk that way?"
"You've got some nerve chastising me for talking a certain way," he said, a note of teasing in his voice. "I thought I put a smile on your face."
A smile twitched on my lips. The way he held me made me feel safe.
Ihlkit!
"Your charm," I whispered, my shoulders tightening. "It's changed."
He glanced down and then swore. Raking his hand along the side of his head once more, he shook his head. His jaw tensed. The charm had gotten significantly brighter and lighter.
"How much time do we have left?" I couldn't tear my gaze away from the orb. It glistened, the light mocking.
"Four hours at most," he said, his voice tight. His arm wound around my waist once more. "Kine's probably noticed you're missing by now. He'll be looking for you. If he sees the lid to thewell is off, he'll know the Gola Resh pulled you in here. I can—" He pressed his forehead to the top of my head, breathing in my scent.
Oh, help!
Heat surged through me.
How could just the sound and feel of his breath be such a turn-on?
He held me closer. "Since walking away from each other feels impossible, I'll take you up the main way. We'll sort it out when we reach the surface."
The tip of his nose grazed my neck. Heat flared in me, and a moan escaped my lips.
"You really think that's going to work?" I murmured, leaning against him, my eyelids sliding shut. His intoxicating scent made my head spin.
