Page 98 of Of Serpents and Ruins
"You'll make everyone blush if you do that." I tapped the tip of his nose with my finger.
"Let them blush." His jaw rubbed against the top of my head, the little roughness of stubble making my scalp prickle with pleasure. A deep sigh vibrated from his chest. "You are my heart, Stella."
Tears pricked the backs of my eyes once more. I swallowed hard. "And you are mine."
Dread pooled within me as I realized we were getting close to saying goodbye. The storm had ceased outside. The wind whistled against the stones, and the salty tang of the storm’s passing filled my nostrils. I buried my nose in the crook of his neck to breathe in his scent instead. I never wanted to let him go, but as the dawn sky lightened, I knew I had no choice.
Not really.
But I wasn’t giving up. I would fight for us both.
STELLA
As the dawn neared, I helped Brandt clean up and get dressed. We drank half the water in the pitcher and used the rest to wash up.
I'd never done a walk of shame before. Not that there would be much walking. We simply waited for Hord to discover me in Brandt's room.
Oddly, there was no shame here, even knowing that soon we would be found. There was a heaviness, a sadness that was not hard for me to delve into, but each time, I swallowed those feelings down and hugged Brandt as tight as I could.
Somehow, Brandt drifted off. I massaged his muscles and tried to provide support so that he could rest at least some. His sleep was fitful, his body awkwardly slumped against the shackles until I flattened myself against him to give his limbs relief.
The lust of our passion had dimmed. All I wanted now was to bring him comfort.
His sleep seemed fitful, but it was something. What little rest he got in this state had to be precious. With gentle strokes, I wiped the sweat from his brow.
After maybe an hour, he startled awake. He looked about the room, his eyes wide. His throat worked as his gaze fell to me.
"What's wrong?" I gazed up at him, my hand along the plane of his jaw.
He drew in another shuddering breath. "Nothing," he gasped. "Nightmare. Nothing serious. Don't want to talk about it. Glad that you're here." He pressed his chin to the top of my head, his heart hammering.
"I don't see why you have to be so uncomfortable in here," I said, my cheek resting on his chest. "Surely you could have a bed to lie in rather than being chained this tight to the wall."
"Mostly because I broke free a couple times," he said softly. "Sometimes, the need to be with you…it's just too much for me. Or almost too much. It's not exactly like the madness of the curse when it takes me, but it's hard to think around it. Tile and Hord think it's from the Gola Resh. Maybe it is. Maybe it's just because we aren't meant to be apart."
And yet we had to be.
Auntie Runa's warning echoed in my ears, but I burrowed closer. His heat bled through my thin orange nightgown. All I wanted to do was hide in his arms.
My eyelids slid shut. "Every time I see you or think of you, I feel like where you are is where I must be."
"Because you are," he whispered roughly. "It's just…for now…where you belong is too dangerous." He set his jaw and spoke with more effort. "And if the worst happens, you'll find someone else who—"
"Shut up." I squeezed him closer, my whole body aching as much as my heart. "You don't get to talk to me like that." Anger stirred deeper within me. How could he even say such a thing?
"Very well." His low laugh rumbled up, weakening my knees again…except there was another note to it. Something was off. Something was on edge.
Dawn's golden light spilled over the windowsill and onto the dark stone floor. A lark’s song sailed on the wind along with the gull and pterosaur calls.
I played with the red and black hair that curled over his shoulder. "At least I'll feel your arms around me once more before we leave."
He set his jaw. His throat bobbed. "We say our goodbyes here, Stella."
I huffed at him, scowling. "What? You were going to come down to the docks. You were going to kiss me and make everyone blush."
He shook his head. "This goodbye here is perfect—"
"You can’t think you’ll snap and attack me again," I said sharply. "You have to come down to the docks."
