Page 5 of Blaze

Ran’s hand is warm in mine as he leads me away from the drop-off and back into the cave.

At least, Ithinkwe’re moving into the cave. My eyes can’t discern much except the changes in light and dark, and sources of illumination are rare in caves like this.

“Where are we exactly?” I ask as he pulls me into his side, half-lifting me from the ground as we skirt a particularly narrow portion of the rock ledge.

My voice comes out a little breathy, and I hope he interprets it as fear or excitement at finding a companion. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I’m enjoying being pressed so close to him. A lot. And that’s odd, because I’ve never felt this sort of... dare I call it longing? Whatever it is—I’ve never felt like this with anyone before. Twenty-and-change years of life, and I’ve never found anyone I responded to on a purely chemical level. I’ve been with men before, mostly as a bargaining chip for our cause, but I’ve never particularly enjoyed the act. I’ve even tried my hand at courting women when men offered no thrill, with much the same results. I’d begun to believe something was wrong with my body, though Belle insists that some people have no desire for such things at all, and that’s okay. I just never felt... normal.

And now? Hmm, now I’m starting to feel normal.

With Ran’s body flush with mine, my body feels like it’s coming alive. My skin is stretched tight, my stomach clenched hard in anticipation of... something. Or maybe I’m just that pleased to know that not only did I avoid uncertain death, but I’ve also been rescued by a man who isn’t an enemy. Either way, a unique musk rises from his skin, fogging my senses. He smells like spice, something foreign that I swear I’ve encountered before yet I can’t name it. His scent tickles my nose, makes me lean in closer still, tucking my head into the hollow of his throat whenever I think I can get away with it. For the first time Iwanta man on top of me, taking his pleasure from my body. This man. Which is completely absurd... right?

Yes, it’s completely absurd!I rebuke myself.You just met the man five minutes ago!

“A cave network,” he says, and I can tell without being able to see his face that his lips have tugged into a teasing grin. “Thought you would have caught that already.”

I smack him lightly on the bicep. “I knowthat.I’m asking if you know where this cave is situated. I need to know how far they dragged me away from my destination.”

“Your destination?”

I nod. “I was moving past Bridgeport on my way to Delerood. Some of Morningstar’s people captured me, took away the artifices that help me to see, and left me to rot in this cave. I was just wondering if you had a better idea of where we are than I do.”

“Well, we’re in a cave.”

“Thanks for that,” I grumble, shaking my head. His chuckle fills my ears and it’s deep and... nice.

“As far as I could tell, you’re not completely blind.”

“Mostly,” I say with a shrug. “I needed spectacles from the time I turned four onward and bright lights always blinded me. Father said it was some kind of degenerative disease I had from birth. I would have been blind no matter what, but the war sped things along. I lost the rest of my sight just before the first war ended. Belle gave me artifices that help me to see, but without them, I can’t tell much besides the differences in dark and light. So... um... don’t let go of me, okay?”

Ran’s arms curl protectively around my waist, which draws our hips closer together. I suddenly have the traitorous urge to wrap a calf around his thigh and try to scoot up his body to reach his mouth. Gods and goddesses, what in the world is wrong with me?

“I won’t let you fall, little Red.”

“I’m not little.”

He laughs again and the sound vibrates through my chest. “I’m a head taller than you.”

My lip curls into a mock pout. “I suppose I’ll have to take your word for it.”

Ran’s chuckle ruffles the hair curled around my ear. The contact is so intimate, it makes me shiver. I’ve had men this close before, of course, but for the first time in my life I actuallyfeelit—that illicit thrill surging like a current straight down to my toes.

“Fair enough.” Then he’s quiet a moment and I have a feeling he’s trying to think of something to make me laugh. “Say, did you know you have a pig’s snout and two warts above your left eyebrow?”

“Ha, ha, very funny.” But I do laugh.

“I thought so. But in all seriousness there’s a beauty mark tucked in right... here.”

One of his fingers traces the curve of my mouth, settling in the dip between my lip and chin. I remember having a small freckle hidden in the shadow there. We must be closer together than I realized for him to have spied it. My lips part a little at the unexpected contact.

“Oh,” I breathe, for lack of anything more eloquent to say.

I want to be witty, to impress this man, which is ridiculous, because we don’t know each other. Furthermore, I’m not on call to prove myself to anyone. Escaping the hellhounds for as long as I did is proof enough that I can handle myself. I just feel so... helpless without my artifices. I’ve come to rely on them so much to do my job that I feel especially vulnerable without them. I force myself to gather my wits and return to the original topic of conversation.

“Back to what I was asking before. Do you know where this cave system is? Last I remember I was near the ocean, but this place doesn’t smell like it’s anywhere near the sea. Am I no longer near Bridgeport?”

I feel his mood darken without having to read it in his voice. There’s a physical weight to everyone’s emotions if you’re well-attuned enough to catch them. He’s unhappy at the turn in our conversation.

“You’re not. This cave network honeycombs the earth beneath Fantasia and stretches from Bridgeport to Grimm.”

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