Page 152 of Salt in the Seas
She brought her hand to his face, and his eyes flew open in surprise.
“We don’t have to use the knife,” she murmured letting her eyes drop to his lips. “Jasperus said it only takes a simple kiss.” Vulnerability swept through her. Perhaps he would prefer having it cut out over a kiss from someone he thought of as a sister, from someone who held the bloodline of his supposed enemies. Perhaps that sort of kiss was far too detestable.
Surprise flickered in his eyes, but when he glanced at her lips too, something in her chest squeezed tight before releasing and offering a warmth that spread even faster than the heat of her starlock.
As she leaned forward, there was a brief hesitation in his eyes that made her want to retreat.
“I can’t ask this of you.” His breath was hot on her lips. “This would break more than just my bond.”
“I know. That’s why Ioffer it freely.”
His hesitation remained, his face too close for her to read what emotion might play across it, but then he leaned in, and their lips brushed.
The slight tingling sensation stirred a longing within Aeliana that she hadn’t ever felt in Lukai’s presence. A small part of her wondered if that had been enough to do the damage, because her bond mark ached, the pain growing even as something else far more pleasant surged within her.
But another part of her hoped it hadn’t been enough, and she let her hand slide to the back of his head, drawing him in to deepen the kiss. He didn’t fight it, and in fact, his unmarred hand reached for her waist, sliding her closer on the log until their bodies were lined up, allowing her to wrap both arms around him.
The warmth of the kiss turned to a heat that left her heady, the pain in her hand a distant reminder that they’d had a purpose for this that went beyond the security and acceptance and love she felt swirling through her.
Did he feel it too? Or was this just a transactional activity for him?
She broke away with that thought, terrified that she would see the truth of it in his eyes. But instead, his gaze held something foreign, an intensity that made his pupils seem even larger with the lack of light. His hand came to her jaw and his thumb brushed across her lips, and he leaned in once more. Hope surged through her, and she bent forward to kiss him again.
Before she could reclaim the connection she’d felt, the pain in her palm finally turned too sharp.
She sucked in a breath and held it to her chest, catching her wince mirrored on his face. And then the sharp pain turned to a fire so encompassing it was like her hand had been set into burning oil, and a scream erupted from her lips.
CHAPTER 58
The soundof dripping water met Gaeren’s ears and the tepid touch of a rag hit his face, drawing him to a groggy awareness. He squinted up at Riveran, his gaze resting on the other man’s smirk.
“You have a way of stirring up drama wherever you go,” Riveran said.
Gaeren winced as even his friend’s softly rumbled words pummeled his head. “Aeliana?” he grunted out.
Riveran’s smirk transferred to a full grin. “Velden carried her to Bayla’s room. She’ll be fine eventually.”
Gaeren’s palm throbbed, but he refused to look at it, picturing the scars he’d always despised on Enla’s hands, expecting that Aeliana’s palm now looked the same. Instead, he reached for the braid under his sleeve, rubbing the smooth hair as if challenging the bond mark he’d once had to flair with its righteous indignation. His palm continued its dull throb, but the pain in his chest ran deeper, an ache of something lost. It was magnified by guilt when he realized he should be thinking about Lenda and all the ways she was likely suffering back in Elanesse.
Riveran tipped a cup of water against Gaeren’s lips. As he drank, Gaeren took in their place in the small bedroom Bayla had reserved for visitors, its only furnishings the straw mattress Gaeren lay on, the wooden chair Riveran sat on, and the meager dresser with its two drawers. Sunlight streamed through the window, making it likely to bemidday, and the door remained shut, offering them a bit of privacy for who knew how long.
“Sylmar was impressed that Aeliana was mostly able to heal both of you before the pain overtook her. There was just a barely bleeding scratch left on your palm.” Riveran’s eyebrows rose, the unspoken question hanging in the air.
“There was nothing more to heal,” Gaeren murmured, remembering the way Aeliana had laid down the knife and offered a kiss instead.
Riveran snorted. “Well, that should probably stay between the two of us unless you want the women scheming.”
Riveran’s lack of surprise made Gaeren’s guilt flare more. A strange ache overrode the hope he’d had mere moments before. Or had it been longer? How long had he been out?
“You and Velden scheme enough without the women,” Gaeren said.
Riveran chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest, staring down at Gaeren. His smile faded, and his teasing tone was replaced by genuine concern. “What made you finally realize how you felt for her?”
Gaeren started to shake his head, but the pain transferred to a sharp stab between his eyes, and he closed them in an effort to hold it back.
“When she offered a kiss,” he croaked out, thinking back on the innocence in her eyes, knowing she didn’t even understand what she’d offered. Jasperus hadn’t lied to her; a kisscouldbreak a bond. But there had to be a depth of love behind it that could compete with the depth of the bond.
At first, he’d meant to tell her that detail, to explain that it wouldn’t be enough. But as he’d stared into her eyes, a warmth had grown in his chest, a warmth that rivaled the joy he’d felt during his Awakening. He'd fallen for her despite the bond that had tried holding him back.
