Page 49 of ColdIron
And now its lewd taunting had planted the image in my head. How would it feel to writhe beneath the Fae prince as he thrust deep inside me?
Before I could suppress it, my skin flushed hot from throat to thighs. My legs pressed together on instinct, chasing pressure I hadn’t asked for.
This was so stupid. He wouldn’t want me—not really. Look at him. Then look at me.
Aelindor withdrew his hand. Slowly. Reluctantly—as if each inch of distance cost him something. I bit my tongue before I could tell him he didn’t need to pull away. That I wouldn’t fight him. That he could do more, and I’d let him.
His eyes deepened to the darkest blue, lit from within like Coldiron catching fire.
This whole scene could just be my stupid imagination.
Get a fucking grip, Max!
“We’ll continue to search for your friends, Max.”Aelindor’s voice was soft. Certain. “That I can promise you.”
My heart fluttered at how he said my name. At the tenderness in that rich, cultured voice, as if my name were something worth holding carefully.
Fuck. I had a serious crush on the Fae prince.
This would go nowhere except me making a fool of myself if I acted on it. He was a prince. Immortal. Fighting a war that would decide the fate of a continent. I was a bony ex-miner with a demon in my head and a chest-bind hiding my secret.
Don’t be a fool, Max. Just don’t be a fucking fool.
I was so deep in my own head that whatever Aelindor said next sailed right past me.
“Uh—sir. Pardon.” I blinked hard. “What…what did you say?”
A flicker of amusement crossed his handsome features. “I’ll be leaving for a few days. Caspian and Drakken too.” His eyes sparkled at my awkward attempt to cover my daze. “If you need anything while we’re gone, go to Nikolai.”
Right. One of them always stayed at the base. The vampire prince’s turn this time.
I held my breath. “Where are you going, sir? If you don’t mind me asking.”
He appeared pleased that I’d asked. “We need to reinforce the surrounding outposts. Provide support after the wyvern assault.” His gaze lingered on me, and I hoped I wasn’t imagining it. “The ward breach suggests the Pallid Court has developed capabilities we haven’t accounted for. We need to investigate their alpha mutantprogram. Determine the flock’s origin point. Assess whether our perimeter defenses need an overhaul.” He paused. “Drakken’s already airborne, running aerial reconnaissance. Caspian and I leave within the hour to join him on the ground.”
My pulse quickened. He was sharing intelligence far above my pay grade. And he’d come to this classroom, amid busy schedule, to say goodbye to me alone.
I wasn’t fucking reading into it.
I gazed at him, stars in my eyes. I wanted his approval more than anything. Wanted him to see me as someone worth his time. I’d rise to the top of this class. I’d become an asset.
Oh, Max, Max.The demon chuckled, half-amused, half-exasperated. Still insecure.Still blind to your own worth. You were never a nobody. Never will be. You’re greater than anyone on this continent—greater than the White Witch herself. And if you knew what she is to you…
I wanted to snap back:What she is to me is an enemy, and I’m no longer her slave!
But I remembered the rules. Don’t engage. Don’t fucking give it purchase. So I brushed aside another of its riddles—the game it loved to play, dangling knowledge just beyond my reach.
Aelindor watched me, waiting for a response.
What was I supposed to say?Be careful? Take care of yourself? Godspeed?Everything sounded flat. Forced. Foolish. So I said nothing and stared back at him—the default mask I’d worn since I was old enough to learn that showing your real face got you hurt.
“In fact,” he said, “I asked you to stay behind becauseI wanted to propose something. Would you consider private training?”
I blinked. “But who’s willing to train me? I’m not exactly popular here.”
“Nikolai, Caspian, and I will take turns accelerating your training when we return.” He studied my reaction with those impossibly blue eyes.
I almost asked him to slap me and repeat it, because my ears had to be lying. Three of the four most powerful beings on the continent had decided to train me. Personally. A cadet who’d been in their barracks for less than a week.
