Page 96 of Omen of ice
Her lip twitches. Just once. Her brow furrows like she’s concentrating very hard. I think for sure I’ve dissuaded her, but she claims my lips with a thunderous pulse I feel in every inch of my body.
My hands move of their own accord, sliding up her back to cup her head. She, in turn, winds her arms around my waist and backs me toward the bed. My knees hit the edge and buckle, taking us both to the soft griffin-down comforter.
“Your lips are so warm,” she says between kisses.
“Yours,” I say with a gasp. “Yours are cold.” The sensation is amazing, sending tiny chilling prickles down my spine and to parts lower. Her touch is cool yet blazes in a way that lights me on fire from the inside. Frost rises from the tips of her fingers, wafting around us and turning to steam as the warm air vanquishes it.
I pull away and nibble the edge of her ear, breathing the scent of her in deep. “You’re the first human I’ve ever kissed.” She shudders and exhales sharply. “What do you—”
And just like that, the mood in the room shifts.
She throws her leg around and slides off the bed. “Are we finished here?”
“Are we— What? I don’t get it.”
“The ale effect is gone. I’m thinking clearly. Obviously, you are, too, so I assume this is just another attempt to—how did you put it back at the estate—pass the time?”
I stand. How is this my fault? “If I recall correctly,youkissedme.”
“Only because I was under the influence of piskie pheromones and reacting to your interest in brashing anything in sight!” She jabs a finger into the center of my chest. “It’s not like I’m going tofall in love with you.”
Reality comes crashing through the room. What am I doing?I would fall in love with you?Nothing I’ve ever said has been falser. More than all that, why do her words coax the cold from my blood? “I said that because of the ale—obviously.”
“Obviously,” she snaps back.
“Doesn’t change the fact that you kissed me first. And youlikedit.”
Her face pales. “I liked it? Valen, I’ve never felt sicker than I do right now.”
“That so?” She’s not lying. Not entirely. A wave of something—pain mixed with fear—shoots through the link.
I don’t see what the big deal is. It was a kiss. Granted, it’s one I’d like to experience again, but still. Just a kiss. We both liked it. Does she really think she can hide that from me? The link has surpassed anything we imagined—and feared. She’s attracted to me, and I to her. What is her problem?
“I might vomit.”
“Uh huh.” Lies. Something lingers in the link. An emotion muddled and deeply buried. But nausea? No. Confusion? Maybe. Shame, guilt, and self-revulsion? I can’t get a proper read on it.
“There’s not enough soap in all of Derriga to wash away the taste of you,” she says.
The words are meant to convince her, not me. They aren’t working.
“Well, since you can’t get the taste of me off your lips, how about we do it again?” On one hand, I can’t believe I suggested it out loud. On the other, though, all I can think about is that kiss.
She leans forward, slowly bringing her lips to my ear. My pulse quickens, and a shudder goes through her. “Valen… Not even if you were the last ofanythingin Derriga.”
She shoves me out of the way and stalks to the door, almost slamming into Delkin and Benj on her way out. Delkin watches her leave, then turns to me. “Feeling better?”
I ignore him and follow Tania. Down the stairs, through the lobby of the inn, and right out the front door. She’s nowhere to be seen—which is just as well. What had I intended to do when I caught up to her? Continue bickering? As annoying as it was in the beginning, I’ve grown fond of our verbal sparring. Try to kiss her again? No, that was a huge mistake.
Apologize… For some reason, I feel like I should. She enjoyed the kiss as much as I did, but she was furious—no,hurt—when she stormed out. I’m sure of that much, even if I don’t understand why.
Night has fallen, and the only sound is the crickets chirping in the distance. When I get to the edge of the square, I slow. Tania is across the way, standing with Daroose. Our eyes meet, and I feel… I have no idea what radiates down the link, but when she grabs the front of Daroose’s shirt and drags him close, all I see is red.
The kiss to his cheek is short, and when she pulls away, she meets my gaze again, this time lifting her pinkie up and stalking away from both of us. Daroose follows her. I stay where I am, fearful that if I go after them, I might rip the kelpie to shreds.
“What happened?” Delkin comes up behind me.
“Damned kelpie. Foolish human.” I pace like a caged animal, my mind spinning as I go over the whole thing in my head again. “Tell me we’ll reach Ventin Peaks soon. I need to be rid of this damned bond.”
