Page 14 of Omen of ice
“Impress you,” he says flatly. He blinks, and I get the feeling I’ve caught him off guard. Good. “With my knowledge of dragon shit?”
I shrug. “How should I know what Fae girls like?”
He paces back and forth. On the third pass, he stops with a smirk and points at me. “You’reunconventionalfor an Aphelian. Let me guess. You spoke to Kopic, right?”
“Hedidhave some words of wisdom for me before the party. Implied that you were a bit hard to handle.”
“Did he?” Valen leans in closer. “Did he tell you I drink too much? That I’ll brash anything that walks?” He winks and brings his lips to my ear. His breath is like fire, and it takes all my focus not to shudder. “Did he say I’d try to bed you?”
Despite my determination not to let him affect me, my heart hammers. I keep my cool, though, and gently push him away. I need to finish what I’ve started.
Once I trace the mark onto Valen, if his heart stops beating, the magic will restart it. It will save his life. I hope to never be in a position where it’s needed, but considering his distaste for me, it’s an extra measure of protection, and I’m grateful.
He sighs and nods to the ink pouch. “If you plan on doing that to me, I’m going to stop you right there…”
“Don’t trust me?” I twist so we’re face-to-face.
“If it makes you feel better, I don’t really trust anyone.” His lips curl into a truly devastating grin. He inches even closer, invading my personal space, and squints for a better look. “What does it do?”
“Once I’m finished tracing the pattern onto your skin, it will alert me if you’re in danger.” Levina swore me to secrecy. Granted, the Fae probably don’t know which sigils are forbidden and which aren’t, but why take a chance? “I still can’t get over the fact that you have an actual sigil…”
“Like I said, it’s a mix of your mud and Fae ink.”
I watch as his sigil twitches, barely moving, almost as if it’s struggling to survive. I’ve never seen anything like it.
He sobers, his entire body relaxing for a brief moment. “I know what it means. I understand the weight it carries—and I respect it. It reminds me to keep myself…separate.”
He’s been hurt. Whatever it was—whoeverit was—goes beyond the conflict with his uncle. I’m dying to ask questions, but if I push him, chances are good that he’ll shut down. I gesture to his chest. “May I? It will be invisible, so it won’t look weird over the one you have.”
“This isn’t necessary…” He regards me skeptically for a moment before nodding once. “But if it will move things along, fine. Just hurry. I have to meet Buri on the hill.”
Nudging him back, I push him into the chair a few feet away. “Try not to move. This has to be exact.”
He raises a brow and settles in. “You know, there are some Fae that find pushy humans extremely appealing. I could introduce you.”
“And there are some humans that find obnoxiously flirtatious Fae filthy.” I press my pointer finger to his chest, just above his heart. Like the touch of his hand, the skin is abnormally cool, but not in an unpleasant way. I find it…comforting.
“Make no mistake, Aphelian. I’m filthy. But the kind of dirty I am doesn’t rinse off.”
As my finger begins to move, the steady rhythm of his heart picks up, and with each line I make, the motion of his breath becomes more apparent. He closes his eyes, and I tilt my finger, skimming his skin with the tip of my short nail. I have more control over the lines this way and can work with more precision.
“That feels…” His muscles shudder beneath my touch. “Amazing.”
I’ve never transferred a sigil from myself to another person, but I’ve heard the effects can sometimes be euphoric. As the magic seeps from the druid’s fingers into the sigil wearer’s skin, it mimics the buzz one might get after overindulging in drink or substance.
Valen’s head tips back even farther, and he groans. The sound causes the tiny hairs on my arms and at the base of my neck to jump to attention.
“It’s not supposed to feel good,” I lie. I can’t help the small thrill that races through me at the thought of making him squirm.
“Well…” He moans again, this time shifting in the seat, almost as though he’s trying to move closer to my touch. “It does. Feel free to do this all day.”
I flick his ear, and his eyes pop open. “Ow!”
I finish tracing the sigil and step back. For a moment, I see the outline of it over the Heartbreaker. It pulses several times, then fades from sight. “There. Done.”
He stands, watching me with an odd expression before pulling his shirt on and pointing to the door. “Are you planning to change first?”
Heat flushes my cheeks. I’ve forgotten all about being in my sleep clothes. “Oh. Yeah. I should do that, huh?”
