Page 98 of Omen of ice
And that’s it. The last thing any of us says until Benj announces we should stop for the night. We’ve made it several miles up the hill. Not horrible progress, but still slower than any of us liked.
While the others set up camp, I volunteer to get firewood. My intention is to put some distance between Tania and me. The plan backfires when she insists on going with me.
“You’ve been weird since the piskie village. Why?”
I set the sticks I’ve collected down to search for something dry to use as tinder. “Tired. That bed was lumpy.”
She snorts and drops her pile of wood at my feet. “I’m human, Valen. I can see the way you look at me.”
I freeze. Delkin assured me there was no way Tania would remember what happened in the piskie village. He said the moment she fell asleep that night, the ale would wipe it all away. Piskie pheromones are tricky things. Daroose, being as old as he is, should have known that. He should have never allowed her to drink that crap.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
She steps closer. “The way your eyes follow me. The hungry gleam.” She slings her arms around my neck. “You’ve been dying to kiss me all day.”
“I— You— What—”
She holds my gaze for a moment longer, then bursts out laughing. With a slug on my arm that makes her cringe a little, she says, “You should see your face. Obviously, I was just kidding!”
“Obviously.”
“Because kissing you?” She wraps her arms around herself and shudders. “I’d need to scrape my mouth out.”
“Right.” It mimics what she said back in the piskie inn.
“I mean, the idea is vomit-inducing, right? Just the thought—”
“Tania?”
She stops laughing and looks up. It’s the spark I see in her eyes that tells me without a doubt that Delkin was wrong. Maybe it’s the link between us. Or maybe Tania is just something special. Regardless, shedoesremember the inn. “Yes?”
“For once, shut up.” I cross to where she is and take her face in my hands. Still, I don’t move in all the way. Like before, I leave the decision up to her.
Whatever she was angry about is seemingly forgotten. Just like before, she makes the choice I hope she will.
The kiss is intense, and it’s brief, and when we pull apart, I say, “I don’t havefeelingsfor you.”
“Since that’d be impossible,” she replies with a wave of her hand. “Not to mentiontechnicallynot allowed.”
“Fae and Apheliansdoengage in physical relationships…”
“But it’s against the rules.”
“I know how you love rules…”
“It’s been a while, and you’re nothorribleto look at.”
I trace the lines of her face, letting my fingers linger at the curves of her ears. “It was curiosity.”
“I’ll admit I was a bit curious myself. I wanted to see what it felt like sober.”
“You were sober in the woods, remember?”
She keeps her expression neutral, but I feel her amusement through the link. “Huh. I keep forgetting about that.”
“You’re going to give me a complex.”
She snickers. “Add it to the many you already have.”
