Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 121534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 608(@200wpm)___ 486(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 608(@200wpm)___ 486(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
“It’s unforgivable. All of it.” And it’s true. What my father did, what happened during a war Aric can’t remember his bloodline having any hand in…it’s all unforgivable.
He sighs. “It is, and yet, all I keep thinking is ‘damn, the lips of my enemy look so soft, I should indulge for just one second and take a bite.’”
It’s part of my plan, but his words shouldn’t make my blood rush. I suck in my bottom lip and imagine it’s him. “What’s stopping you?”
His eyes dart from my mouth back up to my eyes. “Loyalty.” He tilts his head. “What’s stopping you?”
“Self-control.”
He leans in and grazes my ear with his lips. “Surprised you have any left after living with Odin.”
I freeze. Even knowing he’s sleeping, it’s shocking to hear him refer to my father as Odin, not realizing the power of the name.
“Is this how it’s going to be the entire semester?” I ask him, breathless.
He pulls back. “Probably.”
“You mad about it?”
“Again, I like a challenge. Plus, I think you’re in over your head with Endir and especially with my family. I know you’re here for a reason. You want to get close to us and find out all our secrets? Be my guest, but the closer you get to me, the closer I get to you. Better tread carefully.”
“Mm, okay.” I nod. “I’ll take your advice to heart.”
I bite my lip again, heat pooling in my belly as he watches. Heart hammering, I throw caution to the wind and flick another drop of water toward his face. “Oops,” I murmur. “It slipped.”
A slow, wicked grin curves his lips. His hand disappears beneath the water, brushing against my thigh. I freeze again, my pulse racing as his fingers trail upward—slow, deliberate—gliding along the curve of my waist, up my ribs, until his palm is at my throat.
And then his lips are on my neck. Warm and decisive.
Not tentative, not testing. Just there, like he’s always known he’d end up exactly in this spot.
A breath catches in my throat. My hands hover, useless, unsure if I should shove him away or pull him closer.
He moves higher, slow and infuriatingly confident, dragging his mouth up to my jawline.
And when he bites—just enough pressure to make me gasp—I hate how much I want him to do it again.
He murmurs against my cheek, “I told you, I never back away from a challenge. You smell good, by the way. Too bad…”
Something cold and wet smears across my cheek. Is that…mud?
He releases me and shakes the excess from his fingers, his smirk dark and satisfied.
“Sorry,” he murmurs, voice rich with amusement. “It slipped.”
I wipe the mud from my face and flick it back at him, a genuine grin on my lips. “No apology needed. I like a good mud mask.”
“Oh, I wasn’t being helpful; it just pains me to see your face.”
I wrap my body around him and shove him down into the water. He goes easily, and when he pops back up, his expression is all amusement. He may be asleep, but he’s not dead inside after all. He can feel.
Better yet?
He wants to.
“Oops.” I shrug. “I slipped.”
He pushes me up against the wall of the spring again and grins. “You’re a real handful. Too bad you won’t last long. You might have been entertaining.”
I shrug again. “Who knows what the future holds.”
Aric presses his hands on either side of my head against the spring wall, caging me in, then lightly shoves back. The distance quickly grows between us. “Who knows indeed.”
Chapter Seventeen
Aric
I grab my clothes from where I left them on the bench and head back up the trail, stopping partway to put on my pants so I’m not walking half naked back to the dorms. My whole body is buzzing from that interaction with Rey. I shouldn’t have let her get under my skin, but damn if there isn’t something about her…
I use my shirt to wipe down my body as I walk until I find myself right next to the archway again.
“Stupid legends,” I say, shoving my arms into the damp shirt, and walk right underneath the arch. Immediately, a chill runs down my spine. I shake it off and keep walking, but something feels funny beneath my feet. Frowning, I look down and lift up my foot. Perfect icy footprints press into the grass.
Mine.
I slowly swallow and look over my shoulder, then notice a path from the archway to the actual trail. Within seconds, the footprints are gone. Shit. Maybe they really do need to increase the dosage of my meds this time. It’s been years since they’ve adjusted them.
I don’t blame Reeve for being worried that I might be losing control. I haven’t been the same since I heard she was coming to campus.
I almost kissed Rey back there in the hot spring. It was like something came over me, something familiar. Even though I could see the steam coming up off the heated water, all I felt was cold inside. Freezing, yet burning as well. Burning for Rey.