Page 36 of Wake the Dream

“No, the fewer details we give, the better.”

They exited the car in unison and goose bumps immediately rose on her skin. She’d left her jacket, knowing it wouldn’t jibe with the rest of her outfit. A small push blocked the worst of the wind from her and cocooned her in warm air.

Kieran crossed around the front, taking her hand. “Come on,dear.”

She shot him a toothy smile and tried not to let her jaws chatter together. “Whatever you say,babe. Lead the way.”

She had to admit his hand felt good dwarfing hers, the roughness of his fingers sliding across the back of her hand. Kieran dragged her across the lot and she struggled to keep up with him, her heels somehow finding the little hidden dips and valleys in the ground.

“There has to be a back entrance somewhere...” He scanned the area, head twisting. The wind brought his hair across his face and Illaria’s mouth went dry.

“Maybe a basement?” she offered.

“Ooh! Good idea.”

He dragged her around the back of the shack, uncaring when she stumbled on loose gravel. She hesitated to call the place a house, although surely it had once been a beloved home. Remnants remained, decaying window boxes and a cracked front stoop.

In luck, they came across a storm cellar in the backyard, with new wooden hinges blocking the way. The gateway to the club. The gateway to Hell, more like, if the vast empty space she sensed below them was any indication.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

She lifted her nose in the air and tossed her hair over her shoulder with her free hand. Ignoring the way her gut dipped and swirled like a surfer on a wave. “I’m not the one you need to convince, sugar lips. You’re human and you are going to stand out like a flying purple people-eater. Are you prepared for the attention?”

“I’ve been dealing with attention all my life. At this point, I’m used to it.” He linked his fingers through hers and couldn’t resist raising them to his lips for a brief kiss.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Like you want to—” —eat me.

“I think,” Kieran answered, locking eyes with hers, “and I might be completely wrong on this, but I think that you want me just as badly as I want you.”

She turned her head to the side, keeping her nose raised high in the perfect study of dismissal. “Then you’d be wrong. I have nothing more to say to you.”

Still, her lungs fought for air when Kieran stepped closer. Let his hand fall on her shoulder. “Are you sure?”

She whirled around and slapped his hand away, breaking the contact. Even if she weren’t sure, now was not the time.

Leaning forward, Kieran captured her gaze a second time, and Illaria tried to read him. To figure out what the hell he was thinking at that moment.

The only thing she read? Desire. Lust. Need.

And knew without a shadow of a doubt he wanted to kiss her again.

Would she stop him? No. Should she? Absolutely.

She thought about what she’d been taught, about why fairies and humans shouldn’t mix. But Kieran took his time in lowering his head, his gaze locked with hers. Watching her.

Her heart flipped before she had enough time to consider her visceral reaction to him, the heat pooling low in her abdomen and the throb between her legs.

Damn him.

His arms tightened around her and he crushed her to his chest and dropped his head, closing the distance between them and fastening his mouth on hers.

She rememberedwhyhumans and fairies should not mix. But shedidn’t care.

His tongue swept inside her mouth and time stopped. The rest of the world, along with their fucked-up situation, dropped away until nothing remained except Kieran. He tasted of wild things, not altogether human.

His mouth was creating an addiction inside of her. Firm, certain lips teased her to new heights, had her craving more.

Then he broke off on an oath. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

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