Page 113 of A Curse of Breath and Blood

My heart beat faster. I leaned in, touching my lips to his, our bodies pressing against one another. He gripped my thighs, hoisting me into the air, pinning me against the wall as our mouths consumed one another. Primal urges begged to taste him.

“I want you,” he whispered in my ear as teeth nibbled my neck. “I want you more every day.”

My breath caught in my throat. “I want you too.”

A low growl came from Tharan. His arousal grew as his tongue found its way to my ear.

I moaned with pleasure.“But not yet.”

“Aelia, please.” His breaths ragged with lust.

Keep your head on straight, Aelia.

“I can’t, Tharan.”

He lowered me to the ground, giving me sad puppy dog eyes.

I ran a hand down his angular jaw. “It’s not that I don’t want to, but I want to take it slow.”

“You’re right, I’m sorry.”His eyes sank to the floor.

“I let it go too far.” I pressed a kiss to his cheek before climbing into bed.

Tharan laid down next to me, pulling me in close, letting his heat wash over me like a wave upon the shore. With Tharan by my side, I could face whatever awaited me in the Highlands.

41AELIA

Rolling over,I found only hollowness next to me. A note next to the bed read:

Went to get breakfast. Be back soon.

I sighed, pulling the covers tighter around myself. The fire died during the night, and cold crept in through every crevasse.

The steps outside our door groaned as Tharan made his way up.

Wrenching myself from the warmth of the bed, I pulled on a warm knitted sweater with wooden buttons over a thick wool skirt. I looked drab and human.

Tharan pushed open the door and handed me a plate of oatmeal with apples and cinnamon.

“It was all they had,” he said, sitting on the edge of the bed next to me. He donned a plain knitted sweater paired with well-worn trousers and knee-high boots.

Finishing his breakfast, he set it back on the little tray. “Are you ready to go? I overheard some humans talking in the pub. Gideon added more checkpoints along the Ryft after the attack onthe Woodlands, which he claimed was in relation to a sylph prince stealing his wife.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I wonder if he meant you or Caiden?”

Tharan threw up his hands. “Does it matter? He’s planting seeds to justify a war. If his allies believe him, his actions would be justified. He’s already proved himself a hero in the Court of Sorrows.”

My breath hitched in my throat. Of course, Gideon would use me as an excuse to wage war on Moriana.

Tharan put his hand on mine. “It’ll be okay. We will free Baylis’s soul, and then we will deal with Gideon’s lies.”

I tightened my mouth into a straight line. “You’re right. We need to focus on the task at hand.”

Tharan squeezed my hand, pulling me off the bed.“That’s the spirit.”

The trip across the Ryft took the better part of a day.

The first half would be easy. Gnomes didn’t care who crossed. They needed the trade.

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