Page 15 of Tempt

He raises his arms, illustrating the manacles. “You know what I want, Wildflower.”

“Don’t call me that, Demon.”

“Why, I want the same thing as you: for us to make a deal.”

“Which is?” she draws out.

His orbs darken, confident and malicious. And then he smiles. “We’re going to abduct each other.”

4

Wonder has done a few stupid things in her life, not limited to breaking rules, which has led to breaking into restricted places. But the stupid part isn’t that she actually took such actions. No, it’s that she’d eventually gotten caught.

She would muse, but she doesn’t have time to muse. Because this is another stupid moment, and she’s really getting tired of those. Her fingers choke the bow, her quartz arrow aimed and tracking his breath, while his gaze tracks the pulsating button at her throat.

He feasts on her expression, on whatever it reveals. It’s a window of opportunity that Wonder hustles to close as she hardens her features into stone.

She’d heard him right, about them abducting each other. Though she wouldn’t have used such hyperbole. “You’ve been reading too many Greek myths,” she says.

“I’ve been engrossed,” he acknowledges. “I’m a sucker for a page turner, especially if there’s a sex scene. Christ, lower your weapon. It’s blocking my view of your mouth.”

“I should use this arrow to cut out your tongue.”

“You’d miss my tongue. You’d miss it so much.” Malice erects his pinky, propping it against his lips. “As to my hiding places, shh. It’s a surprise.”

“I don’twantto go anywhere with you.”

But shehasto. Shemust.

Apparently, Malice must go with Wonder as well. Whatever his ultimate goal, he requires her company, however much he loathes her. Against their wills, they’ll have to do this as a unit, or they’ll be at an impasse.

A vision of home swells in her mind. She pictures the Peaks, with its blooming crags, hills of celestial hyacinths beneath a sky buzzing with silver dragonflies. Nestled within the sylvan valley of those bluffs is a repository.

The Archives. The great library of the Fates.

Deep within that immortal repository is a forbidden cellar, a channel of ethereal secrets. That’s their destination.

One, trespassing is unlawful. Two, it’s dangerous.

Three, this should be a moot subject. As exiles, they’ve lost the ability to transport themselves there.

But there are two exceptions.

The first is when an exile has immunity. Anger and Love are examples of that. They’d sacrificed certain magical privileges when breaking away from their people, but they’ve since regained those powers. As a research diva of the Archives, Wonder had uncovered two legends, star-granted loopholes that ended up benefitting her friends in that regard—among other regards having to do with romance.

But thus far, Anger and Love haven’t infiltrated hostile terrain because revolution requires foresight and a cool head. Neither can brag about their knack for moderation, and until they learn to curtail their hotheaded impulses, Anger and Love aren’t ready to take that gamble. Certainly not without a plan or a solid foundation—advantages crucial to winning this battle.

As Wonder has feared, gaining the upper hand relies on more than just allies. It relies on additional research, the sort limited to the Archives. If they want to win this fight, the key lies within the repository.

This brings her to the second exception, the other way to breach the Peaks as an outcast. It requires a concoction that opens barriers: Asterra Flora.

Trespassing into enemy lands means certain doom. They’ll be recognized within an instant of planting their feet on the soil. Without a contingent behind them, it’s suicide.

Not that Wonder can bring her friends into this. Again, they don’t have an immediate plan for such a quest, and two infiltrators are quieter than a handful.

Least of all, they don’t know the Archives as Wonder does. She’s the only one with experience in that place.

She and Malice.

---