Page 40 of Hell Sent

He said nothing.

“I thought you—I thought we were getting along,” she said. “You can’t have it both ways. You can’t have my trust and friendship while also holding me hostage.”

“I apologize if I gave you the impression that you should trust me,” he said. It wasn’t what he’d wanted to say, but it was what came out, anyway.

“You’re right. That was my mistake.” The words struck him like a slap. She shouldered past him to move toward the hallway, and he grabbed her.

She looked back at him, apprehensive. Shame filled him, and he loosened his grip a little.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“To my bed.”

“It’s only midday. You will not require rest for hours.”

“And?”She gave him a challenging look.

“Aren’t you going to try to undo my binding?”

“When I’m not feeling so exhausted, maybe.” She glanced pointedly at his hand on her. “Release me.” She looked like she wasn’t sure he would.

He let go. He wanted her to understand, but didn’t know how to explain himself. He wanted to throw himself at her feet and beg for her forgiveness. But he didn’t. And she left.

Seventeen

He found that the best place to avoid the cultists was the roof of the temple.

He spent the day watching the people on the streets below. They looked even smaller from so high up.The people of Ontag-ul never seemed to look skyward, which he guessed was because they didn’t have airborne predators to look out for.

The sun beat down through the chilly air, warming the roof tiles, but the heat did little to improve his mood.The argument he’d had with Raiya replayed in his mind, even though he wanted to think of anything else.

He had never spent so much time thinking about another person. It was disturbing behavior, but he couldn’t stop.

A shadow darkened the window behind him, and he was surprised to see Raiya there. Her expression dimmed when she looked at him.

“I’m ready to try a counter-enchantment,” she said.

He raised his eyebrows—he hadn’t thought she was still working on it. She’d been so angry. She still was.

She turned around and went back inside without waiting for an answer, and Azreth followed her.

She dropped her satchel on the floor in the center of the temple’s stuffy attic, and a small cloud of dust floated into the cold sunbeam that cut through the window. “You’ll have to provide magic for it,” she said. “We should get that out of the way, first.”

He felt both relief and disappointment at once. He’d been having a lot of strange emotions lately—feeling unhappy when he should have been glad, being relaxed when he should have been on edge, having strange combinations of feelings that should never have been combined.

“How shall I feed?” he asked.

She shrugged one shoulder, disinterested. “However you want to.”

He wanted to feel a thrill at being told to do whatever he wished with her, but he felt only a vague unease. Kneeling in front of her, he looked up at her face, noting her serious expression. He wanted her forgiveness, but he didn’t know how to get it. Perhaps now wasn’t the time to ask. Or, perhaps he was just a coward.

Cautiously, he curled his hand around the back of her soft thigh. Her leg fit neatly in his hand, and when he squeezed, there was a pleasant give to it. He slid his fingers gently to her inner thigh, between her legs. To his relief, he felt a pulse of arousal from her. Maybe he could still make this enjoyable for her, even if she was angry at him.

But he still hadn’t fed since they’d arrived at the temple, and he still didn’t have the energy to cast spells. He only had one hand. “It is more difficult without magic,” he admitted quietly. “Without my hands.”

Her hard expression softened. “It’s all right,” she said quickly. “It won’t be a problem. We’ve never had a problem before.”She began to remove her trousers and underclothes.

His heart clenched painfully.Kindness came to her instinctively in the same way cruelty came to him, even after he’d hurt her.

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