Page 51 of Shadows of Stardust

Even with the daggers in her eyes.

Even though what she’s feeling is most certainly not arousal, I can’t stop that jolt and won’t name it for what it is.

Fates, what’s wrong with me?

Instead of stepping away, I slide both hands back into her rumpled hair, gripping lightly and turning her face toward mine.

For a few long seconds, I simply stare at her.

I wonder what she sees when she looks back.

A face so very different from her own. A body honed and hardened through decades of training and my own natural defenses.

An enemy, most likely, even though I’d like her to see me as an ally.

She narrows her eyes the longer my inspection goes on, and has just opened her mouth—probably to give me some fresh hell—when a new sound pierces the stillness of the surrounding jungle.

“Adorable,” a bored male voice drawls. “And they say no true love matches come out of this show.”

We spring away from each other like we’ve been caught doing something we shouldn’t. I realize the error immediately, and even more so when I turn and see who it is.

There, in the middle of the path, is Brivik.

13

Roslyn

The captain of the show’s security team sizes me and Zandrel up with naked suspicion in his gaze.

I don’t know the history between these two, but if Zandrel’s face is anything to go by, they’re not each other’s biggest fans.

God, if looks could kill.

I thought I was the only thorn in Zandrel’s side on this planet, but I can honestly say he’s never looked at me like that.

Black gaze sharp as a blade, a sneer of disgust on his lips like Brivik is shit stuck to the bottom of his shoe.

Even when I’m at the height of pissing him off, I’ve never seen that look.

It snaps my spine straighter, sends a shiver of foreboding through me, but I make myself lean back into him. I make myself relax when he snakes an arm around my waist and pulls me into his side.

His skin is warmer, I think, when he gets worked up like… well. Like how we were just a minute ago. And between the surprise of that warmth and the weight of his heavy, muscled, plated arm keeping me in place, I’m not going anywhere.

My lips still taste like him. My body still tingles in every place he touched me. My mind’s still reeling with the visceral physicality of Zandrel and that kiss we just shared.

Thatkiss.

Fuck.

I can’t think about that kiss.

At least not beyond what a giant mistake it was.

Standing this close makes me way too aware of what an idiotic game I was just playing. What an idiotic game I’vebeenplaying for the last few days.

Continually pissing Zandrel off is beyond stupid.

Especially if one of these days I end up pissing him off enough to earn a look like that.

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