Page 58 of Sanctuary of the Shadow
“Harrow…”
He was close; she could tell. “Yes, Raith!” She wanted him to come, wanted him to sail over the edge moments after her.
He did. His whole body locked up, and his deep moan sounded in her ear as he buried his face in her hair again. Suddenly, she was the one cradling him, arms and legs wrapping tight around him as his orgasm went on and on, his powerful body trembling above her.
Finally, he collapsed atop her, crushing the breath from her lungs. It was all right. She didn’t need to breathe anyway. She’d hyperventilated so much from crying out that her head was spinning.
She lay there, staring at nothing, stroking his silky hair and feeling something so strong that her heart was bursting.
Eventually, he lifted his head. “Okay?”
She could only nod numbly.
His concern softened to warmth as he rolled them to their sides, where they lay, staring into each other’s eyes, their bodies still joined. It was incredibly intimate—almost too intimate—but to turn away would be to shatter something precious.
They lay like that for so long, she lost track of time. It could have been ten minutes; it could have been an hour. It didn’t matter anyway. It wasn’t like they had anything else to do. If she spent the next week just staring into his eyes like this, she’d consider it time well spent.
But her stomach rumbled loudly, and that was it.
Raith glanced down and then back up, and his lips curved. A smile. It was so pure she nearly burst into tears.
“You’re hungry,” he said.
“I guess so.” She smiled back like a silly, smitten girl. “You must be too.”
He shrugged like he wasn’t overly concerned about his own needs. “I’ll bring you food.”
“You can’t. You have to stay in here, remember?”
He frowned.
“I know. But you’re very recognizable.” One look at those eyes and they’d be burned into a person’s memory forever. “Remember what Malaikah said? I have to go downstairs alone to order food and then wait up here for them to bring it to us. I’ll wear my big cloak so no one can see my face. You can hear everything from up here anyway. You’ll know if there’s any trouble.”
His eyes narrowed. He didn’t look convinced.
“If anything happens, I’ll scream at the top of my lungs. You’ll hear that, no problem.” It suddenly occurred to her that not long ago, she’d been doing just that, but for pleasure. How many people had heard her? Probably everyone. Oh well. “You can break through the floor to get me.” She had no doubt he was strong enough.
He sighed in defeat.
“Thank you.” She smiled and leaned in to kiss him. “First, I want to take a bath. Join me?”
They made love twice more before she finally managed to leave the room.
…
Malaikah waited until well past midnight to sneak out of the fairgrounds. She didn’t delude herself into thinking Salizar wouldn’t be watching her, but she did count on him underestimating her sneaking abilities.
Salizar was good. But Malaikah was better.
Sure enough, she made it out of the circus grounds and into the city without incident, but it remained to be seen whether she’d been followed or not. Taking care to remain hidden in the shadows, she took a roundabout route to her destination, turning unexpectedly down side alleys only to double back the next block.
She was careful to keep her cloak’s hood over her face and her tail tucked beneath the fabric, and she kept her senses on high alert. Salizar’s revelation had shaken her more than she cared to admit, and she kept expecting assassins sent to kill the clan leaders’ daughter to jump out around every corner.
No one attacked her, however, and she made it to the stables without incident, her first task of the night to check on Harrow’s new horse. The mare, named Fiona, was a gentle beast, and though Mal didn’t have much experience with horses—Salizar owned all the ones at the circus, and their care was managed by the laborers—it was easy for her to befriend this one.
Fiona gave a chuff in recognition when she approached, which Mal took as a compliment, considering she’d met her only one other time. “You’ll get out of this stuffy stable soon,” she promised. Six more days and the circus would hit the road, and then Harrow could collect her horse and leave with her new beau.
Except her “new beau” was actually a deadly killer who had murdered her entire family.
