Page 138 of Voidwalker
Fi moved faster.
She grabbed him by one antler, holding him in place—holdinghim closer than they’d just been, his startled huff a warm blush against her cheek. No, she definitely shouldn’t be this close, her pulse stoked by glowing red irises, that treacherous pull fluttering her stomach.
But standing her ground was the strongest weapon she had. No fear. No hesitation.
“Iwant you there,” Fi said.
The first time she’d refused to back down from Antal, his reply was annoyance. Perplexity. Now, his eyes smoldered on the hand holding his antler. A slower drift across her daggered gaze. Her mouth.
Antal tipped a finger beneath her chin, dragging his claw along soft skin with a slowness to still her breath.
Merciless Void, she’d pulled him too close. When he sighed, Fi caught his breath on parted lips, hungry at the tease. His mouth was soft. And perfect.
And what would she do, if he tried to kiss her again?
For a heartbeat, Fi wasn’t sure. She tried to harden her usual bristles, her vow of resilience, that she’d not tumble for this beast a second time. But… the night was so cold. And he’d felt so good inside her. Fi drifted closer, tongue tracing her lip as she recalled how divine he’d tasted.
Antal inhaled, breathing her in—scenting her wine-spiced breath.
A frown soured his mouth.
“You’re enjoying yourself,” he murmured. “I’ll only intrude.”
His pull away from her was agony. A shock of cold hit her cheeks, a shiver as Fi grasped for clearer thoughts, chastising herself for the slip.
“I’d enjoy you being with us,” she said.
“You’re unusual.”
“How so, Antlers?”
He slipped his finger off her chin, twirling it on a rainbow curl. “Should I list all the reasons? Or just that you’re willing to stand this close to me?”
Fi wouldn’t ask that tall order of Boden or Kashvi. “I took time to open up to you.”
“Yes, you’ve opened for me in quite a few places, Fionamara.”
She swatted his chest.
He chuckled, knuckles brushing her jaw as he toyed with her hair. Still too close, but back to normal taunting, the refusal came easier.
One time.
Fi released his antler. She drew a deep breath of frozen air, letting it stoke her resolve as she stepped to the tavern door. “Come.”
Antal’s tail swished. “You enjoy giving orders.”
“You enjoy me giving them.”
He growled. Fi devoured the morsel, still ravenous. Scraps would have to satisfy.
She returned inside with an airy feeling, that haze from the wine and a headier heat from Antal’s quiet steps behind her. Mostly the wine, she insisted. She’d be back in fighting shape by morning. Tonight, she had a more awkward conversation to mediate.
“Behave yourself,” she hissed as they neared the end of the hall.
Fi had no clue what Antal’s hum meant, compliance or frustration. Maybe both.
Kashvi had moved to the bar. She stood behind the brass and aurora-glass counter, perusing her liquor shelves with a spine rigid enough to make a daeyari envious. When she turned, the lock of her eyes with Antal’s sent a shockwave through the room. Fi held her breath. Boden looked as though he’d been holding his even longer.
