Page 3 of Tangled Power
Dawn approached, the darkness on the lake fading. The pair had promised to return to Norden house early to fill in the many blanks they left after the Refilling Ceremony the day prior, but they still had hours.
Luc tapped his finger to his chin playfully. “I thought you didn’t want to make weapons for the Suden Point.”
“That was ten problems ago,” Rose replied, adding the eye-roll his comment deserved.
Slow, careful steps brought Luc across the room. She pretended to ignore his approach, focusing on the blade she was crafting instead. Hammering at her anxieties usually worked for her. Luc was standing dangerously close before she acknowledged him. Pine and cinnamon filled her nose as his magic enveloped them. It was a presence all its own—demanding to be acknowledged. Her back to Luc, the slow smile that curved her lips was hidden. He was releasing his power from the tight hold he typically kept over it. Since acknowledging this thing between them was real, it seemed to strain for her when they were close. Whether it was a conscious decision or not, it was a heady thing to have his power so singularly focused on her.
Part of her wanted him to unleash it.
“You may want to give me some space,” she said. Her words came out breathier than intended as she relaxed into his magic. It was thick in the air around them, tendrils circling and spiraling in all directions. His magic dared her to lean back into it, but she already knew it wouldn’t let her fall.
Raising his hands in surrender, Luc halted his progress, his magic slipping away from her. “Tell me what you need.”
She regretted her request, missing the insistent feel of his magic as it returned to its owner. She took a deep breath before voicing her fears. “I need you to be safe when we go after Aterra and Aiden. I know we can’t guarantee that. So a magical weapon is one advantage I can give you.”
“Okay.” The curve of his lip was soft as Rose glanced over her shoulder at his too-easy concession.
“This isn’t funny!” She set her forging hammer down and ran her fingers through her dark, shoulder-length hair. Her pale skin was covered in streaks of ash and dirt from the hours she had already worked.
She really should have stayed in bed.
“It’s a little funny,” he offered. The tone of his voice coaxing her to relax. “You’re making me a weapon in the middle of the night. Don’t you need me for part of this process?”
Rose wiped the sweat from her face with too much vigor, hating that he was right. With only an hour or two of sleep, she had snuck out to the forge and started working. Certainty drove her here. The certainty that they wouldn’t have time after telling the Compass Points what they faced—who they faced.
Once the Compass Points knew Aterra, the Suden god, was pulling Aiden’s strings, they would want to act quickly to fulfill their duty. Maintaining the balance was their reason for existence. And the balance was in shambles; the mist plague coating the continent proved it.
A thought kept swirling in Rose’s mind. Did the Compass Points even know how to do such a thing? This may be why the fae courts were created, but had they ever been tested?
They were about to find out.
“I do need you,” Rose said a little too quickly. Luc caught the dual meaning in her words, and his soft smile turned into one of her favorite smirks. She rolled her eyes. “I need to feel your magic to finish the weapon. I’m not ready to merge your magic into the blade, but the sooner I know the heart of your magic, the better the weapon will turn out.”
The weapon-making process would be tricky with him. It wasn’t physical, but it was inherently intimate. A wielder and their magic were so connected that knowing one meant knowing things about the other. Things some would preferred were left private. That was part of why she was picky about who she madeweapons for. Given the nature of her relationship with Luc, she couldn’t separate the process from her feelings for the Suden Point. She was sure she’d uncover things about him they hadn’t discussed yet, though he seemed unconcerned when she said as much.
“I’m an open book for you, Rose. I’d prefer we have the leisure of time to learn each other, but that hasn’t been our path.”
Turning from the forge and stepping over to the worktable, she crooked her finger, calling him back to her. They would find out together how their relationship would shape this process. There was no one she would rather experiment with.
Luc stepped forward, caging her in, his lithe body unyielding as it framed her. He pushed up his sleeves and his powerful forearms stole her attention, reaching around on either side of her, careful not to lean into the forge’s heat.
“You’re going to be a distraction, aren’t you?” She pulled her gaze from his exposed skin to meet his eyes. The heat in them told her the answer before he responded.
“Only if you ask nicely,” he said, his voice smooth and deep as his hands moved to her hips, lining up their bodies as he pulled closer.
“I’m armed,” Rose noted as she held the metal of the blade she’d been working on between them.
“Threatening me with my own blade?” His smirk was back, and his eyebrow raised.
She shrugged while wrapping it in her wind so as not to actually burn them.
“You’re always a little dangerous,” he said. “That’s what makes it interesting.” He dipped his head around the blade and nipped her neck.
She didn’t stand a chance, and they both knew it. The blade was set aside before things escalated. Soaking in his attention,she let her head fall slowly back. Hands free of the weapon, she propped against the table behind her. Her weight rested against it as she gave him all the access his lips demanded.
He trailed kisses down the column of her neck, nipping her shoulder as he moved. His expert tongue seemed intent on tasting the sweat there. A shiver of anticipation shot through her. His hands explored the skin beneath her tunic as his mouth ventured lower.
“Luc,” came her half-hearted whisper. She didn’t want him to stop. Her body ached for him to learn its every dip and curve. And yet—she needed to focus on making his sword. Even as she eagerly responded to the pleasure he stoked, her mind wouldn’t release the fears about what came next. She lifted her hand, caressing his cheek and settling under his chin, returning his face to hers. “We have work to do.”
