Page 60 of A Fate of Ice and Lies
“Could I go by your house tomorrow to get the medicine?” he asked.
Waiting for my reply, he blinked slowly, his head swaying as he tried to keep himself upright.
It was basic kindness that had me going to his side and gripping his arm while I tried to balance a sleeping seven-year-old in my other arm.
“I’d rather you get it tonight.” I peered up at his pretty yet masculine face. “If not, I’ll end up worrying about you, won’t sleep much because of the worrying, and be cranky when I work at the store tomorrow,” I rattled on. “And it’ll be all your fault.”
His lips twitched as he leaned into me, not enough for me to take on much of his weight but enough that I hoped it steadied him. When his eyes met mine, I held my breath at the desire I saw in them. Which couldn’t be right, not with the amount of pain he was in.
I was tired. That was all it was—my tired, often delusional imagination. There was no place for desire or lust between us.
At least that was what my brain said. The pit of my stomach and the way it churned with longing said otherwise.
His breath felt warm on my face. “Brent, do you mindgoing to Teddy’s to get the medicine?” he asked, his gaze still intent on me.
“Whatever you need,” his friend said, but neither of us turned our attention.
Because his gaze? I felt it everywhere. A sweet caress on my cheek, the erratic thud of my heart, the heat in my lungs. He was everywhere without even touching me.
The sound of large wings beating broke my trance, and although there wasn’t much space between us, I drew even closer to Elias when Nalari landed a few feet from us.
I’d seen her before. Always from a distance—flying in the sky or roaming a clearing with Elias. She wasn’t far from him today when the commander beat him. But this was the first time I’d seen her up close. With the dim light from Javier’s trailer, I could see Elias was right. She was majestic. Her golden eyes gleamed in a way I couldn’t look away from.
“Nalari.” He cleared his throat, and when his body trembled, I held on to his arm harder. “Nalari said I can use her magic to get us to your place. If that’s okay?”
He looked down at me expectantly, and when he stepped toward her, I followed, keeping my hand tucked in the crook of his arm.
I told myself it was simply so I could steady him if he stumbled.
When we reached Nalari, he leaned heavily on her but slid his hand to grab mine.
It felt right, like we were supposed to hold hands. And that realization should’ve worried me. Not that I took my hand from his. Whatever magic or bewitchment this was, I was okay with it. At least for tonight.
He shuddered out a breath when he stared down at our joined hands. I squeezed once. His other hand covered the topof my hand, and in an instant, we stood in my living room. Electricity buzzed around us in a constant current that zapped without hurting.
Hee-haw grunted at us in surprise from his spot on my couch. Elias whipped his head at the sound and stumbled forward.
“Hey,” I said gently.
I gripped his shoulder to steady him. It took a few seconds for him to lean against me so I could take on some of his weight. With my hand on his arm, I squeezed once before slowly guiding him to the couch.
When he sat at the edge, I shooed a squealing Hee-haw off the couch.
Because tonight was apparently the night of losing all my senses, I ran my fingers through Elias’s silky black hair. When he leaned into my touch, the butterflies in my stomach flew into a frenzy. I would’ve sighed, almost did, but somehow managed to bite it back. It didn’t stop my insides from tightening when he peered back at me, his eyes wide with a mixture of hope and wonder. And yes, definitely lust.
What would it feel like if I were to kiss him?
I jerked back a step and huffed out a laugh. “I’m going to put Tori to bed and will be right back.”
He leaned forward on the couch, his eyes drooping closed as I hurried out, only peering back at him once. Okay, twice, but it was to make sure he was okay. Or at least, that was what I told myself.
Within a minute or two, I was back with three painkillers, a glass of water, and an over-the-counter antibiotic cream. Elias sat on the couch with his legs spread open and his head dangling forward while Hee-haw stared at him. I put theitems on the coffee table and ushered the donkey out the door to potty.
With the door open, I whispered, “Nalari, if you’re out there and there’s a three-headed dragon in the woods or some other creature, can you ask it not to eat my donkey?” I paused. “Please.”
From the sky, I heard a noise that sounded like a huff, and I hoped that meant she agreed.
When I turned, I found Elias awake, barely, but his eyes were open and watching me. He rested his elbows on his knees, and he swayed forward when his arms buckled. He straightened, shaking his head as if to clear it.
