Page 40 of Great Falls Rogue
A wave of desperate relief rushes through me as I finally trust that Coal is not letting go. Not pretending he kisses me with anything less than the full force of his soul. I open myself to him, allowing him in more deeply.
Coal groans at my invitation, his tongue roaming my mouth, staking a claim while his hardness presses into me. He makes no move to conceal that either, pressing his hips into mine, holding me against him until my body yields to the strength and comfort of his.
When we finally separate, our rough breathing the only sound in the still forest, Coal stares at me, dazed. He puts the palm of his good hand on my cheek, the calluses scraping my skin.
“I felt you in my cell,” he says, never taking his gaze off my widening eyes. “That is how I knew you were still being held. I saw…images from your past. A stable. And I feared you might be seeing mine as well. Knowing my terrors might be hurting you was worse than feeling them myself. I tried to keep them controlled, but I couldn’t make them stop.” Coal touches the red marks on my wrist where I fought the shackle, the streaks a silent, undeniable proof of the truth.
I bite my lip, his words still ringing in my ears, stripping me naked.
Coal’s jaw tightens, but he nods. “It’s plainly a bit late to pretend otherwise. Or to pretend that staying away from you for a month didn’t drive me insane, until the last shards of my control shattered.” Shaking his head, he runs a finger down my cheek, across my lower lip.
I inhale, letting the words soak through me, a tight band around my chest releasing. He wanted me. This whole month that I thought Coal a stranger, he wanted me all along. I let my hands roam over his broad chest, the feel of the hard muscle beneath my palms slicking my thighs. Clearing my throat, I press my legs together tightly. Not to conceal my desire from Coal, but because we are too vulnerable out here already, without adding mating into the mix.
Except Coal is too damn Coal-like not to notice. His nostrils flare as he takes in my scent, and he presses closer to me, burying his face in my neck. Inhaling deeply.
It takes all my will to pull away from him. “We’re not safe here.” These forests are Night Guard hunting grounds now. And Han’s. “What do you make of Han?”
Coal frowns. “Something about his movements… It makes me think he isn’t human.”
“I think he’s as human as you and I,” I mutter, the amulet around my neck turning scalding hot in warning to go no further in discussing our identities. Though Coal doesn’t know it, he actually has a good point. If Han was like us—a veil-wearing fae—his amulet’s magic would bend over backwards to convince Coal and me that his actions were normal and any oddness only imagined. Plus, when Autumn handed over the amulets, she said the set was unique—how would Han, whatever he is, have gotten hold of the rare relic to begin with? Marking the thoughts to discuss with Arisha later, I nod at Coal’s arm. “How is it?”
“Broken in several places,” he says flatly. Finding the open collar of his black shirt, the male tugs at the laces until I reach up to help, quickly realizing that taking it off the normal way would do more harm than good.
The well-worn fabric splits obediently when I rip it, the sound echoing eerily through the trees. My breath catches as I slide Coal’s shirt off his chest, the squares of his abdomen plain even in moonlight. The male tenses in pain but lets me work as I guide his injured arm across his body, binding it in place until Shade can set the bone later. I try not to think about that procedure, but the realization of other things likely to still happen tonight triggers a whole new wave of anxiety.
Coal’s nostrils flare delicately, his eyes sharpening. “What’s wrong?”
I clear my throat, my face heating. After the violence we just escaped, the new problem seems miniscule. Except it isn’t. Not to me. “What are you planning to tell River? I don’t mean aboutus,but about what happened out here. With Han.”
“I planned on the truth.” He cocks his head, studying my face with an intensity that makes me want to shuffle my feet. “Han and I fought .You stopped it. Is that a problem?”
“I’m not supposed to be outside the Academy walls.”
“This isn’t your first time out here, Osprey. Or second. Or tenth, I think.” With a snort, Coal pulls up my loose sleeve to expose the tail of the still-healing knife wound. “Also, I’m quite certain River either already knows we are out here or will discover it from Han shortly.” Releasing my arm, he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, his voice softening. “Keeping things from River is a piss-poor move.”
“You’re one to talk.”
“Yes. From experience.”
“It isn’t the same,” I snap, despite having meant to keep silent. Now that I’m talking, the words spill out beneath his attentive gaze. “You are his equal, and I’m nothing but a lowly cadet. River cares nothing for my reasons, my abilities, my knowledge. There is magic threatening the Academy—the whole continent—and I’m not going to hide under the bed while others do the fighting. But there’s nothing I can say to him to make him take me seriously. He locked me up for a night because I disobeyed his orders to try to stop a fight.”
“He did not.” Coal’s hand, already on my face, grips the base of my chin. “Leralynn. River did not order you held. He had no idea you were still in the dungeon. I’ve a bone to pick with him over that, but he never meant to hurt you. He’s a good man.” Coal’s jaw—and grip on mine—tightens. “But yes, River does discipline cadets. And after last night, what I saw in your past… I’ve a notion of why that’s a problem.”
“He didn’t know I was—” I stop, suddenly processing what Coal mentioned earlier and then again now. He saw my nightmares too. Saw Zake’s beatings—my terror, my screaming. My shrinking away. The implications thud through me. It’s a part of my life I wanted to keep locked away forever. And now I’ve never felt so exposed. My breath quickens, and I try to pull away.
Coal doesn’t let me go. Doesn’t laugh at me either. “Yes. We’ll have to figure something out on that front. Meanwhile…” He frowns thoughtfully. “I see your point about wishing to keep River in ignorance of your secret world-saving schemes lest you have to fight him as well as magic. And since you plainly havesomethinggoing on and will continue this something no matter what, I will make you an offer: anything you tell me in confidence stays between us. Anything you don’t tell me and I discover on my own is fair game to share with River.”
“That’s…” I glare at Coal. “That’s blackmail to ensure I tell you everything I’m doing.”
A corner of his mouth twitches and despite pain-filled eyes, I see the first genuine smile the male has attempted in a long, long time. “I think I like the thought of knowing everything you’re doing, Osprey.” Leaning forward, he brushes his lips over mine. “Most likely, I like it too much.”
My heart stutters, the sensations rushing from my lips all the way through my skin. Before I can savor him too deeply, however, Coal pulls away, his face serious again.
“But as for tonight, wehavetogo to River. He almost certainly knows already. And it is better if we both see him now than if he must seek us out later. Plus there is another matter I need to see him on.” Coal runs his hand along my neck and shoulders and spine, finally settling his warm palm in the small of my back. “Come, Osprey. Let’s get this over with.”
15
Lera
