Page 37 of A Court of Truth and Thorns
I close my fingers around the crystal, letting the stinging bees seep into my blood. “Would you prefer I didn’t gather all the magic I can just now?”
Rune catches my face, his strong fingers trapping my chin. “If you are trying to provoke a fight, you can just ask,” he murmurs, the low, seductive voice biting my blood.
My face heats, my heart pounding as both magic and Rune’s words reach inside me. My fingers tighten around the crystal so hard, my knuckles blanch. Do I want a fight? I bloody want something. And that something isn’t gentle. My jaw clenches, my heart picking up speed.
“Kali?” Rune’s musky scent fills my lungs.
I pull back.
His calloused fingers hold fast.
With the next breath, the control stretching inside me finally snaps. Fire floods my blood. Lashing forward, I shatterRune’s grip on my chin and force my mouth over his. My free hand grabs the back of Rune’s neck, my nails raking his skin. My pulse races, my lips pressing harder.
My kiss doesn’t ask. It takes.
Rune is still for a moment, then jerks forward, flattening me onto my back with a force to match my own. The hard ground hits the back of my head, a knobby root driving itself into my side. I don’t care about the pain, only about Rune’s body following me down, his mouth claiming mine even as his hands pin my shoulders to the ground.
My heart hammers harder, each beat so saturated that I feel it through my core. That it hurts. My nails dig deeper into Rune, demanding more.
Rune pulls away suddenly, his chest heaving as he looks down at me. A growl escapes his throat, his whole body a ball of hard muscle fighting against itself. “Kali,” he breathes.
I wrap my legs around Rune’s waist and jerk him forward until his upper body falls atop mine again, his mouth a breath away from my face.
“No.” Rune pushes away, managing to get to his feet while I remain on the ground, panting into the cold, hard earth. “This isn’t you, Kali,” he says, each word strained. His fingers flex and open at his sides. “This isn’t what our first time will be.”
“Why the bloody hells not?” I shout to be heard over my throbbing need.
“Because when I take you, it will be for the right reason. Love—not distraction from whatever has you on edge.”
I say nothing, my body shaking.
“What happened in Delta today?” Rune asks, crouching again but this time keeping his distance. “Let me in, Kali. Whatever’s happened, we’ll face it together.”
“Nothing!” I shake my head, my body still trembling. “Nothing.” I climb to my feet, my palm shooting forward to halt Rune’s approach. “Don’t. If you won’t do anything, then let me be. A scout prepares alone.”
“I still dislikeWil going with us.” I frown at the prince as we strap our gear into place, and I ignore Rune’s eyes altogether. My face flames with the memory of last night, not that I can do anything about it now.
Leaf’s image burns my mind, and it’s a fight to press it down. But I have to. I worked it out while I didn’t sleep last night. Right now, I have to be present for the current mission, but once the whisperers are free... I tuck that promise away too. Since my companions will have no say in the matter, they need not carry this weight on their shoulders. “The Order is well inside Delta, and he’s too bloody recognizable,” I continue.
Wil looks down at himself. Black trousers and shirt, soot concealing his skin, a dark hat, and a decent arsenal of weapons hugs his elegant frame. “I can barely recognize myself.”
“If you are caught—”
“If any of us are caught, the fate will be the same.” Rune’s voice is justly unhappy with me.
Still unable to meet Rune’s eyes, I shift my weight, forcing my attention to the immediate difficulties. This operation was so much simpler before I glimpsed Leaf behind the curtain of the palace balcony—before I started wondering whether my own plan might be putting her in danger. Some fool’s bargain inside me longs to keep Wil safe as an offering to the stars for Leaf’s life. Taking a deep breath, I shove away that thought as well and reach for my magic instead. “Let’s move out, then.”
I take the lead as our group flows like a river into the trees. Once I get us through the thickest part of the forest, I yield the front position to Rune, who leads us the rest of the way through the old routes he put in place for the Order’s runaways. Within an hour, the massive abbey looms before us, cold, windowless, and unwelcoming.
This is it. After we enter this building, we will either leave it with a force of whisperers great enough to make a difference in reclaiming Delta, or we will leave it in body bags. My heart slows, readying for the next move, each too-loud step of my untrained companions grating to my ears.
The shadow of my magic covers us as we crouch by the side entrance, listening to the pair of guards by the door cough and fart. The bell tolls the time, confirming that we’ve arrived an hour into the current shift. Relief is not due for another three hours, and I hope there are no overachievers among Bahir’s men today.
Rune squeezes my shoulder to signal his readiness. Even if my companions hadn’t spent a week rehearsing this while I learned the basics of magic, storming an abbey is a soldier’s job, not a scout’s. Rune will hold command from now on. My shadows and I are but a tool in his arsenal. A very powerful tool.
I pass Rune’s squeeze on to Wil. It travels like that down the line, through Jasmine and Alexa and finally to Luca in the rear. He sends it back. The moment my hand touches Rune’s shoulder again, he tosses the stone in his hand against the abbey wall.
The guards twitch. Turn to the noise. One walks toward us. The lantern he holds swings back and forth in his hand, the light a pale yellow.Three. Two. One.I count the guard’s steps toward my shadow.Now.
