Page 41 of A Sword of Ice
She was lost in the sensation for a second. The bond settled between them and she felt it. It pulsed right next to the living fragments of her magic, next to the bond with her familiar, but fiercer. It was more prominent, severe, settling in place like he belonged there.
And Iona supposed he did. A part of him inside her because Mana demanded it. Her thighs trembled, quivered with the sensation of desire that coursed, hitting her like the blow of a shield against the body.
It threatened to drown her in it.
And yet…
Her knee came up, connecting between his legs once again. He groaned at the sudden onslaught of pain, ripping his lips from hers and she took advantage of it, shoving him a few steps away from her.
“First of all…” She heaved, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she regained her wits. “I don’t tolerate possessive, angry dominating bullshit. So don’teverthink you can pull that shit with me again. Mate or not, you do notownme, asshole. Got that?”
Julius dropped to his knees, cradling his dick in his palms. He stared at her with surprise through his haze of pain and she glared back. She wanted him to fear her. More than that, she wanted him torespecther. Because she was his mate. Mana had brought them together, and that wasn’t something she would take lightly, because it meant something.
And she needed to clear the air before things got any further.
“I will forgive you this once because this caught us both off guard. But so we’re clear, you do not kiss me to silence me or possess me. If you are going to kiss me, it will be because I give myself freely to you, because we both want to enjoy it. Not for any other reason. You got that?”
He nodded and she swore she saw admiration glowing in his eyes. Good, she thought. If she would have seen anything else, she would have frozen his head. And good luck to him trying to get out ofthat.
She dismissed him by flicking her eyes up to Shula, even when a part of her wanted to keep staring at Julius. To study what Mana had gifted her with. She resisted the urge and focused on the Elemental.
The thoughts that had only moments ago been swirling with confused fervor were now clear. She didn’t want to say that a kiss had cleared them, but the bond had seemed to settle, and Iona let the bonds of Mana speak for themselves. Instinct took over, and the answers became so clear.
If Mana had brought these Fae to her, it was for a reason.
She was supposed to speak with them. To go with them.
As if it could hear her thoughts, Mana responded in a burst of magic that shivered down her spine. More specifically, down the scars along her back.
Shula stepped closer, weaving around Julius’ body so she was face to face with Iona. Amusement glittered in her eyes, an expression that was briefly replaced with determination.
“So,” she began. “Will you help us?”
It was on the tip of Iona’s tongue to say yes, but she held herself back. It was like making a deal with George, she supposed. She couldn’t blindly go in without knowing all the details first, lest she end up bartering her own soul.
Iona looked around. The sun was high in the sky and they weren’t exactly hidden. She turned back to Shula. “Let’s get out of here. We’re too out in the open.”
Shula nodded and held out her hand. A truce of some kind, though Iona didn’t say that she’d felt peace the moment fire and ice collided.
Iona placed her hand in Shula’s and undeniable magic blasted through them, making them both gasp aloud.
“Our hiding spot is close,” Shula said, breathlessly. “We’ll take you there.”
Iona didn’t have it in her to be wary in this because she felt Mana urging her on. There was nothing but this, as she tightened her grip on Shula’s hand. Nothing but this connection between them and something else that was Mana-given, too.
Trust.
Friendship.
The signs she’d been waiting for.
23
The New Resistance
The new Resistance was hiding relatively close to where she’d stashed her papers, merely a few blocks away near the desolate buildings where the homeless dwelled.
Shula led the way while Julius and Iona trailed side-by-side behind her. Iona gave herself about a foot of space between Julius and avoided turning to look at him, even though she felt his green eyes almost penetrative against her own body.
