Page 173 of A Dagger of Ice and Intrigue
“No, trust is precious. It can shatter in a second and can’t be freely given.”
“True,” I said. “Mrs. Thornbrew gave you the speech, too, didn’t she?”
He chuckled, leaning further into me. “She’s given me a lot of speeches lately, mostly about you.”
What was it with Mrs. Thornbrew talking everyone’s ear off about me?
“Really? What did she say?”
“So proud, Huntress.” He huffed a laugh. “She keeps telling me I’m mad.”
“Can’t argue with that. But why?”
“You want a direct quote?”
“Yes.”
He took another deep inhale that I felt in my bones.
“She says I’m mad because…” His tongue darted out to lick his lips. “I haven’t convincedthat crazy Protectorate girlto be mine.”
Those words did something ridiculous to my heart. It made it hope like it shouldn’t have.
Something I couldn’t yet name.
Whatever comeback I’d been readying died somewhere in the recesses of my mind and my mouth went dry.
“So you’re mad and I’m crazy, is that right?” I whispered.
“Seems like it. We’re standing in a crypt, talking about the most sacred magic of my realm, and all I seem to be able to focus on is that mouth of yours.” On cue, his gaze dropped to my lips. “That mouth of yours has been driving me mad since the first goddamn word.”
My insides turned molten at the sudden gruffness in his voice.
How could he unbalance me so much in just a few words?
He wanted to make me just as mad as him.
I was the Huntress, wasn’t I? I should be able to do that same thing to him.
“You like it,” I whispered and reveled in the low growl vibrating in his chest. “You like that I’m a brat and you especially like that I talk back to you.”
“I do. I fucking love it.”
Just as the heat within me rose to a maddeningly high level, Ryker finally, mercifully, claimed my lips in a kiss that seared away everything else.
Chapter
Thirty-Six
ALLIE
Who even needed words when kissing wasthisgood?
I might have been the one renowned for my sharp tongue, but the things this man could do with his should have had odes dedicated to it.
The way it licked my lips, as if asking and demanding access at the same time, making me tremble from my cheeks down to my toes.
How it danced against mine with unrestrained passion, like we both wanted to fight for command.
