Page 38 of Clash of Storms
The river deepened to a pool ahead of her and as she slammed to a halt, her mouth dropping open, she saw the prince rise out of the river, his hands scrubbing the water from his face. It dripped off his elbows and flooded through his long hair, rivulets snaking their way down the lean ripple of his abdomen. Steam curled away from the waters. A heated pool. Dawn light turned his pale skin a flushing cream, and thick dark hair tangled below his navel, leading directly to—
Malin slammed her eyes shut, but the image of his body was painted on the back of her eyelids in all of its naked glory, and she knew she'd never forget it.
My. Goodness.
Perhaps she'd gasped, or maybe some innate sense of his betrayed her presence, but Malin felt the brush of his heated glance. Water splashed and a soft laugh taunted her.
"It's safe to look again, sweetheart."
Don't you dare look.
He's an evil, snarling dreki male. The worst of the worst.
He's beautiful.
She couldn't stand there all day with her eyes squeezed shut. And she wouldn't give him the pleasure of thinking she shrank from the sight of him. Slowly Malin opened her eyes, hating the way her gaze rushed to find him, safely covered by the water up to his chest. Sirius lazily fanned his arms in slow waves, a wicked smile on his hard mouth.
It was the first time she'd seenthatsmile before.
Malin's breath caught.
And he'd been telling the truth.
The Blackfrost was not made of ice, not at all.
The heat of his body had warmed her blankets last night. She'd woken at some stage when he hissed and grabbed her arm, only to realize her cold feet had snuck back to find his. He'd subsided with a grumpy snarl, draping an arm over her waist, and Malin had been too cold to protest otherwise. Especially when heat fair burned off him.
The same heat that filled his gaze now.
"See something you like, sweet Malin?" he mocked, water eddying around his hips as he waded toward the edge of the river. His long brown hair clung to his chest, every movement flexing the powerful muscles of his body.
"You could have warned me." She turned around abruptly, storming up the banks. "And no, I don't see anything I like. Not at all."
"Liar," came the soft laughter of his voice as she gathered her skirts and fled. "It seems somedrekican lie, after all. Perhaps it's the human in you."
* * *
"Where to now?"Malin asked as Sirius eased her off the front of his stallion.
She hit the ground and winced, her legs aching.
Of course, Sirius merely alighted as if nothing as physically demeaning as aching muscles could fell adrekilike him.
No, of course not,she mockingly imagined his voice.I'm the Blackfrost. An aching ass doesn't dare afflict a prince like me.
As if he sensed her mockery, he turned and speared her with an alpine gaze. "Why are you contemplating my ass?"
Malin's cheeks heated and she frantically checked her psychic shields. "I wasn't!"
"Don't look at me like that." Sirius gave her that dangerous smile again, the one that looked somewhat akin to a cat purring. "You're the one practically shouting the thought."
She glared at him.
No sign of a crack in her shields, but had they slipped for a second?
Dangerous.... For if she slipped once, then perhaps he'd be able to pick the truth of Árdís's journey from her mind?
Malin fortified them, slamming her shields into place like a drawbridge being shut.
