Page 81 of Runes To Rain
I blink at him, still frozen in place and hardly daring to breathe.
He takes another step and brushes a tendril of hair behind my ear. His jaw ticks as he searches my face. “I’ve been looking for you,” he finally says. His voice is only just loud enough for me to hear him over the noise of the crowd.
I take another step toward him, standing so close that I can see the specks of gold in his eyes.
He cups my cheek in his palm before slowly pulling his hand away and clenching his fingers into a fist. As he does so, he heaves in a breath and closes his eyes. “I’m just glad to see you’re alright,” he says tightly. His shoulders slump slightly, and he looks as though he’s going to turn and walk away.
“Wait,” I say, and he stays where he is.
He opens his eyes and stares at me briefly before blinking and looking away. His throat bobs.
“I can’t stop thinking about you,” I mumble out, and his eyes flash to mine. How he heard that over the crowd, I don’t know, but the intense focus on his face tells me that somehow he did.
“I can’t—you deserve better,” he grits out as he continues to stare intensely at me.
“Don’t I get a say?” I growl.
He bites the inside of hischeek, seeming to consider.
Then, before he can say anything, I take a chance and step forward. Closing the last bit of distance between us. Standing on my toes, I tangle my hands in his hair and pull him into a kiss. For a second, I feel him tense, and then he returns it, sighing into my mouth. I feel one of his arms curl around me, and then he’s pulling me against him.
All sound fades away, other than the sound of my heart and a hungry-sounding moan from Dio. The kiss has a frantic feeling to it. Our teeth bruise lips, our tongues steal breath from each other. It feels as though I am being created all over again in this moment. The knot of emotions feels as though it might leave a burning hole in my chest. Where our bodies touch, it feels like falling stars burning out, universes colliding.
Soon, my lungs are aching from the lack of oxygen. After another moment, we both break for air. His eyes search mine, and whatever he sees there seems to make some decision for him.
I hear Reem, saying, “Sorry, everyone, it seems something is going on with our illustrious singer. We’ll look into this and get him back up on stage so we can finish our set for you all.”
I don’t think anyone is appeased. In fact, as Dio and I stand there in the crowd, still staring openly at each other, the people around us seem to be getting angrier and angrier. The female voices in particular seem to be rising in volume and pitch.
Suddenly, we are in the middle of a riot.
It is at that moment that I realize I might not have been the only one who wanted to kiss Dio.
Before it can get worse, Dio pushes carefully past me toward the back of the venue, pulling me after him. This time, instead of dragging, he carefully supports me, and we both use our elbows to free ourselves from the rioting fans.
On stage, the remaining members of The Boys continue with what seem to be futile attempts to settle the crowd. However, I’m confident they aren’t going tobe able to locate Dio as we make our way through the press of humanity and escape out a side door. As we push the door open, a sudden loud sound begins to scream over us, and water begins to spray from the ceiling.
Dio doesn’t hesitate; instead, his hand wraps tighter around mine, and he continues to pull me forward. After quickly making our way down a few more hallways, we emerge into an alleyway along the side of the building.
As the door closes behind us, he pulls me around and presses my back against the stone wall. Then he kisses me again hungrily, his hand pushing my now soaked hood back and tangling in my wet hair.
This time it’s me who moans into his mouth as his hand runs down my side until he grips my hip, his fingers pressing into the skin there firmly enough that I’m sure I’ll bruise. The heat from the knot of emotions in my chest feels as though it might consume me. Every part of my body, every inch of skin, feels oversensitive. My back arches, pressing my head against the wall behind me as Dio deepens the kiss.
I suddenly pull away, gasping, my instincts telling me something. He steps back, allowing me to move away from the wall and around a tall pile of detritus that’s stacked against the building.
I freeze as I see the cherry from a lit cigarette and a dark figure smoking. As I try to figure out what my instincts are telling me, the figure looks at me, and I recognize it to be Malam.
Out of everyone who could be here, of course, it’s Malam.
I attempt to both compose myself and prepare for this next conversation. A conversation that is clearly going to happen so much quicker than I had hoped.
Malam tenses as he notices me. “Chaosta, why are you outside of the apartment?” His tone sounds dangerous.
“I just stepped out for a minute,” I say. “I’ve been careful, andI promise I won’t leave again. There was just something I needed to do.”
He steps forward and, with a snarl, says, “You are putting the only other person in this world I care about at risk with your thoughtless actions.”
I flinch, unable to help myself when hit with the venom in his voice.
