Page 101 of In The Dark
“We just… just need to find my mother,” I exhale, scrambling for the right words, but it’s true. My focus is on her. “That’s all.”
He holds me firm at the low part of my back and softly pushes my dark braid over my shoulder with a low, disbelieving grumble. My breath catches in my throat with how close his lips come to mine, and for a moment, everything disappears.
“Well, I’ll be here when you’re done avoiding me. We’re inthis together, remember?” he murmurs, sliding his other hand behind my neck, tilting my head up. Still, I find myself stepping out of his embrace with a frustrated scowl, inching back.
“Stop looking at me like that. We need to hurry. Now’s not the time for… whatever that is,” I grumble, pointing to his heated, hungry gaze before turning on my heel.
But not before his hand shoots out, his fingers curling at the base of my neck to forcefully tug me into him again. A gasp leaves me, and within a single beat, his mouth crashes into mine, devouring every part of me as if he’s been starving and nothing has satiated his hunger until now.
The dim heat that was consuming my body before is now a full-blown fire as I melt into him—fuck, what is he doing to me?
His tongue slips past my lips, his taste so consuming that it alters my reality. A small, breathy gasp brushes the air, leaving me to ache all over again. Then an unfamiliar longing forms at the base of my neck before I finally come to my senses, realizing that we currently have an audience.
“We… need to get going. We don’t have long,” I mutter, my breath coming out in shallow pants.
“I’m inclined to agree. I need more than five minutes to worship you. How do you want it tonight? On my knees, taking my time over every inch of you, or wrapped around you, reminding you exactly who you belong to?” He gives me a small grin. Yet the way he says those words has my core heating.
My mouth falls open, but when I don’t respond—unable to form a single word—he places a gentle kiss on my temple with a light chuckle.
“Later then,”he mumbles in the Veil before releasing me to join the others, leaving me to close my eyes and catch my breath. My poor attempt at finding any sort of control before following him to the door where Ren and Ivy wait in silence.
But I don’t miss how Ren looks when I approach—a flicker of annoyance passing between us as he clenches his jaw, straightto Rydian. He quickly composes himself, hiding whatever was there behind his perfectly trained mask. I know he’s not fond of Rydian—only here because of me—and the tension between the two of them could be cut with a knife.
It’s stifling.
Ivy steps forward, standing near the large steel door, then faces me. “When you get inside, see if you can find any more passages that could only be accessed in his chambers in case they’re not on the map. Look for hidden documents or even a journal if you can, anything that could lead to Queen Elynor.”
This suddenly feels like stealing the map all over again, but I nod anyway and glance at the door, noticing two counter runes etched onto it. It counters the five locking runes going up the edge of the frame. That should give us at least an hour in case we need it, but I suspect Ren will clear it before we leave.
Rydian turns to me, making sure my cloak is secure. My face heats when his fingers brush against my collarbone. “I’ll go first in case there are guards in the corridor, so stay behind me. I don’t want you getting caught in the middle of it in case something goes wrong,” he says.
“She’ll be fine,” Ren grumbles.
Rydian’s eyes narrow, giving the captain a deliberate once-over. Ivy’s brows shoot up, and then she glances between us before sighing with a shake of her head, walking off to subtly peek out the windows.
“You think I don’t know that?” Rydian asks, voice low in warning. Ren only scans him with a smirk, as if he’s sizing up the king to fight.Did he forget about what happened in the clearing?
“You act like you don’t. Why don’t you cut the protective king act and stop hovering? She’s capable of doing what she needs to.” Ren’s words are smooth, almost casual, as he remains expressionless. I suddenly find myself wishing I could hear what he’s thinking or what Rydian’s not saying in the silence that follows.
Rydian straightens, glancing down at me. “Do I hover, little fawn? Do you feel like I’m being overprotective?” he asks in that low, heated way of his, and I can’t help the flush that rises on the back of my neck, suddenly flustered.
“No, now stop. Both of you. Now’s not the time to argue,” I grind out, throwing them an icy glare. “We need to hurry before someone catches us.”
“See?” Rydian replies. “I’m not hovering.”
Ren chuckles, a low, menacing sound that echoes off the walls, but I catch the way his eyes gleam with something he’s clearly choosing not to say. I glare, holding my breath, but he refuses to meet my gaze. I’m praying to the Fates they don’t start a brawl in the middle of the throne room. That’s the last thing we need.
“I don’t think she needs you questioning what she can or can’t handle. She’s a trained assassin, not a helplesslittle fawn,” Ren mocks quietly, then opens the door for us. “Stop treating her like one. It’s insulting.”
“To you or her?” Rydian asks, striding toward the door.
“I’m literally right here,” I groan, knowing that whatever I say won’t stop either of them from bickering. There’s nothing like putting two rivals in a room together, and the only thing keeping them from killing each other is an heir to a realm she’s not even familiar with.
Although Rydian holds his tongue, I know Ren’s mocking tone annoyed him by how thick the air became in a matter of seconds. He steps inside the darkened corridor with a smirk on his face, walking past without so much as a second glance.
I face Ren. “We can’t afford to argue, not when we have a mission to complete. Can you cut it out until we can figure out where she is?” I sigh, clenching my fists. “I don’t want to be here anymore than you do.”
His only response is staring down his nose in completesilence, then breaking his gaze long enough to nod to the door, urging me to leave. Silence.
