Page 47 of Swift Wings Shadowed Heart
Get it together, Rhea. And stop imagining things!
I inhale deeply, picturing armor bracing my limbs and my spine. A measure of calm and strength returns, and I stand straighter.
“My apologies,” Vaylen says firmly, turning sideways.
I stare at his profile, fixating on the muscle that ticks at his jaw. I count my breaths.
One. Two. Three.
“This behavior cannot continue,” he goes on. “I fear we started on the wrong foot at the Rite of Flight, and that got us derailed from the beginning. We must make adjustments.”
Four. Five. Six.
He looks at me sidelong, a similar kind of armor to my imaginary one seems to wrap around him as he speaks. He has brushed away his lapse in a matter of seconds, an infallible man, always in control.
“What we’re doing is against the rules, Skysinger Wyndward, and it can create untold amounts of trouble for both of us. For the good of the Sky Order and our careers, we need to come to an agreement.”
Seven. Eight. Nine.
Slowly, he turns, faces me again, and takes a step closer.
Ten.
Everything is all right.
“Let’s make a pact,” he says. “We must acknowledge our mutual attraction and recognize its heightened nature. Given these factors, we need to agree not to be alone and doing things that exacerbate… our needs.” He nods and puts a hand out for me to shake.
I look down at it, remembering how the weight of it felt on my breast, how he pinched my nipple, bringing it to a peak he could tease. Locking my gaze with his, I step away from the wall, glad for my returned strength.
“Heightened? Exacerbate?” I say with derision and a bit of hysteria brought by what I just saw. “It’s as clinical or academic as that, is it? We want tofuck, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”
He growls at the word, from anger orneed, I can’t tell. “There’s plenty wrong with it, and you know it.” He proffers his hand with insistence.
“Don’t be ridiculous,Vaylen,” I say. “I’m not going to shake on such apact. I don’t want to ignore this, act like it isn’t real just because some stuffy commander decided to make it wrong.”
“You know better than that, Skysinger Wyndward. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t know the Sky Order Code back-to-back. A liaison between a Prime and one of his subordinates can create conflict in the ranks. I’ve seen it firsthand. Discipline collapses as loss of respect takes hold. My Clutch works like a well-oiled cogwing because everyone trusts me. I can’t risk losing that. Lives are at stake, lives that I’m responsible for.”
He speaks with such vehemence and conviction that I feel a blush of embarrassment climbing up my neck. Indeed, he seems to be all the things people described. I often imagined it was all empty talk, a way to build him up into some sort of symbol to give Embernians hope, but he keeps proving me wrong at every turn.
I nearly take hold of his hand and shake it. It’s my natural reaction in the face of his honor, but the truth is… I don’t want to.
You will be bonded to Zephyros, Rhea. You’ll have more than you ever dreamed of. Your plan to seduce him is moot now. Give the man back his peace of mind.
Yes, I could do that, but after a taste of his lips and his wild passion… Well, I want more.
He makes a chopping motion with his hand to call attention to it once more. “Shake on it, Skysinger Wyndward.”
“Call me Rhea.”
“Shake. On. It,” he repeats, each word a hammer blow.
Cocking my head to one side, I raise my hand, except it’s my left. I caress the back of his fingers with tantalizing softness. He jerks his hand down and takes a step back.
“I hope you don’t come to regret this decision,” he says.
“What? You’re going to try to kill me again?”
“I never tried to kill you. If I had, youwouldbe dead. You will receive no special treatment, Skysinger. I will deal with any insubordination the way I always do. If my lessons prove too harsh and lead to an unfortunate accident, it’s all in due course. But there’s much more this behavior of yours can make you regret. Now, leave.” He points at the door.
