Page 62 of Silver Claws, Crimson Tears
I watchVaylen’s broad shoulders disappear through the tavern door. Something in his rigid posture tugs at me.
“Time to head back,” Adelaide yawns. “I’m about to fall face-first into my drink.”
The four of us walk together toward the fort, the night air crisp against my flushed skin. Ahead of us, Nate and Phoebe’s hands find each other, fingers intertwining with practiced ease. Their shoulders bump together as they whisper and laugh.
“I need some air,” I announce once we reach the main courtyard. “You all go ahead.”
Phoebe nods with understanding. “You have your old spot in the barracks next to me. Make sure to get some rest.”
I wave them off, watching as they separate at the corridor junction. Nate pulls Phoebe close, kissing her deeply beforeheading toward the men’s quarters. They don’t hide their affection. Why should they? Same rank, different Clutch. No rules broken.
A sour taste fills my mouth. Envy. They can have what Vaylen and I can’t. Openness, simplicity. No furtive glances or carefully maintained distances.
I lean against the stone wall, the coolness seeping through my shirt. What would happen if I just walked to Vaylen’s quarters right now? Would he welcome me? Or send me away in the name of duty? I have a feeling it wouldn’t be the latter.
The thought puts a smile on my face. I imagine Vaylen waiting for me, ready to make more mistakes and pick up right where we left off that long ago night in the Dragon’s Teeth Range. Heat crawls up my neck as flashes of that night flood my mind. His hands in my hair, the scrape of stone against my back, our bodies finding each other in the dim glow of that hidden cave. His mouth hot against my neck, his hands caressing my breasts, the way he whispered my name like a prayer.
“Not helping,” I mutter to myself, pushing off from the wall.
Going to his quarters would be too dangerous. Anyone could see me slipping into the High Prime’s door like a thief in the night.
Then something occurs to me. My feet move before my mind fully forms the thought, carrying me through the courtyard. The shadows deepen as I approach a recessed doorway, hidden from casual view by a jutting column.
This doorway. Our doorway.
Where Vaylen once pinned me against the cold stone, his mouth claiming mine with unexpected ferocity. Where we promised each other we wouldn’t be with anyone else, hisvoice rough with possessiveness that should have offended me but instead sent lightning down my spine.
A dark silhouette pulls away from the recessed space as I approach. My breath catches. I’d recognize Vaylen’s imposing form anywhere. Without thought, I take two long strides and wrap my arms around his neck, kissing him with abandon.
He responds instantly, pulling me into the recess as if I weigh nothing, pressing me against the wall. The weight of his body becomes a salve to all my worries. His hands tangle in my hair as his mouth claims mine with a year’s worth of longing.
“I hoped you’d come,” he whispers against my lips, his voice rough with desire.
“We had the same idea,” I say, breathless.
He laughs “We did. Just couldn’t bear to go to my quarters. Not with you so close.”
His confession ignites something wild inside me. I pull him closer, my fingers digging into his shoulders.
“I should have climbed through your window that first night back,” I say, nipping at his bottom lip. “Rules be damned.”
Vaylen laughs again, low and warm against my neck. “And how long would the fortress gossip take to reach the wrong person’s ears?”
“Let them talk. It means nothing to me.” But even as I say it, I know it’s not true. His position matters. Mine too, precarious as it is.
“You care,” he says, seeing through me as always. “And so do I. But right now...”
His mouth finds mine again, harder this time, more urgent. The rock wall chills my spine while his frame scorches against my chest. The contrast makes me gasp.
“We’re playing with fire,” I whisper, even as my hands slip beneath his shirt, tracing the hard planes of his chest.
“I’ve been so cold for a year,” Vaylen murmurs, “that tonight, I’d gladly burn.”
His hardness presses against my stomach. Memories flash through my mind—his perfect size filling me completely, stretching me to my limits in that mountain cave. A jolt of raw need shoots straight to my core, and suddenly I’m drowning in desire.
“Vaylen,” I gasp as his hands roam over my body, relearning curves and hollows. His contact sears through my clothes.
He drags his mouth down the column of my throat, teeth grazing the sensitive spot below my ear. I bite my lip to keep from crying out as my head falls back against the stone.
