Page 30 of Beneath a Shattered Sky
When his tattoos start to swirl, I think nothing of it.
Until an inky black mist forms beneath my fingers, settling into his skin.
Bree stretches his neck, gasping, as a shape forms, forcing other tattoos out of its way. Even Naris jumps back, watching with wide catlike eyes as the ink coalesces into a double-flute in the shape of an upside down ‘y’ along his upper spine.
“What is it?” Bree asks, his voice resigned. “Another knife?”
“No.” I stroke the skin softly. “It’s a flute.”
Bree stiffens, his fingers searching for the spot. The flute appears in a burst of darkness. It’s made of a beautiful ebony wood with a rose pattern inlaid in shimmery gold.
“Do you know how to play it?” I ask, still holding his shoulders as he turns it over in his hands.
He shakes his head. “This is the first one. The first instrument Danu has gifted me in two centuries.”
His fingers trace the raised designs with reverence before letting it disappear into ink again.
I don’t have time to blink before he turns and presses his lips to mine.
Goddess, I sway a little as his hands wind into my wet hair, fusing us together as he kisses me with a kind of desperate adoration that makes my heart melt and my sex clench with interest.
A stronger female would manage to stay perfectly still under the onslaught of her mate’s touch. I, on the other hand, melt.
His kiss, his touch, all of it strips away reality until I’m clinging to him carelessly, knees weak in the water. The urge to kiss him until I can’t think, can’t breathe, is all-consuming. I want to drown in him, lose myself to his touch until I don’t have to think anymore.
Our breath mingles, tongues dancing as all the pain and heartache I so desperately don’t want to feel becomes little more than background noise.
“Bree,” I murmur, dazed, as he pulls back. “I want—” I cut off, forcing myself to take a step back as the real world crashes in. “We shouldn’t do this.”
“Why?” he demands, then his expression falls. “Never mind. I get it. I don’t blame you for not wanting Máel’s leftovers.”
“That’s not true!” I protest. “I would never! The only reason I want to stop is because I’m using this—us—as an escape. I want to forget right now, and you deserve better.”
I don’t think I’m the only one trying to bury my feelings in sex, either. He was just freed from a nightmare situation.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get there soon enough to stop her.” I step into him. “But I will never think less of you for what?—”
“Well, I do!” His chest heaves. “She touched what belongs to you, and I let it happen.”
“Did you?” I ask. “Really? You mean to tell me she gave you a choice?”
“Of course not?—”
“Bree.” I catch his hand, then drop it, grimacing. “Sorry. Look. I hate myself for saying this, but now…Now is the wrongtime. Bram is dead. Jaro is acting like I’m dirt under his boot. My Guard is falling apart. And trying to use you to hide from all of that makes me no better than her.”
He takes my hand with his, his free hand coming up to cradle my jaw. “You and she arenothingalike. That’s why I can do this. That’s why Iwantto do this.”
“It will kill me if I hurt you,” I whisper.
His green eyes narrow as they meet mine. “I’ve survived much worse than you.” A long pause. “But perhaps you’re right. We’ve both had a few…difficultdays, but that doesn’t mean I can’t hold you a little longer.”
My shoulders sag, and I nod, snuggling closer into his chest. I try to pour all my gratitude into the embrace. If we had a mating bond, I’d be able to make him feel how happy I am that he’s my mate, but that’s not possible yet. Instead, I press tiny kisses to his heart, caress his tattoos and the softness of his ears, and show him without words how much I love him.
Strangely, I think he understands, because he returns each and every gesture of quiet comfort with his own.
“As romantic as this is…” Lore says, breaking the intimate moment.
My neck cracks as I whip round to find him lounging in the branches of a tree.
