Frost (Frost and Nectar #1)(62)

“Wait.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pale crystal, one that gleamed like ice. “Keep this close to you. It will help you move swiftly when the other princesses are using magic. Take care not to let its power overwhelm you.”

He tossed it into the air, and I caught it in my palm. I didn’t have any pockets in my leather pants, so I shoved it into my bra.

When it touched my skin, darkness started to unfurl in my chest—a lust for blood. I felt my lip curl my back from my teeth, and I ran my tongue over my canines. It must be the wild magic of the place, or the crystal itself—but I swear they felt sharp as a wolf’s. Around me, the moonlight seemed brighter, and the shadows grew thicker.

Maybe I was never meant for the human world. The wilderness was my home. “I’m not quite sure if you’re ready for me, Torin.”

“I’ll do my best, changeling,” he purred.

His eyes were flecks of ice in the dark. I tried to anticipate where he’d strike first, and my legs began to buzz with battle fury.

Torin lunged at me across the snowy temple floor. He attacked, aiming for my shoulder, and I parried easily. Swift as the wind, I moved as we flew into a flurry of clashing blades, our swords clinking in midair. I was driving him back already, my heart slamming with the thrill of it.

Had I been excited for Torin, or desperate for the thrill of war? Was this a suppressed side of me I’d never known in the human realm?

By now, we’d grown to know one another’s movements and rhythms, which meant I had to do something different to win. I blocked his strike with more force than usual, then spun away from him. I shifted through the dark, fast as a hummingbird’s wings. Torin was on the attack again, and he swung for me—but this time, I ducked.

No rules in Faerie…

From the ground, I moved to strike for his legs, and he leapt over my blade. Before I could rise, he swung again, vicious now. I blocked the attack, and his blade pressed down against mine.

Trapped on the ground, I slammed my foot into his knee. He lost the grip on his sword, and it clanged to the ground. As I started to rise again, the king body-checked me with the force of a steam train. I fell back hard onto the rocky earth, my head smacking the stone. Dizziness shot through my skull, and I lost my grip on the rapier.

Magic surged from the crystal into my ribs, and my body roared with violence. But Torin was already on top of me, pinning me to the snowy earth. I lifted my hips and gripped his hair, pulling him off me.

He rolled onto his back, and I straddled him, punching him hard in the jaw. His head snapped back, but with my next strike, he caught my fist in his crushing grip. With a snarl, he twisted my arm away. I flipped off him, landing facedown in the snow. The wind left my body.

The king was on my back now, pinning my hands to the earth. I moved my hips back up into him, but I wasn’t shifting him off me.

He leaned down, whispering into my ear, “I can see you have a wild side, but we clearly have more work to do.”

He released my wrists, shifting his weight. Catching my breath, I rolled over to look up at him.

But the king didn’t move. He pinned my wrists again, this time facing me.

“Quite aggressive this evening, aren’t you?” Wildness danced in his pale eyes. “Good, but you need to be more aggressive, Ava. Because I will not have your death on my hands.”

My breath clouded around him. “Because underneath your grumpy exterior, you actually like me.”

He exhaled sharply and released my hands, but he didn’t get off me. “Ava,” he whispered, staring down at me.

His eyelashes were long and dark, his face a study of contrasts: pale skin, coal black eyebrows, and eyes of the palest blue.

The snow from the stone floor seeped into my clothes, freezing my skin.

He cupped the side of my face, brushing his thumb against my cheek, and pressed his forehead against mine.

That close, the primeval power of his magic pulsed over me, making my skin vibrate. I breathed in his scent. Being near him was like drawing power from a god. Desire swept through me, and my thighs clenched around his. “This is just physical,” I whispered, reminding myself out loud.

“Good.” He rolled off me onto his side, but he threaded one hand into my hair, pulling me close.

The other hand slid down to my ass, tucking me next to him.

Torin turned his head, brushing his lips over mine, teasing. And when his mouth pressed against mine, his tongue sweeping in, he kissed me with the desperation of a man who thought the world was ending and only our desire could save it.

He slid his hand inside my underwear from behind, cupping my ass. Torin moaned, his fingers tightening in my hair. By the tautness of his muscles, I knew he was trying to restrain himself with every ounce of control that he had.

This was a dangerous game since he couldn’t even admit to liking me.

I ran my fingers under his shirt, feeling the carved V of his abs, then tracing a little lower…

His restraint snapped.

There was nothing in the world now but our limbs entangled, our lips moving against each other, and our hearts pounding. Our kiss was the first star in a night sky—a spark of light surrounded by darkness. The kind of kiss I’d craved my whole life and never known. Everything else faded to shadows.

He pulled away, taking my lower lip between his teeth for a moment, and we caught our breath.

Gently, he brushed kisses over my jaw, keeping me close to him. For the first time since I’d been around him, Torin’s body radiated heat.