Gathering Darkness (Falling Kingdoms #3)(105)

“Wait. But—but he didn’t do that. You’ve been with him all this time and he hasn’t made a single move, right?” Lysandra gripped Jonas’s arms. “Maybe she’s wrong.”

He was furious with himself for being stupid enough to trust someone he barely knew.

Nerissa’s information had resonated with him. It finally filled in the blanks that Jonas had been trying to ignore about his new friend.

He believed Nerissa.

“He’s waiting for something.” Jonas shook his head. “Now that I have the crystals . . . Cleo told me the king was after the Kindred—after magic. That is his goal. Do you have any idea what the king would pay for even one of those crystals? And do you know what he’d do with that kind of power if he’s able figure out how to harness it?”

“Jonas, please calm down. Losing your head isn’t going to help.”

“Nice choice of words.” He groaned and rubbed his hands over his face. “You were right not to trust him. You sensed something, didn’t you? Something off.”

“I did. But—I mean, I’ll admit I don’t trust easily.”

“Neither do I. Not normally. Damn it, I don’t have time to deal with this. I need to start searching for the princess . . .”

“Forget the princess for a minute. What do we do now, with Felix? Confront him?”

Jonas began pacing the room. “I will confront him, but not right now.”

“Why? What are you waiting for?”

He met her gaze. “Because first I need you to leave.”

She looked at him with confusion. “Why would I do that?”

It would be great if once, just once, someone would do as he asked without arguing. “Because he’s dangerous.”

“I’m dangerous too, in case you’ve forgotten.”

She needed to see reason, but there wasn’t much time to convince her. “I’m going to just go ahead and say it. I’ve been worried about you ever since your escape from the palace. I don’t want to jeopardize your recovery. I know what happened. It—it was rough for you. And your brother . . .” His jaw tensed. “I know that you’ll need to take time to heal.”

She stared at him. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not.”

Her face flushed and her eyes flashed with anger. “Yes, I am. I’m fine. Stop treating me like a delicate flower, because never, not once in my entire life, have I been one. You don’t need to protect me. I can confront Felix with you, by your side. And if he makes any move toward you, I’ll kill him.”

She was so beautiful when she got all riled up like this. “You never stop arguing, do you?”

She groaned with frustration. “I’m not going anywhere else and you can’t make—”

He grabbed her face between his hands, pushed her back against the wall, and pressed his mouth against hers. His emotions were running high tonight, and just then she’d looked so fierce, so gorgeous—

He couldn’t resist. He’d wanted to kiss her for ages, actually. And it was just as good as he’d imagined it would be.

She grabbed hold of his shirt as if ready to shove him away from her, but instead she slid her hands over his shoulders and pulled him closer, returning the kiss, and, for a moment, made him forget everything but the salty-sweet taste of her lips.

When they parted, he was panting, certain his face was as flushed as hers.

“Didn’t expect that,” she whispered.

“That makes two of us.”

“Well, it doesn’t change a thing. I’m not leaving you.”

“Fine.” He slid his fingers through her long dark hair, his mind spinning. “We’ll confront Felix together. Two against one, better odds.”

“Will you, now?”

The words cut through their shared moment like a knife. Lysandra stiffened against Jonas and they both looked toward the entrance. Leaning against the frame in the now open doorway, his arms crossed over his chest, was Felix.

“So confront me,” he said, without a trace of humor in his voice or eyes. “What are you waiting for?”

Rage returned, bright as fire before Jonas’s eyes. “Where should I begin?”

“You can save the recap. I heard everything through the door. Realized that both of my friends had suddenly disappeared into thin air, so I went searching for them. And here you are.”

Jonas stepped away from Lysandra, cursing himself for letting his guard down. The walls here were paper thin; he should have been more careful.

“You lied to me,” Jonas growled.

“I never lied. Withheld the truth? Maybe a little.”

The smug look in Felix’s eyes was enough to incite Jonas. He attacked, grabbing hold of the boy’s arms and shoving him backward out of the room and into the hallway.

Felix broke loose easily and smashed his fist into Jonas’s face. Jonas stumbled, falling to the ground, but Felix grabbed him by the front of his shirt and yanked him back up to his feet.

“I’m going to kill you,” Jonas snarled.

“I’d like to see you try. For all those rumors about you, I’ve never been too impressed by your combat skills. Me, on the other hand? Professional level.”

“I guess that’s why the king keeps you in his back pocket.”