Chapter 17

Senka

Wolfe"s hand was a vise on my wrist, his knuckles bone-white from the force of his grip. His face, usually an unreadable mask, was twisted in a fury that made the air between us thrum with tension. I could see the muscles in his jaw clench and unclench as if he were grappling with an inner beast desperate to break free.

We'd been almost to my room when I'd been hauled backwards and shoved into a darkened room that was small enough to be a closet. A single window illuminated the space with moonlight, enough for me to see shelves of bottles and parchment lining the walls.

"Tell me what you know," he growled, his breath feathering over my lips.

I pressed my lips into a thin line. "I can't."

"You won't."

"I said I can't," I hissed.

"Senka," he said, his tone a warning wrapped in velvet darkness, "this isn"t a fucking game."

"Isn"t it?" I countered, tilting my chin up as I met his gaze head-on. The Wolfe I knew was a predator, yes, but also a protector—sometimes. It was hard to tell if he wanted to kiss me or kill me most days.

"Damn you," he cursed, his grip on me tightening just enough to remind me of the power he wielded so effortlessly. He was stronger than me physically, but my shadows could kill him in an instant.

Yet they didn't even stir.

"Curse me all you want," I whispered, "but I promised him I wouldn't tell his secret if he promised to keep mine."

His eyes flared with a ferocity that would have sent a lesser soul scurrying for cover. Yet here I stood, rooted in place.

Wolfe"s fingers dug into my arms. "You"re playing with fire, Senka," he growled, as he leaned in closer, his breath a harsh whisper against my cheek. "Baz is not to be trusted. He"s cunning, ruthless?—"

"Like us?" I interrupted. Wolfe paused, his nostrils flaring with each breath. "It's all a part of the dance. He sensed my blessing before I followed him to that tower. I had no choice but to play into it. An ally for now is much more preferable than an enemy." The rage didn't dim in his eyes in the slightest. "He doesn't know everything. I made sure of it. But there are things…" I paused, the words choked.

"What things?" he asked. "You've been hiding things from me since we got here. I saw his eyes when he first saw you. You can't lie to me about that."

His words hung heavy between us, like a guillotine blade poised to fall. Yet, despite the danger, something else fluttered within me—a reckless urge to poke the beast.

"Why do you care, Wolfe?" My question sliced through the tension. "Why does it matter so much to you what happens to me? You can go back to Cross right now and he'll just send someone else to replace you. Don't risk your life because of a deal I made."

For a moment, there was nothing but silence, the clouds over the moonlight danced across his face, giving him an ethereal, almost otherworldly look. Then, very slowly, the anger seemed to drain from him, and something far more dangerous replaced it.

"Because your life matters to me more than it fucking should."

The confession hung in the air, raw, and for a fleeting second, I saw the man beneath the fa?ade—the one whose presence had become a constant in the chaos of my life. He'd never once sold me out, even though one word from him could have moved him to the top of Cross's circle.

"I know how to take care of myself," I whispered, tilting my head and peering up at him from under my lashes. "I'm a deathbringer, Wolfe. He can't touch me." My heart thundered and my breath hitched as his scent surrounded me.

He huffed an unamused laugh, shaking his head. "Tell that to the hundreds who came before you."

I knew he was right. I was skirting the line of insanity by even considering helping the prince. I didn't even know what he needed me to do yet. We would be going in blind.

But Baz was also right. What was happening in Saltburn could easily spread to Andune. If Red Sam was back, then someone needed to at least try and stop it. Or figure out how and why it resurfaced.

"And what about the pageant?" he asked when I remained silent. "You don't think it'll seem suspicious when you don't make a public appearance for a week?"

He had a point yet again. I hated when he used logic.

"I might have a way around that," I said, tossing an idea around in my head that might just prove to be incredibly stupid and reckless.

Wolfe narrowed his eyes at me. "I hate when you get that look on your face."

"What look is that?"

"The look of a woman ready to stir up some trouble."

I playfully hummed, letting my eyes roam over his towering figure. He was so big, he pinned me against the wall easily. "Is it the good kind of trouble or the dangerous kind?" I purred.

A primal glint sparked in his golden-brown eyes, his grip tightening on me. A thrill ran through me as something shifted inside him. It was unsettling yet intoxicating, and my body responded with a tingling heat.

"I think you thrive off of stressing me out," he gritted through clenched teeth. Not out of anger, but of restraint.

"Maybe I just like watching you get all riled up," I teased with a wicked smirk.

He groaned, low and pained, closing his eyes for a heartbeat as silence fell between us. We were about to cross a line that'd been steady and unwavering for years. Our attraction to one another had always been mutual. I wasn't naive enough to think he didn't know that.

Without warning, his lips crashed against mine, unleashing a storm of pure, raw need. It was proof of the lie woven into every touch we"d never shared, every glance we"d pretended meant nothing.

His mouth moved against mine with an intensity that left me greedy for more. I could taste the fight inside of him—the part of him that knew this could only end badly.

Wolfe"s arms became iron bands, trapping me against the wall with a force that melded our bodies together. The hard planes of his chest pressed against my breasts, heat searing through the thin fabric of my clothes as if they were mere wisps of smoke.

His kiss deepened, demanding, insistent—a relentless storm that battered against me furiously.

My fingers curled into his hair, anchoring myself against him, and he groaned against my lips, his whole body shuddering. For once, my shadows were calm. They didn't writhe under my skin or pulse through my veins, demanding to be unleashed.

"Tell me to stop," he breathed, his voice rough with need. "Tell me to stop before I take you right here."

A thrill ran through me, and my thighs tingled, my skin burning with the need to be touched. It was an effort to stop myself from rubbing against his thigh that he'd somehow wedged between mine, bunching the skirts of my dress up near my hips.

Before I could respond, Wolfe"s mouth slanted over mine with renewed vigor, his tongue sweeping in to dance with mine. The wall at my back felt like the only thing keeping me upright as his hands roamed over my body, mapping every contour and memorizing every curve.

A moan slipped from my lips as his mouth left mine and traveled along the column of my throat. He licked and nipped at my overheated skin as my eyes rolled back in pleasure.

And then, with a guttural sound that spoke volumes of the restraint he was forcing himself to maintain, Wolfe wrenched his mouth away, leaving a cold void where his warmth had been.

"I shouldn"t have done that," he muttered, his forehead dropping to rest against mine and his breaths coming in short bursts.

"Why not?" I whispered back, just as breathless. My heart battered against my ribcage, and sweat beaded on my skin as the small room seemed to close in around us.

"You're here for the prince," he said, a hint of defiance lighting his gold-brown eyes as they met my silver ones. "And I"m not sure I can promise this won"t happen again."

"It's not real, Wolfe," I shot back, my own defiance mingling with the lingering thrill of his promise. "He knows that too. He'll never love me, and I don't plan on winning. This game we're playing has nothing to do with what's between us."

His golden brown eyes flared with heat. "There"s always been something, hasn"t there?"

"I don't know," I said, feeling the truth of it settle around us. "I don't know what this is, but I don't see why we shouldn't enjoy it while it lasts."

And why shouldn't we? I'd never been one to shy away from taking the things that I wanted—the things that brought me pleasure. I was no virgin afraid of a man's touch. Wolfe and I had been dancing around each other for years now, and I saw no reason why we needed to stop this now.

Wolfe stepped back, putting space between us. But heat lingered between us, and the memory of his kiss imprinted on my lips like a brand.

"Get some rest, Senka," he said, the casualness of his tone betrayed by the intensity still smoldering in his gaze.

I could see how badly he wanted to kiss me again—to push me back up against the wall and shove himself deep inside me, warrior prince be damned.

He was right though. It was getting late, and we had three days to decide what we were going to do. With a sharp nod, I cleared my throat and straightened my dress and hair into some semblance of order, hoping to the gods that I wouldn't cross paths with anyone in the halls.

"I'll see you," I said finally, my hand wrapping around the doorknob.

He stared at me for a moment, the echo of his desire lingering, a silent promise of more to come reverberating through the darkness. "I'll see you," he whispered back, his voice low and tinged with a growl of shaking restraint.

I left him in the small room, and as I reached the door to my own room, I allowed myself a small, secret smile.