Chapter 18

Eighteen

Fenrick

I move to grab Moon, but the Light One is too fucking fast. In the blink of an eye, he and Moon are gone, and the four of us are left standing here.

I failed to protect her, yet again.

“He’ll still be in the game. He’s a contestant, he’s magically bound,” Cato says, as he paces the area, tugging his hair.

“Can any of you track him?” I ask, and they all freeze.

“No. He’s a Light One. If he doesn’t want to be found, he won’t be,” Odas finally says, and we all slump.

“He won’t hurt her. He saved her from me. He’s protecting her,” Daire says, and we all turn to him.

“You sure he didn’t just want to do the damage himself?” I ask, but he shakes his head.

“He won’t hurt her.”

“We still need to find her,” Cato says, as he grabs his stuff, and starts packing up the sleeping bag.

“Agreed,” the other three of us say together.

I just found her. I can’t lose her already.

Moon

“Why hasn’t the fourth trial started?” I ask, and Silas shrugs. He’s lying on a sleeping bag on the other side of the fire, one arm behind his head, and one resting on his chest.

“Third trial hasn’t ended yet.”

“But we finished ours two days ago… Why would it take so much longer for the others?”

“I don’t know, Moon.”

“I’m bored,” I admit because he’s kept me in this cave for a full twenty-four hours now. Just eating and sleeping. Minimal talking. He’s not very social. “Is it supposed to be so fucking hot?” I snap, tug off my outer shirt, and stand up so I can get away from the fire. As I do this, Silas looks over, his eyes dilating before going full snake eyes.

“Stop moving,” he whispers, and I whip my head toward the cave entrance and freeze. I don’t see or hear anything, though, so I turn back to Silas.

“What?” I whisper, in case he hears something I don’t. His nostrils flare, and he swallows thickly.

“Don’t move,” he repeats, and I frown.

“Okay, but why?” I ask, needing to know exactly how much danger we’re in. Like, do I need to grab a sharp stick, or should I just start praying for a quick death…

“You’re giving off very strong mating pheromones.” He takes a step back, but he’s already pressed against the cave wall. I look down at my body, giving my armpits a sniff, and look at my legs… Everything seems normal…

“You sure?” I ask, and when I look back up, Silas is shaking. “Yeah, you definitely look sure. Uh…” I look around for something to cover my smell, but I don’t even know how I’m sending him come fuck me vibes in the first place.

“Stop. Moving,” he hisses, and I freeze once more.

“I don’t know what to do. You look like you’re in pain, and I can’t just stand here for who knows how long. Tell me what to do!” I hiss back and take a step away. This was a mistake because he launches himself over the fire, and his body slams into mine, as he pushes me against the cave wall.

“Don’t run. Don’t turn away. Just hold still.” His words are strained, and as soon as he’s all up in my bubble, I get a whiff of his scent, and my eyes basically roll into the back of my head.

“Fuuuck, you smell good,” I moan, leaning forward to get another sniff.

“Moon. My restraint is hanging on by a thread. You need to control yourself.” Silas slams his palms into the wall beside my head and closes his eyes.

“Boo,” I complain, and his sexy half-smirk gives me fanny flutters. You know, butterflies in your lady parts that tell you banging the scary kidnapper is a good idea.

“I’m going to step away. Slowly. Don’t move, unless you want me to lose all control.”

“What happens if you lose control?” I ask, and he swallows thickly.

“Then I breed you here on this cave floor like your body is begging me to.” And with those hot as fuck words, he takes a step away from me.

“Why’s that a bad thing?” I ask, watching him retreat.

“You just met me. And although I’ve done it to keep you safe, I did abduct you. And—“ He pauses, takes another step back, and then shakes his head. “And you… Um,” he trails off, taking another step away.

“Have a Heart Bonded?” I offer, but that feels like the wrong answer. I want to let this man rail me in a cave, and if Arlo was to walk in right now, I’d just beg him to join me. My breathing picks up speed, and my heart races, as thoughts of both men fucking me in this cave fill my mind.

“Many bonded,” he says but keeps retreating. I shake my head.

“Just Arlo.”

“Not just. Please stop talking. I can hear the need in your voice.” He closes his eyes for a moment, before opening them, and taking another step away from me. “If your pheromones weren’t fucking with us both, you would never consider fucking me.”

“That’s hardly true. I’ve thought about fucking you, like, ten times, over the last day. Maybe more,” I admit, and then swallow because I didn’t mean to confess that. His head snaps up, and his eyes meet mine, and I shrug. “You’re really hot, and I like sex. Plus, this whole forbidden thing, because ‘he’s your captor’ is apparently a kink I didn’t know I have.” I cover my mouth, and then move my hand to say, “I don’t know why I’m saying all of this.”

“Moon. Please. Please stop talking,” Silas groans, and I smile.

“That’s not really something I’m very good at. You could ask me to talk about something else. To be honest, though, my mind is a bit focused on one thing at the moment.”

“I can’t fucking take it,” he growls, and then he’s charging me. Not one to deny myself pleasure, I match his stride, and when we collide, I see stars.

The kiss is hard and possessive. Not just from him, but from me as well. I’m claiming him. Marking him as mine, and I won’t be sharing. A growl forms in my chest, and Silas smiles against my lips, and I slip my tongue into his mouth, tangling it with his.

As soon as the taste of him is on my tongue, I’m feral with need. I jump into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist and pushing my hands into his hair. I silently thank Fenrick for the necklace, hiding me from being watched by the entire universe.

“Fuck me,” I whisper, as I pull away from his kiss, so I can bite his neck, making him tremble under me. Kinky fuck. “Do you like pain?” I ask, biting him again. Silas shoves his hand into my hair and yanks my head back, and I smile as his blood drips down my chin. “Fuck me,” I demand.

“You’ll regret this,” he says, but I shake my head.

“If you don’t want to, it’s okay. I’ll go jump in a pond or roll in some mud to cover my scent, but if you want me, then please, Silas. Fuck me.” I don’t think I’ve ever begged a man to fuck me before. It’s kind of hot.

“Might hurt you,” he groans through clenched teeth, and I smile.

“I’ve already hurt you,” I shrug. “Only fair if you hurt me too.” I lean forward and peck his nose, and Silas drops us to the ground. He sits back on his knees, looking down at me with so much desire and longing that my heart aches.

“Heart Bonded,” he whispers, lifting his shirt up and over his head, before showing me his wrist. I’m momentarily distracted by the absolute perfection of his body before my eyes snap to the mark.

“To me?” I ask, and Silas nods. I’m reaching for him, deciding I’ll deal with the implications of multiple Heart Bonds another day when I’m not so horny when the cave explodes with light, and Silas goes flying across the room. I screech because, apparently, that’s what I do when in danger, and look up, just in time to see a pair of angry magenta eyes.

Then a fucking bag is shoved over my head, and I’m lifted from the ground and tossed over a shoulder.

“You can scream, but the bag is spelled, no one will hear you but me.”