My eyes were wide open, and as lame as that sounded, I couldn’t close them. Too much was happening in my brain for me to do anything but stare. Ezra’s blond hair blocked my peripheral while the blue glow of his ice cut a stunning arc above. My jaw clamped shut, and the rest of my body didn’t fare much better. Ezra waskissingme. Or, trying to.
He rubbed his lips against mine, and the sensation of that alone was like sinking into a steaming bath after a day playing in the snow; like he infused heat into me just from that small contact. I wanted to fall into that warmth. My mouth softened, and the punishing grip I had on his wrists slackened.
His tongue darted out to lick the seam of my lips, begging for entrance, and I snapped the fuck out of it.Ezra was kissing me. That motherfucking, sneaky, too attractive for his own good, bastard. I re-engaged my nails, sinking them deeper this time, and his grunt of surprise was a satisfying win.
I used my new grip to push away, but only got so far with his hands cradling my head. Despite the obvious pain I caused him, his hold was gentle, almost reverent.
“You're being stubborn,” he growled, but the glow in his gaze told me he was anything but annoyed by it.
I glared in response, and he huffed a laugh against my mouth. His breath puffed over my now-warm lips, spreading tingles in its wake. Outside, the hunters tried their best to break past his shield, yet all my fear was buried under the heat of Ezra’s stare. One of his hands left my face to burn a trail down the side of my body until it reached my waist. Slipping his arm around the small of my back, Ezra pulled me in close. I was practically in his lap, somehow nestled against him like a missing puzzle piece.
When I didn’t fight to get away, his fingertips sank into the skin of my hip. There was no moving, no escaping from this hold. I felt small but safe in his arms, and that sparked its own type of fear.
“Tell me to stop and I’ll stop.”
“But—” My eyes darted to the right, following the distorted shape of one of the djinn.
“Don’t worry about them.” Ezra’s cool nose nudged my cheek. “Close your eyes and let me kiss you,” he demanded, his lips hovering only inches away from my own.
What was happening to me? Any other time, his teasing and flirting resulted in my barbed tongue and a slew of insults. I knew better than to let him get close, and kissing was definitely a level of intimacy I shouldn’t be partaking in. Especially because there were two big guys outside that wanted to kill us.
That wasdefinitelythe main reason. It wasn’t because my heart was racing in a funny way or that my insides twisted in a feeling too similar to butterflies. Ezra’s mouth was on mine before I could think of another excuse, and I instinctively lockedup. With eyes clenched tight, I fought my body’s plea to melt at his touch, but it was almost impossible.
My resolve hung on by a thread. A teenie tiny thread that was liable to snap any second if he—oh God.His teeth tugged on my bottom lip again and my eyes sprang open. Icy blue irises waited to catch me. Ezra’s thumb pressed firmly against my chin.
“Open,” he whispered.
I’d never been kissed like this before. Ezra’s lips were the softest I’d ever felt, like powdered snow, yet firm enough to send electricity zipping along my spine. He was so close I felt him everywhere; his tongue along the roof of my mouth, his hands caressing my skin, fuck, his chest brushing over my nipples.
I fought with everything I had; truly I did. But I couldn’t feel my fingers, couldn’t keep my body still from how hard my heart was vibrating, couldn’t getairunless he put that mouth back on mine. And when he bit my lip? There was no hiding my gasp or resisting the way he took advantage and absolutely devoured me.
Heat and light and something I couldn’t name grew between us. It settled behind my ribs and reached for Ezra like it wanted to physically make us one. Mild panic covered that light; there was no coming back from this.
A small sound escaped me when he flicked the tip of his tongue against mine, and Ifelthim smirk. Not to be outdone, I nipped his bottom lip between my teeth and sucked. His answering groan echoed between my legs and triggered my common sense. She fought her way through my out-of-control hormones and grabbed me by the throat.
By the time I gathered my senses enough to be smart, Ezra had pulled away. The ice beneath our knees melted and was cold as hell as it soaked into my bare skin. Everything else around us remained frozen solid, much to the ever-growing displeasure of the djinn outside.
“Come on out, Alantes! You can’t hide in there forever!”
I waited for the paralyzing fear to return, but it sat cool and unaffected, like a hard rock in the bottom of my gut. My heart still raced as adrenaline fueled every cell in my body. I felt like I could run a mile and then some. Maybe kick a little djinn ass as I did a lap.
“Pretty siren,” Ezra crooned. “You’re glowing.”
His grin was downright vulgar, and if we weren’t crouched in a homemade igloo with enemies outside, I knew he would’ve resumed that kiss. Hell, it would have gone farther, and the truth in that thought was enough to snap me all the way out of my stupor.
I got to my feet and shook out the numbness that settled in. “What’s the plan?”
Something like pride flashed in Ezra’s gaze before he spun away and began tracking the djinn. The two of them hadn’t split up, choosing to attack the same spot together with their weapons rather than waste time trying to break the walls down on their own. It still didn’t work. I looked at the igloo with a more critical eye, appreciating how much magick must have gone into making it; how much power and strength.
Whipping back around to face me, Ezra pointed at the opposite wall. “I'm going to need you to run.”
Was he fucking crazy?
“Are you fucking crazy?”
He laughed, then spun me around to where he’d opened a tunnel in the wall. His cheek rubbed against mine as he leaned over my shoulder and pointed.
“Through there, onto the path, and straight back home behind the barrier. Understand?”
