Page 28 of Throne of Ice and Blood
But no angry dragon shifter storms out of the shadows.
Blowing out a long breath of relief, I hurry into my bedroom and yank open one of the drawers. I need to hide the climbing equipment. I bundle them, along with the map, into some other pieces of clothing that I doubt Draven will ever touch.
Right after I have closed the drawer and walked back into the living room, a click comes from the front door.
My heart lurches.
By Mabona, my cheeks are red after the lengthy run and my hair is windblown after the climb and I haven’t even had one single second to just take a breath and compose myself. If Draven sees me like this, he’s going to know that I have done something that I shouldn’t.
Making a split-second decision, I sprint towards the door right across from me.
If he’s going to see me looking this suspicious, I need to give him something else that he can catch me doing.
Right before the front door is pulled open, I yank open the door to Draven’s bedroom and sprint inside.
My heart slams as I skid to a halt on the dark wooden floorboards inside. I draw in a deep breath. And immediately regret it. Because this entire room smells like him. And that scent reminds me of the time when he gave me his shirt. And the time when he kissed every inch of my body and wrung every drop of pleasure from my soul.
“Snooping, huh?”
I whirl around to find Draven standing in the doorway. Orstandingisn’t exactly the right word. He has his arms crossed over his muscular chest and one ankle crossed over the other while he leans one shoulder against the doorframe. His body blocks my way out of his bedroom entirely.
Draven tuts and shakes his head, but there is a mischievous glint in his eyes as he holds my gaze. “Though I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. If I remember correctly, sneaking around castles is a favorite pastime of yours.”
And just like that, it feels as if we’re back in the Seelie Court, throwing easy banter back and forth. It makes me want to smile. But it also confuses me. First, I hated him for trying to sabotage me during the Atonement Trials. Then, the more time we spent together, I started to have feelings for him. Then, I hated him again when he put the collar on me and made me his slave. But then he removed my collar the first chance he got and is doing what he can to protect me. And now, I don’t know where we stand anymore.
I know that, logically, I should probably still hate him. But I also can’t just erase all the other feelings that I have for him.Can’t erase how it felt to kiss him. To fuck him solely because I wanted to. Can’t erase how he makes me feel free and strong and makes me feel as if I don’t have to make myself less. Can’t erase how much I enjoyed our banter back in the Seelie Court. How I still feel drawn to him.
Realizing that I still haven’t answered him, I give my head a quick shake and try to compose myself again.
“I wasn’t snooping,” I manage to press out at last.
“No?” Draven arches an eyebrow. “Then why are you blushing furiously?”
Because I just ran through the entire city and then scaled the wall of the palace, I reply silently, and rather smugly, in my mind. But I don’t say that out loud. Instead, I let him think that I’m blushing from embarrassment by just answering with a huff.
His smirk widens. “Were you imagining me in bed?”
My heart stutters.
He chuckles. “If I remember correctly, you’ve done that before too.”
This time, both the blush and the self-conscious huff are real as I remember my embarrassing blabbering when he surprised me back in his room in the Seelie Court. “That’s not what I meant back then, and you know it.”
Pushing off from the doorframe, he straightens and then saunters towards me with that devilish smile still on his lips. “Wasn’t it? I distinctly remember how…wetyou were.”
My cheeks feel like they’re on fire.
Draven comes to a halt in front of me and slides two fingers along my jaw. Lightning crackles over my skin at his soft touch. He places his fingers underneath my chin and then pushes upwards, tilting my head back further so that he can lock eyes with me.
“What?” He flashes me a grin. “No clever comebacks?”
“I will escape, you know.”
Leaning closer, he lets out a contemplative hum. It’s a low and dark sound that almost vibrates against my lips. My heart skips a beat at the feeling of it.
“Because that went so well the last time I locked you in my bedroom,” Draven baits.
“I could always just handcuff you to your desk again.”
