“If at any point you want me to stop, just lift your hands or say stop.”
“I’m not a baby, just do it already.” He closed his eyes and the lengthy grass began to grow, weaving in and out of my legs, up my arms and across my body. I couldn’t move. “Nothing’s happening.”
He pushed a gust of wind forward, and it blew so hard I couldn’t catch my breath.
I tried to think about the bucket of magic and pull it forward to meet his own, but everything inside of me was quiet, still. “How am I supposed to raise my hands when you have them tied down?” I yelled over the vicious wind whipping my auburn hair around.
“Your mouth still works,” he smirked. “What’s the matter, Princess? Can’t beat your way out of this one?”
“Taunting me won’t work when I literally just kicked your ass.”
“I wasn’t trying,” he lied.
“Maybe not with your magic, but I saw the sweat. You couldn’t touch me with a sword.”
“I can touch you with fire.”
Suddenly a burst of heat ran up my legs, through my core, up the back of my neck and through the ends of my hair. He hadn’t intended it to be arousing, but it was.
“Do that again, Prince.”
“Did you feel it?” he asked, shooting the heat through me once more.
“I felt something.” My husky voice betrayed me.
His ears perked up, and he took a step back. “Focus.”
Water poured down on me as wind tore at me, but still my limbs were strapped down. He pushed that heat through me again.
I arched my back and tried to let his water wash away the growing need. “I don’t think this is going to work. At least not in the way you want it to.”
“If you want me to stop, break free.”
I pushed and pulled at the vines, watching the careful lines of his face, studying him as he watched me struggle. I should be pissed, but I wasn’t because a wicked idea had formed. I began to move my hands inch by inch until I had enough space to twist my wrist, engaging the throwing knife secured within my clothing. I was slow at first, so he could not see. I cut a few vines at a time while we locked eyes and he let the rain soak me.
“Concentrating?” he asked me.
“Entirely.” As soon as I could move my arm freely, in one swoop I cut the vines and launched myself at him.
“Gods-damnit, Ara,” he said from below me as I tackled him to the ground. “That was not the plan. Magic. You’re supposed to use magic.”
“I have another idea. Purely scientific.” I crawled backward and sat in front of him. I’d been holding back. So many emotions had buried themselves for so long within me. The longing I’d been suppressing rose to the surface, but this time I didn’t shove it back down.
“What is it?” His anger melted into intrigue. The southern prince continued to surprise me.
“If my magic is pulled forward by a powerful emotion, and you can’t make me mad at you when I know you’re trying to, maybe you could try a different emotion.”
“Which one?” He rubbed the stubble on his cheek, and something in that movement, in the way he responded to me, lit a fire.
“I think you know, Prince.” I crawled toward him until I was inches from his face. “I am fae. If not rage, what else would call to me?”
“You test my self-control, Princess.”
“Maybe you should test mine instead.”
“Purely scientific?” he managed, although I could see him struggle.
“If you say so,” I purred.
