I remind myself to be gentle in the wake of her sorrow, but I can’t stop myself from leaning her back on the boulder. I cup her head in my hand, so she won’t feel the rough stone against her scalp. She slips her fingers through my hair, stroking it lovingly. Our lips move as one, slow, soft, and filled with promises of something more. Desire wells in my veins as her teeth graze my bottom lip. I play a hand across her collarbone teasingly and her back arches instinctively.
I inhale sharply as our eyes meet. They glimmer in the moonlight, asking me for more. I cup her breast in my hand and she shivers, breath catching in her throat. I lower my lips to her neck and drag my tongue across her jugular as she starts to writhe with pleasure. Verity moans as my thumb slips across her stiff nipple but I stifle the sound with another kiss. Quiet, I tell her silently, we must be quiet.
She nods, eyes slipping closed with pleasure. I can feel her heart pounding wildly in her chest as my hand trails across it. I follow the dip in her chest to her navel and then even lower. When I stroke her, her eyes fly open and she gasps sharply. Her hands fly to my face and drag me towards her. When she thrusts her tongue into my mouth, I lose myself then.
Verity and I grind together under the moonlight, giving no thought to the sleeping campers a few yards beyond. Her body is hot, supple, and like putty in my hands. And I want all of it. I sweep my tongue through her mouth, tasting her. A growl rumbles in my chest and she arches into me, panting. I unlace her trousers easily, fingers slipping over her teasingly. She trembles, legs quaking. I admire her in the moonlight, her milky skin practically glowing silver. Her red cloak is like a pool of midnight around her, her shirt lifted high to her breasts, exposing her belly and hips.
I stroke her lovingly as she shudders into silence. I wish I could stay in moments like this forever; with Verity beside me, cheeks flushed and a small smile on her lips. She lifts her arms and runs her fingers through my hair as if we’re the only two in the world. I curl around her, wrapping her up in my arms and nuzzling into her neck.
“I wish this is what we could be – forever,” I breathe, lips brushing her ear. “You and I, free to love and travel wherever we wish.”
She pulls away, guilt plain in her eyes. “But that isn’t how it is,” Altair,” she says as she laces her trousers.
I rise, propping myself up on my elbow. “When you were with Sadal, I was determined to take you back and keep you,” I murmur, sensing how weak the excuse is.
Her eyes are shadowed as she meets my gaze. “When Sadal took me, when he made me his bride, I didn’t have a choice. You did, Altair. You chose Erzur. Now we both have to live with it.”
“Verity,” I say weakly as she starts sliding down the boulder.
She pauses, glancing back at me. “The curse,” she says quietly. “Is it returning?”
“It is.” I look away.
“I’m sorry,” she murmurs. There’s a weight to her voice that tells me the curse isn’t the only thing she’s sorry for.
I wait a little longer on the boulder, watching as Verity lays back on her sleeping mat. She turns her back to me, as if she can sense my gaze on her. Dawn is coming now, it’s light rimming the horizon, framing the flat landscape. I climb off of the boulder, heading back to my own tent. With dawn coming, I suspect there’s little danger anymore. I’ll sleep now, and hopefully forget Verity’s damning words.
I glance towards her prone form once more. A flash of movement in the distance catches my eye. A dust plume flares into the sky, blocking out a sprinkling of stars. Another rises a few yards in front of the last. I narrow my eyes at the sight, hairs raised like a warning on the back of my neck. More sand rises, marking the path of the strange occurrence. Whatever it is, it’s heading here.
Chapter 12
Verity
“Get up!” I hear Altair shout through the haze of sleep. “Get up, arm yourselves!”
I blink sleepily but fear bursts through the fog of my mind like a flame and I’m on my feet in an instant. I slept for only a few moments it feels like, the stars are still winking overhead. I glance towards the boulder in the distance and wonder if it’s still warm from the heat of our bodies. Altair streaks past me, sword in hand. He moves into a combat stance, the same one Thal has been teaching me.
“Verity.” I look up, eyes wide, as Altair speaks my name. His brows furrow with worry and my heart thumps. “Stay behind me.”
I wrap my hand around my light sword and scan the horizon nervously. Dawn is coming, but the light doesn’t reveal anything to me. The others are awake now. Moritz prowls the edge of the campsite, sniffing at the air like an animal. His eyes snap towards a point in the distance, past the columns. I hear a soft sound, almost like a hiss. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end and I edge closer to Thal.
His green eyes are narrowed in the same direction as Altair’s and Moritz’s. “I
