His tongue flits into my mouth, teasing my lips apart. I oblige him, but he pulls away and I can’t help the little whimper that escapes me. He chuckles, the sound vibrating against my chest. His fingers play over my chin, coaxing my mouth open wider. My heart pounds wildly, blood roaring in my ears as I take his fingers between my lips. He groans while I suckle them, tongue dancing over his long digits. I don’t care what it looks like, how wrong it is. He’s with someone else, I know. But I don’t care. I can’t stop the flood of temptation and pleasure long enough to care.
When he slips his fingers from my lips, I search for him blindly again. His tongue finds mine, the tips tangling hesitantly, searching the other out. My rhythm on his groin slows as we fall into a new one. A beat of hesitation, desire, and melancholy. My fingers curl into his back as I rock against him. I feel him tremble and he bites back a groan. The sound is all I need to send me crashing back into him like a rogue wave.
His hands are all over my body, tangled in my hair, curling over my ass, or drifting down my navel. I can hardly breathe, panting desperately. I fumble for the laces tying my cloak on. Altair realizes what I’m doing before I do, and his hands wrap around mine, stilling them. He pulls back, breathing hard. His eyes drink me in like he wants to memorize everything about me.
“We shouldn’t,” he says, but I hear the keen of desire in his voice.
I sag back, core pulsing. “No, we shouldn’t,” I agree reluctantly.
Altair brushes my mussed hair away from my cheeks and flashes me an arrogant grin. “I never expected it to be so easy to get you to kiss me again.”
I roll my eyes. “Call it a symptom of heat stroke.”
“I think I’ll call it something else,” he purrs, nuzzling my neck.
I sigh, letting his lips brush over my jugular. Pleasure flits through me and I almost start pressing my body into his again. “We should get back,” I say, pushing him away gently.
“What if we left and never came back.” His eyes are lit with fire. “What if we ran away somewhere no one could find us.”
“Altair,” I murmur. “You know we can’t do that.”
“But isn’t it nice to imagine?” He asks, smiling sorrowfully.
It takes all of my will power to get off of him and rise to my feet. I leave him in the sand, on the side of the dune, and head back to my glyphs. I can use them as an excuse for my absence, I think sadly. I glance over my shoulder and see Altair spilling grains of sand from the palm of his hand. I swallow hard. Why is this so painful? Was it destined to be this hard?
I close my eyes, clenching my hands into fists at my sides. Fate is a bitch.
Chapter 15
Altair
When I return to our makeshift campsite, the others are lingering by the horses. My eyes dart towards Verity but she looks away quickly, sparking up a conversation with Thal. Jealousy burns in my chest, mingled with my regret. When I finally drag my gaze away, Moritz catches my eye. He jerks his head, calling me to him.
“What is it?” I ask, moving to his side.
For once, he isn’t bundled in a thick cloak. The heat out here is getting to him as well. He rakes a hand through his pale blonde hair and flicks his eyes towards the old Bloodbane. “She has news for you.”
I turn to the old witch. “News?”
“Our journey is over,” she says, smiling. “Our destination is just over the dunes.”
I feel a thrill of anticipation. Finally, we are making progress – now comes the dangerous part. “Excellent,” I say, waving towards the dunes. “Lead on.”
She doesn’t even mount her horse. The old Bloodbane waddles up the dunes, the reins to her horse in hand. I follow her and slowly the rest of the group falls in line. The climb over the dunes is difficult and, underneath the hot sun, sweat drips down my forehead. The dunes are taller than they look, and what I guessed to be a short climb, turns into a half hour of trudging up burning sand.
By the time we reach the top, we’re out of breath and desperate for water. I toss my head back, groaning internally. What I would give for a dip in a pool. When I drop my gaze back to the scene in front of me, my lips part in surprise. Hidden in the depths of the rolling sands is what was once an enormous, opulent city. Nothing more than ruins now, the grandeur is still clear. Its size is comparable to Desmarais, though half of it is buried beneath the sands.
Great columns, not unlike the one we sheltered beneath, are placed in a line, as if once along an avenue. Now, the dunes have hidden the road and the bottoms of the columns, but the tops are inlaid with flecks of sapphire. Deeper into the ruins, buildings have toppled due to time and weathering. Some remain, and the most prominent is a grand pyramid in the center of the ruins. Parts of its angular stone walls have crumbled, and the tip has broken off, but it’s still a stunning piece of ancient architecture.
“It’s like ancient Egypt,” Verity breathes.
“Welcome to the ancient city of Alkuthban,” the old witch says, sweeping her arms wide.
“What was this place?” Thal asks as we start down the dunes.
“It was once the seat of the emperor who ruled the wastelands many thousands of years ago. Back then, the wastelands were called Alramol, and it was filled with oases and grand cities of gold and sapphire,” the first Bloodbane explains.
Verity runs her hand along a stone
