As limp as a noodle, I let my arms fall to the sides. I wanted to do nothing more than turn into Roark, but instead, I pushed him off and turned my back to him, wrapping myself in my blankets at the other end of the bed.
“Thanks,” I rasped and squeezed my eyes shut.
It was the last thing I wanted to do, especially since I’d just given myself to him so wholly, but the twisting in my chest freaked me out. God, I hoped this one act hadn’t sent me down a path I couldn’t return from.
I rubbed my face into the silkiness beneath my cheek. A warm caress skimmed up my spine, incrementally coaxing me from sleep. Smiling, I stretched, reveling in the pop of my joints as I arched my back toward the delightful touch.
A chuckle roused me from incoherence. My muscles tensed, and I froze. Recognizing Roark’s scent, I wanted to pull away, but I couldn’t help but give in to the pleasure of just being near him. His very touch sent shivers through me.
Last night was out of this world. A self-satisfied grin played at my lips. I didn’t regret giving myself to him. No, not giving myself to him, taking my pleasure from him. The only shitty thing was that I wanted him again.
I’d hoped that pesky desire would subside once we’d done the deed, but it seemed it only intensified. My conscience battled with the little demon on my shoulder. Why Roark? After everything he’d done to me, why give him something I’d withheld for so long?
Shut up, conscience.
The caresses continued up and down my spine, softening me into goo. That’s why.
He electrified me and needed only to be near for me to be ready to jump his bones. Even now, I struggled to contain my desire. True desire, nothing like it had been with Ty, where all I’d wanted was to chase away the desolate feelings inside of me.
Roark did me wrong. That was undeniable. But what was also undeniable was how badly I wanted him… and he didn’t have to use any magic to get me going. Maybe this would help me eventually move on and be with whoever I wanted without the memory of him pulling at me. I ignored the pinch of pain in the vicinity of my heart at the thought of being with someone else.
“We must leave soon,” he rumbled, drawing out of my mental grappling.
I slid out of bed with a groan, pulling away from his touch. I looked between my legs, expecting to find stuff smeared on my thighs, but there wasn’t. He was sprawled on his side, his hand resting where I had been. He must have cleaned me off. Considering he had his clothes on and there was a towel at the end of the bed, it was a good theory. I pushed away the warmth that seeped into my chest.
Quickly looking away so he didn’t see the desire shinning in my gaze, I rushed around until I found my clothes and shoes, donning everything with a little more force than necessary.
“Let’s get going.” I strode out the door, stopping at the sink to rinse out my mouth. When I emerged, he was already waiting at the door. I looked around to make sure I hadn’t left anything and saw Annie’s backpack beside the couch, where we’d been bonding just hours ago. Before everything had gone to shit.
“Will we be back?” I asked Roark.
“Yes.”
Despite his answer, I grabbed my dagger and slipped it into the backpack before slinging the bag over my shoulders. That knowing sensation urged me to take it with me.
Guilt for the disarray of the hotel room prickled at me. I didn’t want to be the staff who had to clean up this mess. A cart full of food sat outside the door, letting me know room service order had shown up at some point.
When we stepped outdoors, wind whipped my loose, dark hair into my eyes and around my face, making me feel like Medusa. I sputtered some hair out of my mouth and reached up to put it into a loose ponytail. If the force of the wind was any indication, it was on the freezing side of chilly.
Roark watched me deftly pull back my hair, his eyebrows furrowed. His hand stretched forward and tucked a loose strand behind my ear. The pad of his fingers trailed over my cheek, but I didn’t let myself enjoy it before I moved away from his touch. Roark’s mouth tightened, and he glanced away.
“Where are we heading?” I tried to break the awkward silence, making my tone as upbeat as I could.
“Arizona.”
23
Thankfully, Roark had sensed a portal just as we’d began walking, and we got to Arizona as the sun set.
“How do you know where we’re going?” I asked.
“I have a photographic memory.”
“Really?” That was neat. Maybe it was a Fae thing, and I—
“No,” he cut off my thoughts, and I scowled up at him. His lip quirked. “It’s not a bad memory, but that’s not why I remembered. The dragon we are going to see is one of the most powerful in the Unnatural community. I told you about working my entire life to figure out how to free magic. That includes knowing who is powerful.”
“Oh. So how many debts have you collected?” I said, referencing his earlier comment to Rian.
Roark’s eyebrow went up, and he shook his head. “Many.”
My lips tightened. I was reminded of our first journey together. Getting him to talk was still like pulling teeth. Roark gave me a little smile as if he was reminded as well. That train of thought took me to Sabine.
“Why weren’t you able to track down Sabine?”
“She had help,” Roark replied grimly.
“Emily?”
“Yes, and other Fae. When I noticed how
