Free Scorched by Darkness by Alexandra Ivy

prickled over his skin, he moved silently through the eerie light that glowed from the surface of the ice.
    He was rounding a large curve in the tunnel when he caught the sound of voices. Slowing his pace, he pressed his back against the wall and inched his way forward.
    At last he could see Adair standing near an opening in the tunnel. His heart stuttered, his gaze lingering on the striking beauty of her finely sculpted profile and the copper highlights in her hair.
    It wasn’t until he noticed the way her hands were balled into tight fists of tension, and her slender body trembling beneath her white robe, that he turned his attention to her companion.
    The female bore a striking resemblance to Adair. She had the same delicate features and odd metallic eyes, although the stranger’s were bronze in color. Her hair was also darker, without the stunning copper highlights. Finn also suspected that the other female was older by several years.
    No doubt most males would find her attractive, but Finn was instinctively repelled by her cold disdain as she reached out to grab Adair’s upper arm.
    “Lila,” Adair murmured, her tone wary. “What are you doing here?”
    “Obviously I was looking for you.”
    “Me?” Adair cleared her throat. “Why?”
    “You left your rooms.” The female gave Adair a sharp shake. “Where have you been?”
    Finn stiffened, infuriated as he watched Adair cower in obvious fear.
    “Nowhere,” she breathed.
    “Don’t act coy,” Lila snapped. “Tell me where you went.”
    “I…I was bored and I took a walk.”
    “Liar.” Lila gave the smaller woman another rough shake. “You went to see the prisoner.”
    Finn watched as Adair lowered her lashes over her eyes. She didn’t want to tell this female that Finn had been trying to escape.
    She was…protecting him.
    An odd tightness wrapped around his chest, making it hard to breathe.
    “I needed to ensure that pulling him through the portal hadn’t injured him.”
    Lila gave a sharp laugh. “Right. And it has nothing to do with the fact that you’ve been gawking at the male since we opened the gateway?”
    Even from a distance, Finn could detect the blush that touched her cheeks. It only emphasized her rare, astonishing beauty.
    “I was told to monitor the entire tribe,” Adair muttered.
    The older female sneered at Adair’s flustered expression. “Maybe, but no one told you to spend hours staring at the lovely prince, did they?”
    She’d been staring at him? For hours?
    He should have been creeped out by the thought. Who wanted to be watched by unseen eyes? Instead it warmed something deep inside him.
    “Is there a reason you’re here?” Adair asked.
    “Micah is anxious to get the prince working,” Lila said, glancing over her shoulder. Was she afraid of the mysterious Micah? And what the hell did she mean by work? “Do you know when he can be brought to the treasure room?”
    Adair made a sound of frustration. “I’ve told Micah that it’s impossible to keep a portal open during the flux,” she said. “To even attempt to release the prince from his prison might kill him.” She held her companion’s gaze. “Or me.”
    Lila shrugged, her lack of concern for Adair’s welfare blatantly obvious.
    Bitch.
    “Our brother is impatient to complete our task,” she insisted.
    Finn’s brows snapped together.
    A violent urge to rush forward and shove the female away from Adair surged through him. He could grab her by the front of her white robe and send her skating down the tunnel. Like a penguin skimming across an ice floe.
    Only instead of plunging into the ocean, she would smack her smug face into the wall.
    Adair hunched her shoulders. “He’ll have to wait. Even when the fluctuations cease, it might be hours before the prince wakens,” she said.
    Finn bit back his curse. Why was she trying to protect him? It couldn’t be a trick to earn his trust. There was no way either female knew he was eavesdropping.
    So