look…conflicted.”
“Get out!” her voice exploded with more force than she’d intended, but she couldn’t help it. She had to think. He had to go. Now.
Finally, Adonis stood and looked around, probably searching for a door.
“There is no door,” she said, standing and walking with jerky movements to the window. Her foot caught the edge of the rug and she tripped, catching herself just before she hit the floor. Heart pounding furiously, she sucked in a sharp breath through her nose, willing herself not to tear the rug from the floor and heave it over the balcony.
The infuriating golden haze still colored her world, making everything shine like some sort of surreal dream. It grated on her nerves and she gritted her teeth and blinked, trying to make it go away. Grabbing onto her fraying self-control with both hands, she went through the same motions she performed every morning and night, throwing her braid over the hook on the awning and heaving her hair over the balcony. She gave herself a few seconds to gather her wits before facing Adonis again. He observed her with softly glowing red eyes, a rapt expression on his face. Despite the eerie crimson light in his gaze, Ivy read no anger in his face. More like…passion.
“The far side of the valley is a curtain of vines,” she said with a forced calm. “That’s the way back to the other dimension.” The words felt ridiculous on her tongue now, but she didn’t know what else to say. She clenched her jaw, daring him to contradict her. He furrowed his brow and opened his mouth, but she held up a hand to stop him from speaking. “You can climb down on your own, I hope? Your strength has returned?”
Adonis grinned. He stretched his wings above his head and Ivy blushed as she realized he didn’t need to climb down her hair. She whipped around and started to pull her hair down from the hook, hiding her face as traitorous heat stole over her cheeks.
A hand on her arm made her jump and whirl back to face him. She winced as her braid snagged the hook and jerked her back, a stab of pain lancing her skull.
“I’m sorry.” Adonis cringed. He reached out and unhooked her braid, smoothing his hand over it as he hauled the length back into the tower.
Butterflies leapt to life in Ivy’s stomach, her senses full of his nearness. She couldn’t seem to tear her eyes from his hands sliding over her braid. There was something erotic about the way he touched the gold coils, as if he were caressing something far more personal than her hair.
“Just go,” Ivy mumbled, shoving against his chest. His muscles tensed under her touch and she jerked her hand away like he’d burned her. Her mind melted to a jumbled pile of half-thoughts and she cursed at the way her knees trembled and threatened to give way. Fisting her hands at her sides, she stormed away from the balcony.
There was a rustle of large wings and then the scrape of claw against stone. Ivy closed her eyes, freezing in the middle of the main room, bracing herself for the sound of the demon prince flying away. Just a few more moments and then you can have a nervous breakdown , she promised herself.
“Ivy?”
Biting her lip, she tried to ignore the pulse thundering in her throat, the itch along her spine where she was sure his gaze was boring a hole through her. As much as she wanted to ignore him, she couldn’t. Inch by painful inch, she turned to find him crouching on the balcony, his wings still tucked against his spine like a heavy leather cape. She held herself back, keeping an iron grip on her emotions just as she so often did during her mother’s tantrums.
“Yes?” she asked evenly.
He hesitated. “I can feel your energy boiling just under your skin,” he said finally, his voice gentle, soothing. “You seem upset as well. If you’ll trust me, just for a moment, I can help you.”
Ivy stepped back, wrapping her suspicion around her
“Get out!” her voice exploded with more force than she’d intended, but she couldn’t help it. She had to think. He had to go. Now.
Finally, Adonis stood and looked around, probably searching for a door.
“There is no door,” she said, standing and walking with jerky movements to the window. Her foot caught the edge of the rug and she tripped, catching herself just before she hit the floor. Heart pounding furiously, she sucked in a sharp breath through her nose, willing herself not to tear the rug from the floor and heave it over the balcony.
The infuriating golden haze still colored her world, making everything shine like some sort of surreal dream. It grated on her nerves and she gritted her teeth and blinked, trying to make it go away. Grabbing onto her fraying self-control with both hands, she went through the same motions she performed every morning and night, throwing her braid over the hook on the awning and heaving her hair over the balcony. She gave herself a few seconds to gather her wits before facing Adonis again. He observed her with softly glowing red eyes, a rapt expression on his face. Despite the eerie crimson light in his gaze, Ivy read no anger in his face. More like…passion.
“The far side of the valley is a curtain of vines,” she said with a forced calm. “That’s the way back to the other dimension.” The words felt ridiculous on her tongue now, but she didn’t know what else to say. She clenched her jaw, daring him to contradict her. He furrowed his brow and opened his mouth, but she held up a hand to stop him from speaking. “You can climb down on your own, I hope? Your strength has returned?”
Adonis grinned. He stretched his wings above his head and Ivy blushed as she realized he didn’t need to climb down her hair. She whipped around and started to pull her hair down from the hook, hiding her face as traitorous heat stole over her cheeks.
A hand on her arm made her jump and whirl back to face him. She winced as her braid snagged the hook and jerked her back, a stab of pain lancing her skull.
“I’m sorry.” Adonis cringed. He reached out and unhooked her braid, smoothing his hand over it as he hauled the length back into the tower.
Butterflies leapt to life in Ivy’s stomach, her senses full of his nearness. She couldn’t seem to tear her eyes from his hands sliding over her braid. There was something erotic about the way he touched the gold coils, as if he were caressing something far more personal than her hair.
“Just go,” Ivy mumbled, shoving against his chest. His muscles tensed under her touch and she jerked her hand away like he’d burned her. Her mind melted to a jumbled pile of half-thoughts and she cursed at the way her knees trembled and threatened to give way. Fisting her hands at her sides, she stormed away from the balcony.
There was a rustle of large wings and then the scrape of claw against stone. Ivy closed her eyes, freezing in the middle of the main room, bracing herself for the sound of the demon prince flying away. Just a few more moments and then you can have a nervous breakdown , she promised herself.
“Ivy?”
Biting her lip, she tried to ignore the pulse thundering in her throat, the itch along her spine where she was sure his gaze was boring a hole through her. As much as she wanted to ignore him, she couldn’t. Inch by painful inch, she turned to find him crouching on the balcony, his wings still tucked against his spine like a heavy leather cape. She held herself back, keeping an iron grip on her emotions just as she so often did during her mother’s tantrums.
“Yes?” she asked evenly.
He hesitated. “I can feel your energy boiling just under your skin,” he said finally, his voice gentle, soothing. “You seem upset as well. If you’ll trust me, just for a moment, I can help you.”
Ivy stepped back, wrapping her suspicion around her
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