Ascent: Book 3 of the Scorched Trilogy

by Lizzy Prince

  Chapter 16

  I found myself flung out of the fae dinner party—or wherever the hell it was that I’d met Mebh—and back on the wishing steps. The abrupt relocation had me overbalancing, and my feet slid on the wet stone, and I went down. Bashing my knees on the stairs and just barely managing to not smash my chin on them as well. Thank God, because I probably would have ended up knocking out some teeth. Somehow, in all of the flailing, I was able to hold onto the box that held the cup, er, cauldron.

  “Annie!”

  I heard Munro’s panicked voice shouting my name from the top of the steps and looked up in time to see him standing at the opening, his hands dug deep into his hair. His face was a study in worry, his mouth pinched, and eyes narrowed. He looked harried and mussed as he bounded down the steps, his shoes slipping over the stone in his haste. He grabbed hold of the railing just barely avoiding joining me on my knees.

  “I’m okay. I just slipped,” I called out, trying to calm him.

  “Jesus, Annie,” Munro sputtered out, sounding as frazzled as he looked as he stopped in front of me.

  He held on to my hand as he helped me navigate the steps, but we couldn’t walk side-by-side because the stairway was too narrow. I wasn’t sure if it was much of a help though, because with one hand in his and my other wrapped around the box, I couldn’t hold onto the railing. But Munro was clutching my hand so tightly that I didn’t think he’d let go even if I begged him.

  We barely made it to the top of the steps before Munro whirled around and grabbed my shoulders, peering into my face and running his hands down my arms like he was looking for injuries.

  “Munro. I’m fine.” I started laughing when his hands hit my sides at a particularly ticklish spot. I smacked his hand away. “What are you doing?” I chuckled in exasperation. But my laughter died when I saw the dread in his eyes, the worry that pinged around inside those gray depths that told me how freaked out he was. That was when I realized how dark it was outside.

  “Annie, you’ve been gone for hours. Hours.” Munro’s accent was thick, the way it always seemed to get with heightened emotion, and I heard the fear in it.

  “One moment you were there, and then you were just gone. Disappeared. And I waited and waited.” He pulled me into a bone crushing hug, wrapping his arms around me so tightly I could barely breathe.

  With the box tucked under one arm, I could only hug him back with my one free arm, but I clutched at his coat and pressed into him.

  “I’m okay,” I repeated. “For me, it was only thirty minutes, maybe.” My words were muffled since my face was pushed so tightly against his chest.

  Munro didn’t respond, he just kept holding me like he didn’t know how to let me go. Even with the warmth of his body pressed closely to mine, the cold around us started to seep in, making the exposed skin on my hands and face hurt.

  “Let’s get out of here, okay?” I asked softly, feeling like I needed to tread lightly. He didn’t seem to have full control of his emotions.

  He pressed a kiss to the top of my head before he pulled back enough to take my hand. With the release of a ragged sigh, he pulled us in the direction we’d come from earlier in the day.

  “Is the park closed?”

  “Yes, hours ago.” Munro ground out and I cringed. Okay no more questions until someone settled down.

  I let him lead us through the park where we had to do a very interesting shimmy through a stone barrier before we made it back to the car. There was a fine mist in the air, drizzling down on us, and I was damp and soggy by the time I slid into my seat. There was a thin layer of ice on the windshield and when I thought about how windy and narrow the roads had been getting to Blarney, I may have gulped out loud.

  “Um, should we be driving? Are the roads slick?”

  “No. Yes,” was all Munro said as he started the car and cranked up the heat.

  “Are you mad at me? Or…” I let the question dangle, not sure who else he would be mad at, but I tried to leave him an out for being a jerk.

  Munro threw the car in neutral and yanked on the parking brake, holding onto it like it was the only thing tethering him to the planet. The pulse in his throat leapt with each heartbeat, and I could tell he was trying to control his anger. He closed his eyes and exhaled a loud, long breath.

  “I’m not mad at you, Annie. I was terrified.” He swung his head around to look at me, and there was distress pooling in his eyes. “I thought you’d been lost in some in between world. How could I possibly find you? I tried to walk the steps, but nothing happened.” He exhaled another ragged breath, and I raised my hand to touch his face.

  “I’m here now. I’m safe. I’m okay.”

  He leaned into my touch and closed his eyes as he placed a kiss on my palm. The heat from his lips seared into my hand and traveled down every nerve in my body. He let his head roll back against the seat but kept his eyes trained on me. “I don’t think we should travel far tonight. The roads are going to be slick, and I’m exhausted.”

  “Yes, alright,” I agreed.

  “We’ll find a room for the night and stay here.”

  I just nodded, letting him take a moment to get his emotions in check. He pulled out his phone and after a few minutes of searching found a place for us to get a room for the night. Thankfully it was a short drive because I was white knuckling the handle on the car door as we fishtailed around corners, and the freezing rain pinged at the windshield.

  I cursed at Munro when we hit another slick spot, and he grinned at me, like he was enjoying the careening ride. “God, stop driving like we are in a video game,” I hissed out.

  “You shush with your backseat driving,” he joked and while I was happy his pissy mood was evaporating with each curve of the road that brought us closer to death, I was not amused.

  “I’m in the front seat. For now. Until I’m thrown through the windshield.” I gasped out, squeezing my eyes shut. “Just poke me when we arrive.”

  I ignored the chuckle beside me and probably broke a world record for longest breath ever held. Because I was sure I didn’t breathe until the car slowed to a stop.

  “Get your head out of the gutter,” I choked out, and Munro just laughed harder.

  “You can open your eyes now.”

  “It’s a trap,” I mumbled.

  “No trap. We’re here.”

  I tried to make my face look reproachful, but Munro only laughed, telling me I wasn’t very successful. Getting out of the car, I quickly scanned our surroundings. The icy pellets of rain hit my face like little bee stings, forcing me to duck my head. We were parked on a red bricked driveway in front of a modern-looking house. I trailed Munro up to the front door, assuming he would knock. Instead, he held his phone in his hand and punched a code in the lock and opened the door, holding it for me so that I could hurry in and get out of the sleet.

  “Did you rent an entire house?” I said as I walked into the main living area and stopped. I thought we were getting a room somewhere. At a place where some grandmotherly type would make us breakfast in the morning.

  “There weren’t any rooms available, so I just got the house for the night. Once I paid, they sent the code for the front door,” Munro said as he pulled off his soggy coat, hanging it on the back of a chair.

  “Oh, nice. Well maybe this place has a dryer then, because our clothes are soaked.”

  I turned back to Munro and found him staring at me, eyes hooded, looking more predatory than I’d ever seen before. It was enough to stop me and keep my feet glued to the floor as our eyes locked for a long moment, neither of us blinking. The air had become thick and heavy with an unspoken need that pulsed between us. I looked away first, and it broke the spell. Munro took a step back and blinked rapidly as though coming to his senses.

  Clearing his throat, he said, “Let’s go find the dryer,” and turned away from me to stalk through the room until he found a closet that hid a stacked washer and dryer.

  Somehow, we managed to luck ou
t and find a matching set of fluffy white robes that the owners had left for guests to use during their stay. They must have anticipated we’d be stuck out in the rain while on the hunt for an ancient, magical, otherworld artifact. Good on them. I triumphantly handed one over to Munro before we took off to different spots of the house to peel off our soggy clothing.

  I left my bra and underwear on, not willing to go full-on commando while I spent the night with my sort of boyfriend for the first time. Not only that, but it was the first time I’d ever spent the night with a boy at all. A little shiver of nervous anticipation rolled over my skin.

  When I came out of the bedroom, Munro was tossing his clothes into the dryer, and I pressed my lips together to stop the nervous laugh that threatened to escape. There was something about seeing him in bare feet that felt super intimate. When I thought back on it, I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen Munro’s legs before. That thought did me in, and I giggled, causing Munro’s head to snap up, a perplexed look on his face.

  “What’s so funny?” The confused look slowly changed into one of amusement, and his lips tipped up in a little smirk as though he understood that my nerves were getting the better of me.

  My mouth was stretched into a huge smile as I clutched my wet clothes, some of the dampness soaking into my fluffy robe. “You look like a stay-at-home dad or something.” I laughed.

  Munro’s chin dropped to his chest as he looked down at his robe, frowning, not pouting, as he looked back at me. “Really? I was thinking I looked more like I’d had a sexy afternoon and now I was just lounging.”

  I tapped my chin as though I was giving it some serious consideration. “Maybe an unemployed gamer who couldn’t be bothered to change out of his PJs,” I offered with a shrug, biting the inside of my lip as I tried to keep a serious expression on my face.

  Munro narrowed his eyes and dropped the last of his clothing into the dryer. He stalked toward me slowly, his intense gray eyes glimmering with mischief and calculation. He moved like a predator, all grace and lithe movements that made my mouth go dry. I wasn’t smiling anymore. He took my clothing from my hands, nearly having to unclench my fingers, and walked backward to throw them in the dryer with his. His eyes never left me while he completed this little domestic task, and they didn’t look mischievous any longer. They straight up burned with need.

  When he was back in front of me, he brushed his finger over my brow, down the side of my face, over my lips, and down my neck. That one finger, that one little bit of contact, had my pulse racing and left me breathless. I nearly closed my eyes, but I wanted to see his face. He was so focused on following that finger, and the look of concentration on his face was like my own personal drug. I craved that look and knowing that he was desperate to touch me. Because I felt the same way.

  The finger dipped underneath the collar of my robe, tracing down the center of my chest until it reached my heart. His eyes moved back up to mine as he flattened his palm there, and I was sure he could feel the wild thumping beneath his hand. And the rapid rise and fall of my breath as my skin heated, everywhere.

  My hands lay limp and forgotten at my sides, but Munro reached out and grasped one, placing it over his own heart. Fire flashed in his eyes, but there was longing and pain there too. I curled my fingers against his chest, feeling like I needed something to hold onto as those gray depths stared into my soul. His thumb brushed over the back of my hand as he held it to his chest.

  “There used to be a hole here. A gaping space that always ached for something I couldn’t comprehend. Someone. It was as if there was a tether pulled taut across the length of an ocean. A distance so large I didn’t even know I was searching for you. But I knew from the first moment I saw you that you were meant to be mine. And I was meant to be yours.”

  Tears pooled in my eyes, and I fought the wobble that my chin was threatening to produce.

  “Those pieces of Áine and Connall’s souls may have brought us together, but their love is not what fills my heart. Theirs is an example inside of me, showing me what love can be. With you, I know the reality of it. It burns inside me like a world set on fire. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you, Annie. No place I wouldn’t go. I am tethered to you, and I will always follow wherever you may lead.”

  The hand not pressing against my frantically beating heart cupped my cheek. The warmth from his touch and the magical connection sparked so acutely that I had to close my eyes and lean my face into his palm, pressing a small kiss there. When I opened my eyes, Munro was gazing down at me, his face open and full of love. I brought my free hand to his waist, clutching at the bulky material of the robe like a lifeline. Munro’s head dropped, and he brushed a soft kiss on the edge of my jaw just beneath my ear before whispering, “I love you, Annie.”

  The noise I made was somewhere between a choppy exhale and a moan as I turned my face up to his, and our lips met. The surge of need and lust that shot through me nearly sent me to my knees, but Munro’s arms wrapped around me and held me up. There was no softness to these kisses, just raw, unleashed need.

  My hands fisted in Munro’s hair, and he groaned into my mouth as he angled my head to deepen the kiss. His hands roamed over my back and down over my butt, kneading and pulling me against his body, showing me just how much he was affected.

  I shoved my hands inside his robe, running them over the tight muscles of his chest and stomach and back up the warm skin of his sides marveling at how hard he was. And yet his skin was so warm. Munro’s hands followed suit, ripping apart the tie on my robe and finding the flesh beneath with a mumbled praise as if he were thankful for my very skin.

  His rough palms caressed the skin of my stomach, my hips, then brushed over my breasts forcing a gasp of pleasure from my heart. Munro’s lips gentled, and he began pressing soft, lingering kisses on my cheeks, eyelids, and that spot beneath my ear that made goosebumps break out over every inch of my skin. Munro brushed one more kiss in the crook of my neck as he stilled his hands, his forehead resting against my shoulder as we both breathed like we’d just sprinted a mile.

  Sensing a shift in Munro’s intentions, I cupped his cheeks and forced his head up to look at me.

  “Why did you stop?”

  He grabbed one of my hands and placed a kiss on the inside of my wrist. “I didn’t say all that to get in your pants.” His voice was hoarse and deep.

  My own response was so throaty and husky I barely recognized it. “I’m not wearing any pants.”

  “Annie,” Munro groaned with a pained laugh.

  “We didn’t have to stop, Munro.”

  He released a weary sigh and wrapped me up in a tight hug, his arms enfolding me, bringing me into the protection of his body. It felt so right to just exist there, and I never wanted to leave the strength surrounding me.

  “I don’t want all of this hanging over our heads when things go down.”

  I smiled against his chest. “Go down? Are we planning a heist? Getting back into the break-in business?”

  “Fair enough. How about, go to pound town?” he suggested, and I choked on a laugh.

  “Oh my God. Did you get body snatched by Theo?”

  I could feel Munro’s chest shaking beneath me, and I looked up and found him laughing. At himself.

  “Seriously. Laughing at your own jokes?”

  “Hey, just shows I don’t lack in confidence.”

  “I’m not sure what I did in a past life to deserve such idiots surrounding me.”

  Munro kissed the top of my head. “I’m pretty sure you saved the world from a witch who went off the deep end.”

  “Huh.” For a second, I’d forgotten about that. My comment had been a joke. “Well, maybe you are my reward then.”

  His eyes glowed with emotion as he looked down at me, brushing his thumb across my lip and shaking his head. “Whatever happened to get us here, I’m glad you’re in my life.”

  My heart swelled in my chest, filling up every inch with a luminous feeling that hopefulness tha
t everything might be okay in the end.

  We spent the night wrapped in each other’s arms. I thought I’d have a hard time falling asleep with so much going on, but I’d barely tucked into his side before my eyes had grown too heavy to hold open. The next thing I knew, bright light was streaming in through the window. My head was resting in the crook of Munro’s shoulder and my arm was thrown across his chest. I shifted my eyes up to look at him, only to find him awake, gray eyes lost in thought.

  “Good morning,” he whispered when his eyes met mine.

  “Happy Christmas Eve,” I said, shifting a bit so I was on my side instead of my stomach. My arm was asleep from laying on it at an odd angle.

  “How’s your arm? Have you lost all feeling?” I poked the shoulder under my cheek.

  “It’s okay, I have a spare,” he laughed softly and picked up a strand of my hair, rubbing it between his fingers.

  I couldn’t help the sigh that escaped me. “We should probably get moving. We need to get back to everyone.”

  I felt Munro’s murmured agreement as a rumble in his chest, but neither of us moved. The past few hours had been a calm bubble of warmth and safety. Munro and I finally had the chance to spend some time together without chasing down evil witches or looking for ancient artifacts. We were just us. It was a hard place to want to leave.

  Munro’s phone pinged with a message as if we needed another reminder that we couldn’t stay in bed all day. He reached over and plucked it off the bedside table, reading the message and tossing it back on the bed.

  “Ryan wants us to meet back at Roark’s. Everyone is on their way.”

  “Okay, back to reality.” I made to move off Munro and get out of bed, but he reached out like a ninja and tossed me back on the bed, making me squeal. He held himself over me with the barest hint of a smile on his lips.