Page 30 of Tracking Shadows

I trust her judgment. If she says it’s safe, then it’s as safe as we’re going to get tonight.

The streets get narrower as we drive, the buildings older, more decrepit. We’re deep in the underbelly of the city now, far from the glitz and glamor of the ball, far from anywhere anyone would think to look for us. She pulls into a narrow alley, the tires crunching on gravel as she kills the engine.

“This way,” she says, climbing out of the car.

I follow, my senses still sharp. But the area is deserted, with nothing but the faint hum of the city in the distance and the occasional scuttle of rats in the alley.

We reach the door of a small building, and she unlocks it with a key she pulls from her pocket. The door creaks open, and we step inside. It’s dark, the air heavy with dust and disuse, but it’s a roof over our heads, and that’s all that matters right now.

She flips on a light, and I blink against the sudden brightness. The place is small, barely more than a single room with a bed shoved against one wall and a tiny kitchenette in the corner. It’s not much, but it’ll do.

I drop my bag on the floor, the exhaustion finally starting to creep in now that the adrenaline is fading. But then Irina turns to me, and her eyes go wide.

“Shit,” she mutters, “You’re bleeding.”

I glance down, and sure enough, the front of my shirt is soaked with blood. The wound from earlier has reopened. I hadn’t even noticed in the chaos of it all, but now that I see it, the pain comes rushing back, hot and throbbing.

Irina swears again, louder this time, and I don’t have the energy to argue. The room spins slightly as I sit down heavily on the edge of the bed, trying to catch my breath, trying to push the pain back into the corner of my mind where I can ignore it. But it’s there, pulsing with every beat of my heart, every ragged breath I take.

She’s already moving, grabbing a first aid kit from the cabinet, her hands quick and efficient as she kneels in front of me, tearing my shirt open to get a better look at the wound. I wince as she touches it, but I grit my teeth, forcing myself to stay still.

“This is bad, Alexei,” she says. “You should have told me earlier.”

I shrug, but the movement makes the pain flare up, and I suck in a breath through clenched teeth. “I didn’t notice,” I manage to say, my voice rough.

Irina’s hands are still pressed against my stomach, her touch firm and sure as she finishes patching me up. But whenshe looks up at me, there’s something dark and raw in her eyes that wasn’t there before.

I can feel it, too, a pull that’s as undeniable as it is dangerous. The room seems to shrink around us, the silence charged with an electricity that has nothing to do with the adrenaline still coursing through my veins. My heart pounds, not from the pain but from the way she’s looking at me. It's like she’s daring me to make the next move, like she’s been waiting for it all along.

I lean in, and her eyes flick to my lips, and that’s all the invitation I need. I close the distance, capturing her mouth with mine in a kiss that’s anything but gentle. It’s fierce and hungry, and it shatters the tension between us, replacing it with something even more intense.

Her hands leave the wound, trailing down, and when she palms me through my trousers, a low growl escapes my throat. The pain is still there, a dull throb beneath the heat of her touch, but it’s drowned out by the fire she’s igniting in me, by the way my body responds to her every movement.

I deepen the kiss, my hands tangling in her hair, pulling her closer as she presses her palm harder against me.

She breaks the kiss, her breath coming in ragged gasps, but her hand doesn’t leave its place. I can see the same fire in her eyes that’s burning in my chest, and it takes everything I have not to raise her up and lay her down on the bed right now.

“Alexei,” her breath catches like she’s trying to hold something back, but her eyes are telling a different story.

Her lips part just a fraction, and I can feel the heat between us, like I'm standing too close to the edge of something dangerous. The room feels too small, the air too thick, and all I can think is that if I don’t kiss her again, I might actually lose my mind.

Chapter 10 - Irina

The rush of adrenaline has my heart racing, but it's not just that. There's an intense, raw desire burning between us, and I can't ignore it any longer. I move my hands to his belt, undoing it with shaking fingers. His sharp intake of breath spurs me on, and I quickly unzip his trousers, my eyes never leaving his.

I reach inside, my hand closing around him, and I can't suppress a gasp as I pull him out. He springs free, thick and hard, and I can't help but stare. I'd seen it before, but not like this, not fully released from the confines of his pants. It's massive, and I can't believe it fit inside me.

I rub my thumb along the length, feeling the veins throbbing beneath my touch. Alexei growls, a deep, primal sound that sends a shiver down my spine.

"Don't play with me," he warns, his eyes dark and hooded.

I look up at him, a challenge in my eyes, and slowly lower my mouth to him. This is new territory for me, something I've only ever heard about but never actually done. But I want to please him, want to feel him lose control.

I take him in, my lips wrapping around the thick head, and I close my eyes, focusing on the taste and feel of him. I swirl my tongue, experimenting, and graze him with my teeth. He arches off the bed, his hips jerking as he lets out a strangled curse.

"Fuck," he groans, his hands tangling in my hair. "You're gonna—gonna make me—"

I hollow my cheeks and suck hard, wanting to give him pleasure, wanting to draw out the same intense reaction I'd felt earlier. But my inexperience shows, and my teeth scrape him again.