Page 77 of Forgotten Fate
I looked him in his eyes and held my gaze firm. “I told you this weeks ago and I’ll tell you again. I know you’re a good person. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done in your past.” He opened his mouth to speak, but I interrupted before he could. “And if you didn’t kill Vick and his dreadful crew, who knows how many other women they would have kidnapped.”
Elias glanced down and turned away, shielding his expression from me. I reached up and placed my hand on his cheek, guiding his face back to look at me. “You’re good, Elias. I know it. Ifeelit.”
The painful look in his eyes nearly broke me. I pulled his face towards me until our lips met. Elias reached up and rested a hand at the back of my head, weaving his fingers through my hair. I parted my lips, and our tongues moved together until I could taste every bit of his sweet breath.
A steady heat began to rise between my legs, and the delicious energy from our joined lips amplified the feeling. I lifted up the bottom of his shirt and placed my hand gently against his stomach. I felt his muscles shudder beneath me, and he let out a small breath against my mouth, heightening my arousal even more. I forced myself to open my eyes and glanced down, finding the proof beneath his pants that he was just as aroused as me.
I had never laid with a man before, but my body was screaming at me to join with his. Instinct took over, and my hand moved south towards his belt.
Elias’s free hand quickly and gently grabbed mine before I couldgo any further. “Aura…” he said against my mouth, sounding out of breath. “I…we can’t.”
I pulled my lips away from him and looked up to meet his eyes, which seemed to be almost glowing. It must have been the reflection from the fire.
“Why can’t we?” I asked, just as out of breath as he was. I kissed him again, but this time he did not kiss back. I pulled away, worry building in my chest.
He pulled his hand out from behind my hair and cupped my face instead. “I want to. You have no idea how badly I want to.”
His words alone caused the heat between my thighs to pulse. “Then why can’t we?” I repeated the question, not wavering from his gaze.
“It’s not…it’s not the right time.” His thumb caressed my bottom lip, and my body trembled.
I let out a sharp breath in response to the pleasure. “We are alone, in a cave, on the side of a mountain. What better time is there?”
Elias laughed, but I didn’t think it was funny. I ached for him more in that moment than I ever had.
“I’m sorry, Aura. I need you to trust me. I need more time.”
I bit my lower lip. “You do want me…right?” I couldn’t hide the sadness in my tone.
Elias let out a breath. “More than anything,” he said sternly.
“Then why…” I stopped myself when I saw the pleading look in his eyes to stop asking questions. This man would be the death of me. “Okay,” I finally agreed. “If the time isn’t right for you, it isn’t right for me.”
“Thank you,” he said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
I smiled back. “Let’s get some rest, yeah?”
“Of course,” he replied. “We have another day of climbing ahead of us, maybe two. Then we’ll reach the top and begin our descent, which will take no more than a day and a half.”
“The way down is always easier than the way up,” I said with a smile.
“Not always,” Elias snickered, and I laughed at his not-so-subtle innuendo. “Get some rest, princess,” he said before planting a kiss on my forehead that sent a tremor of energy through me. Luckily, we could both fall asleep together that night since there was a near impossible chance that we would be found.
“You too, Elias.” And with that, we fell asleep in each other’s arms.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Morning came far too soon. My body still ached with exhaustion, and I wanted nothing more than to stay in Elias’s arms forever. But we had another day or two of climbing up the mountain, then another day or so of descent. Once we conquered Shadow Peak, we would be on the final stretch to Zolmara.
The mountainside had more wildlife than I imagined. Plants were woven between the cracks of the stones, and at one point, we even found an entire bush full of berries. Elias assured me we could eat them, but after Nadia’s mistake, I still checked the plant-life book I stole from the castle library. He was right, of course, and we devoured nearly every berry.
We still had food in our packs, but dried meats and fruits were hardly satisfying the ravaging hunger created by the physical exertion of the climb. Not too many animals lived that high in the mountains,but even if we found one, it would be too steep and dangerous to attempt to hunt. Elias promised me we’d find an elk or something large to eat when we finally reached the bottom of the other side.
Each night on the mountain, we would kiss passionately, but nothing more. At that point, it was obvious that Elias would need to make the first move to go further, whenever he was ready. I tried not to look too much into it. It wasn’t anything I was doing wrong, and I knew that. Sometimes I couldn’t help but think otherwise, but I kept those thoughts to myself, not wanting Elias to feel pressured or feel any sort of guilt.
But the way each kiss had me starving for more, the way he tensed whenever I moaned into his mouth as if trying to stop himself from taking me then and there…it was creating an ache in my core. A need. But I would wait for him. I would wait a lifetime, if it meant he would stay by my side.
The downhill hike was, as one could imagine, much easier. It was still heavy on my muscles, especially my legs, so we took our time. To no surprise, Elias showed no sign that he just climbed a mountain in three days. I, on the other hand, felt like I had three days of sweat caked on my skin, and my muscles trembled with each step.