Ashes of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #2) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,94
my hips in danger of sliding off them.
When I finally gained my footing, I rushed toward the next cliff edge, leaping over it onto black slate rocks. My bare feet protested against the rock’s surface, and yet I kept moving.
I progressed down a few tiers, pausing once I’d placed enough distance between myself and the beast hunting me. I could hear the shouts of his men above us as Knox silently stalked me, his eyes smiling with victory, even though he hadn’t caught me yet.
I bent at the waist, placing my hands on my knees, staring up at him. Knox smiled wolfishly while closing the distance between us without showing a single ounce of the exhaustion I felt coursing through me.
My muscles burned, rebelling against more movement. He paused and slowly knelt, studying me while he allowed me to catch my breath. He stood, letting his stare drop to my exposed belly.
“You could just give up,” I offered as his eyes moved back to hold mine with challenge burning in them.
“You could be a good girl and get on your knees for me.”
“I prefer being bad,” I smirked, and his eyes lowered to my mouth. I licked my lips, noting the smoldering heat that filled his. “See something you like?” I taunted.
“I was thinking of how I intend to fuck that bratty mouth of yours. I bet you’d stop arguing if it was busy, wouldn’t you?”
“My mouth isn’t planning to do anything to your dick, Knox,” I snorted, standing to glare at him with a fire burning in my eyes. I hated that my body reacted to his words, uncaring that he was a murderous prick who wanted me on my knees in eternal servitude.
“That’s a waste of your pretty lips and very talented tongue, woman. I personally enjoy what that mouth does immensely.”
“That’s too bad, isn’t it?” I whispered, fighting the heat that pulsed in my belly, clenching with need.
I turned from him, jumping over a few more of the flat-surfaced rocks. I noted the noise they made as they creaked and groaned beneath my slight weight. Pausing, I turned to tease him, only to find him one stone away from me. My heart hammered in my ears as adrenaline and need clashed together.
I hadn’t even heard Knox moving, and yet he’d closed the distance between us. He looked at me, calculating. He enjoyed hunting me down. His muscles clenched while he watched me, enjoying the look of worry burning in my eyes.
I didn’t jump, not wanting to move blindly as he examined me, lowering his gaze to peer over the edge to gauge the distance of the fall. Slowly, his eyes slid back to me before I stepped toward the edge, dropping down to the next tier, using his distraction to my advantage.
“You’re going to be on your knees for me the moment I catch you,” he promised as he once again closed the space between us. “You could end this now, and I’ll go easy on you. Make me chase you much longer, and I’ll make you wish you’d ended it much sooner.”
“Are you going to hurt me, Knox?” I asked huskily, watching the cocky smirk playing on his full mouth.
“Only a little, but then you do enjoy being hurt, don’t you?” he countered, causing my nipples to harden from the deep, rich sound of his voice sliding through me.
“Not happening, asshole.”
I shook my head, watching how his body tensed while he prepared to close the distance between us. I stepped back, intending to move until a sickening crack sounded from beneath me.
My heart stopped, and the smile dropped from my lips, sending what blood was inside my veins coursing through my ears in a deafening roar as the rock broke.
A scream ripped past my lips as I began to fall. Knox dove forward without thought of himself, grabbing my hand. I cried out, dangling thousands of feet from the ground.
Staring down at the earth below me, I watched the rock slam against others, causing an avalanche of deadly rocks to rush down the cliff, crashing onto the ground, sending a dust cloud into the air. My body trembled, and tears slipped from my eyes while panic rushed through me blindingly.
“Look at me, Aria. Don’t look down,” Knox demanded, grabbing my wrist with his other hand. I dangled from the precarious height, unable to step onto anything since I was out further than the rocks beneath me.
“Knox,” I whispered through trembling lips, forcing my stare to meet