Ashes of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #2) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,98

shook his head the moment he released my face, turning to speak to Brander. “Find us a way up that fucking cliff that doesn’t end with us dying.”

“There’s no way up, other than to climb. Not unless we go up the falls, but that only works if someone above knows we’re down here and tosses us a rope. No one knows we’re down here, not since we followed you, and you followed her. She, on the other hand, was the first idiot over the edge.” I would have snorted, but I hated that he had a valid point.

“I guess we’re going back up the way we came down,” Knox muttered, turning to stare at me before a devious smile played on his lips. “Do you have rope in one of the packs?”

“Of course,” Brander stated, eyeing Knox curiously.

“Get it out,” Knox stated. “You’re going to secure my little runaway to me. She’s going up with me. I don’t trust her not to try something stupid to escape me again.”

“You’re joking, right?” I asked sputtering, turning to stare up the cliff, noting that it wasn’t slate at all. It was obsidian, polished by the elements into a glassy finish. “What the hell is that?”

“It’s an unknown anomaly. Whether naturally made by the Nine Realms or man, no one knows.” He watched me as I shivered, fear pinching my face. I could feel power pulsing from it and wasn’t sure if they could feel it too. “Don’t worry; I won’t let you die. I have so many things planned for you. It would be such a waste to lose you so soon after catching you.”

“I can’t wait to see what that includes,” I grumbled, unable to look away from the obsidian covering the entire cliffside, mirroring a fortress.

We started forward, and I winced as a shard of glass cut into my foot. I bent, pulling it out, and I stood, crying out in surprise as Knox lifted me into his arms, staring pointedly at my bare feet.

“I lost my slippers in the water, saving your ass.” My lips tugged into a pout, hating that I felt precious in his arms as he smiled, placing his mouth close to my forehead while the men moved ahead of us.

“Don’t worry. You won’t need them when you’re on your knees at my feet, Aria.”

And there went the moment.

The man knew right where to aim to bring me down from ever thinking he could care about me. It was like he had some secret map to every part of me. The moment his fingers touched me, they moved as though he could sense every thought and knew my deepest, darkest desires.

I felt him to the very center of my being, like he snapped the cords of my restraints, unleashing something primal within me. When I’d relented to the desire and feelings toward him, he’d open his mouth and say something to fuck it all up.

“I’m not getting on my knees for you.”

“Everyone has a breaking point.” His lips curled into a smile as my frown deepened. “You don’t want me to break you because I know your weaknesses and your strengths. I know your fears and your desires. I know what drives you and what can destroy you.”

“Are you planning to destroy me, Knox?” I asked. His smile dropped, and he worried his lip with his teeth before the smile returned, and steel entered his eyes.

“You’re my enemy,” he admitted without looking at me, as if doing so would break the steel he erected around him once more. “And considering how easily you just submitted to my will, you’ll give us both what we crave soon enough.” He stopped at the edge of the cliff as Brander approached, and Knox set me on my feet. “Wrap your legs around my waist and don’t move. Tie Aria to me, Brander, and let’s get back to the army. I need to get her into a tent and mark her with my scent. Based on how she smells, I’m surprised the entirety of the Nine Realms isn’t hunting her sweet scent down like rabid beasts.”

“Isn’t that why you keep biting me? Oh, but someone did remove your ownership tag, didn’t they?” I asked, watching as he lowered his head, securing my bound hands over his neck as he gripped my hips roughly, helping me settle my legs around his waist. His smile turned wolfish, promising to draw blood. “I don’t care how I smell. You’re not touching me. Your