Page 141 of Ignite
I jerk my chin down, eager for him to take it off. My eyes flicker over to where Soren is lying, curious to see his reaction as Adrian walks over to me, careful to keep his distance but close enough to start undoing the magic suppressor.
Soren doesn’t so much as peek open an eye, still lightly snoring from the little ball he’s curled himself into.
Adrian stops in front of me, eyes tired and mouth thin. There’s no lingering tension between us—no sparks or feelings rising to the surface—but there’s still a connection there. The type of connection between two old friends who fell out of touch but found a way to reconnect.
He may not be the one for me, but maybe one day, he could be for someone else.
Within the silence of the room, the click of the collar unlatching is deafening. The cool metal loosens around my neck, and before Adrian can grab it, I rip it off and fling it onto the bed.
I inhale deeply, my lungs filling with the first full breath of air I’ve had since the moment the shackle locked into place.
“Better?” Adrian squeaks tentatively.
My gaze finds him, and I whisper, “Better.”
He gives me a curt nod and walks stiffly over to the tapestry covering the hidden doorway. Without a second glance, he pulls it aside and pushes into the passage.
His footsteps fade as he goes to get Graylen, and thememory of the last time Adrian and I were here together rises to the surface of my thoughts.
The frantic look in his eyes. His pale and sweaty skin. Pleas pouring from his lips as he justified the things he had done.
This time, he’s helping. He thought quickly enough on his feet to bring us to the rooms connected by a hidden passage so that Graylen and I could be together without Moros knowing.
He took my collar off when he didn’t have to.
My chest tightens. This isn’t the Adrian I left behind—isn’t even the farmer’s boy I fell for.
This Adrian is aking.
And we need his help.
The scent of coming rain washes over me, and I spin toward the passage just as Graylen sweeps into the room. Alone.
His hair is damp, his skin clean, and his eyes soft, as if he had just awoken.
“I must’ve fallen asleep after my bath,” he says quietly. “Adrian woke me up and told me to switch with him.”
For a singular heartbeat, we just stare at each other.
He’s going to either be furious or think I’m insane for what I’m about to do.
“Don’t hate me,”I push into his mind, repeating the words he once said to me.
His eyes flare and drop to my neck, realizing the collar is off. “He took it off,” he murmurs aloud. Then he squints, realizing what I said. His voice is a low, hesitant rumble as he says, “Why would I hate you, Lunaria?”
I hurry over to him, my decision already made. Graylen isn’t going to like this. Not one bit.
“Do you trust me?” I ask instead, my fingers already wrapped around his wrist, dragging him into the passageway.
He grunts and mutters, “You and I both know you’ve already gotten your mind set on whatever it is you’re about to do.”
I toss a smirk at him over my shoulder and lead us into Adrian’s chambers.
When we burst into the room, we find Adrian standing by the window, gazing out at the night sky.
He whirls toward us, his hand flying to cover his heart as he breathes, “What the hell, you two?”
Graylen glances at me and gives me a look that tells me he agrees with Adrian’s sentiment.
