III

III
         The next day, I was back on the spot with Mariamme. She promised to stick with me halfway through the day, but I doubted she was going to fulfill that promise. Halfway through the lessons, she made me promise not to slack off in training and not to be distracted, but I couldn’t promise that now, could I? With Trey occasionally returning to set my skin ablaze without as much as a touch. 

When she left, promising to return in the evening, I tried my best to remain still in the cold, trying my best to force myself to focus on every sound except the one I anticipated to hear the most. Trey’s footsteps. His presence. His scent. 

An hour passed. 

And then two. 

And then it lengthened longer than I expected, and soon my legs began to cramp up on the flattened boulder where I sat cross-legged. I fiddled with my fingers, very bored, stomach growling, hunger already setting in when I finally picked up his scent. He was standing right in front of me, I could have sworn I hadn’t heard him at all. Not even a footstep but he was already standing so close.

He crouched down as he had done the previous day. “I see someone has lost concentration?” 

I stiffened at his proximity, heart pounding, breath hitching slightly. How did he always manage to sneak up on me like that? One minute I was alone, battling the cold and my own thoughts, and the next, Trey was right in front of me, his presence wrapping around me like a second skin.

I frowned, trying to mask the way my pulse quickened. “I wasn’t distracted,” I muttered, my voice tight, but it came out more like a defensive whisper. "I was just... thinking."

“Thinking, huh?” His voice was teasing, the same cocky lilt I was starting to dread. His fingers brushed against my cheek, light as a feather but somehow sending sparks through my entire body. The sudden warmth of his touch felt like it had ignited every nerve in me, making me shudder involuntarily.

“You know,” Trey continued, his voice dropping to a low murmur, “I’m starting to think you enjoy being touched like this when you’re all blindfolded and focused on your senses.”

I froze. His fingers continued their slow trail down my cheek, and I could feel the heat from his touch radiating through my skin, setting off a firestorm in my chest.

I swallowed, trying to get my words together. “I—what?” My voice came out unsteady, and I cursed internally. I wasn’t supposed to be reacting like this. I had a goal here, a purpose, and Trey was just... a distraction.

His lips quirked up into a grin, and I could hear the amusement in his voice. “Don’t play coy, Feyre. I saw that little shiver. I think you’re enjoying this more than you want to admit.”

I pressed my lips together, fighting the heat crawling up my neck. “Shut up, Trey. You’re the one who’s always making things complicated.”

Trey chuckled softly, his breath brushing against my ear as he leaned in closer. “Complicated?” He repeated the word like it was a challenge. “Is that what you think this is?” His hand cupped my chin, and his thumb brushed over my lower lip as he tilted my head slightly.

My breath caught in my throat, and I could barely form a coherent thought. All I could focus on was how his touch made me feel—like I was on the edge of something I wasn’t quite ready to fall into.

“Maybe you like me complicating things,” Trey murmured, his voice dangerously close to my ear now. He held me there for a moment, like he was waiting for me to respond, to give in.

But I wasn’t ready for that. Not yet.

I pulled back just slightly, trying to break free of the fog that had settled over me since the moment he’d crouched in front of me. “You're impossible,” I said through gritted teeth, trying to keep my composure.

Trey smirked, the corner of his lips curling up in that all-knowing way. “Impossible is just another word for ‘interesting,’ Feyre.” He leaned in close enough that I could feel his breath on my neck. “And you, human, are anything but boring.”

His words sent another shiver down my spine, and for a split second, I wondered if maybe he was right. Maybe I had been the one to make things complicated by letting myself get caught in his web. But even as I considered it, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something deeper between us, something I couldn’t quite explain.

Before I could respond, his lips pressed against mine in a moist kiss. I stiffened, my heart hammering against my chest, my stomach churning like I would pass out. It was a slow tortuous kiss at first. Just me in my blindfolds, my chin tilted, his lips pressed against mine, leaving moist kisses over my mouth and then down my chin. Buried his head in my neck and trailed with the kisses. A moan escaped me and I felt him smile against my skin as he sucked my neck very gently. My breath escaped me in rasp, and my heart continued its hammering against my chest. I didn’t know what petrified me more, that I was slowly losing myself to his touch or that I feared Mariamme would return very soon. 

My back arched, giving him more access to my skin. My core throbbed. And my breath escaped through me in harsh raggedness. “Trey,” I managed to say, hoarse, trembling. “Trey…”

“Speak…” He ordered, his voice muffled against my neck. His hands slipped into the jacket, and he found my left nipple hardened beneath the soft woolen shirt I had beneath it. No bra. “Speak.”

He squeezed, sucking more aggressively at my neck now. “Speak, Feyre!” 

I tried to bite back a moan. “We shouldn’t.”  

Trey stiffened at my words, his lips stilling against my neck. His breath was warm, ragged, and uneven as if he was barely holding himself together. Slowly, almost reluctantly, he pulled away, his lips dragging against my skin until they were gone entirely. I felt the absence immediately, my body cold and aching where he’d been moments before.

His hands moved to the blindfold, and in one swift, deliberate motion, he yanked it off. The sudden light made me blink rapidly, disoriented. His face was close, impossibly close, his hazel, smoldering eyes locking onto mine. I barely had time to process the intensity in his gaze before his lips crashed against mine again, harder this time, more demanding.

He kissed me like he was trying to claim me, like he wanted to erase any hesitation I had left. My lungs burned as he stole my breath, leaving me gasping against him. When he finally broke away, our foreheads pressed together, I was left panting, my chest heaving against his.

"Feyre," he murmured, his voice rough, almost desperate. His hand cupped my face, thumb brushing against my cheek as if he was trying to steady himself. But before I could respond, the sound of my stomach growling broke the tension like a splash of cold water.

Trey blinked, and then a slow, wicked grin spread across his face. He leaned back slightly, his hand sliding away from my face, but not before he pressed a soft kiss against my forehead. “Come on,” he said, his voice lighter now, almost teasing. “Let’s get you some food before you start chewing on that boulder.”

I shook my head, heat flooding my cheeks as I muttered, “I can wait. Mariamme will be back soon—”

“She’ll survive,” Trey interrupted, standing up and offering me his hand. I noticed, for the first time, that he was fully dressed today—plaid shirt, oversized jeans, and sandals that made him look more casual, less like the walking temptation he usually was. It didn’t help much. He still looked like trouble wrapped in a grin.

“Trey, no,” I protested, trying to keep my voice firm. “If she gets back and I’m not here—”

“She won’t notice,” he cut in, his grin widening as he pulled me to my feet despite my protests. “We’ll be back before she even realizes you’re gone. Trust me.”

I frowned, still hesitant, but the thought of food was far too tempting. My stomach growled again, louder this time, and Trey raised an eyebrow, smirking like he’d won some kind of victory. “See? Even your body agrees with me.”

I rolled my eyes but finally gave in with a sigh. “Fine,” I muttered, crossing my arms. “But if Mariamme finds out—”

“She won’t,” Trey assured me, slipping an arm around my waist and tugging me toward him briefly before releasing me. His hand lingered for just a moment longer than necessary, and the smirk on his lips told me he knew exactly what he was doing. “Now, let’s go before you change your mind.”