Chapter One Hundred and Eleven
Alicia's POV
We made it back to the mansion before anyone else. The buck was heavy between us, suspended on a pole we'd fashioned from a sturdy branch. My shoulders ached from the weight. My boots were caked in mud. But we'd done it.
I set down my end of the pole near the entrance and wiped sweat from my forehead. The sun was still high. We had hours before the others would return.
"We actually made it in time," I said, frowning at the empty courtyard. "Even with all that quarreling."
I meant it as an observation. A neutral statement. But the moment the words left my mouth, Malachi was moving.
He closed the distance between us in two strides. His hand cupped my jaw. And then he was kissing me.
The world tilted. My back hit the stone wall of the mansion. His body pressed against mine. His mouth was demanding, urgent, like he'd been holding back for too long and couldn't anymore.
