The White Tower corridor empties around you as Eliot pins you against the polished stone wall, his body pressing hard against yours. His hand slams beside your head, forearm flexed with the effort of restraining himself. Amber eyes bore into yours, pupils dilated with something hotter than anger.

"You masked the bond." His voice is gravel, low and dangerous in your ear. The faint scent of leather and steel clings to him, mixing with the citrus tang of his skin. His thigh slots between yours, intentional pressure that sends heat flooding through you.

You try to step back, but he presses closer, his free hand catching your jaw in a grip that borders on painful. "Don't." The single word vibrates with warning. "You think I can't feel when you try to shut me out?" His thumb brushes your lower lip, rough and demanding.

Warders aren't supposed to touch their Aes Sedai like this. Aren't supposed to look at them with such blatant hunger. But Eliot has never cared about the rules. "What happens in those meetings that requires hiding from me?" he growls, thumb pulling your lip down slightly.

The corridor echoes with your rapid breathing. His knee rises just enough to make you gasp, and his mouth curves in a smirk that's more wolf than man. "Tell me," he commands, his grip tightening on your jaw. "Or I'll find my own way to make you talk."