“Trust me when I say I would’ve preferred to feed from you.” Stepping down from the dais, he looped an arm around my waist and pulled me to his chest. “I’m not taking any chances when it comes to you.”
“I think you’ve forgotten what I am.”
“I will never forget,” he said as he cradled the back of my head, “whoyou are.”
My heart skipped and then sped up as his lips captured mine in a slow, languid kiss that ended all too soon.
With a groan, he lifted his mouth from mine. He trailed his fingers over my still-damp hair, his lashes lowering as he eyed the hair he held. “I see you made use of the tub.”
“I did.” I placed my hands on his chest. His shirt was damp. “Should I be concerned with your sweatiness since you were feeding from Emil?”
“When I went to speak with Murin, he was holding training,” he said, letting his fingers travel the length of the strand. “I decided to join them.” His lashes swept up as envy sparked. One side of his lips curled up. “Jealous again?”
“Yes.” My palms practically tingled with the need to feel a sword against them. “It feels like forever since I’ve trained.”
“We’ll make time,” he promised, his head lowering once more.
His mouth brushed over mine. I shuddered and felt his lips curve just before the pressure of the kiss increased. He lifted me onto the tips of my toes and tugged on my lower lip with a drag of his fang, eliciting a gasp from me. The kiss deepened, and his tongue slid over mine. This time when we parted, it was me who whimpered.
“Behave yourself,” he murmured.
“Me?” A throaty laugh left me.
“Yes. You.”
My fingers curled into the front of his shirt. “I do believe it wasyouwho kissedme.”
“Lies.” He nipped my lip, the evidence of his arousal pressing against my stomach, drawing a soft moan from me as I heard Kieran approach.
“Who’s misbehaving?” Kieran asked, entering the main chamber.
“Our Queen, per usual,” Casteel replied.
“What? I was just standing here,” I said, turning in his embrace.
“I was being responsible,” Casteel continued as Kieran handed him a glass of whiskey. “And she attempted to steal away my virtue.”
Kieran’s lips pressed into a flat line as his gaze flicked over him. “I wasn’t aware you had any of that left.”
“Exactly,” I said, glancing back at Casteel. He had the audacity to look offended while Kieran’s expression was one of bland indifference. “You’re really bad at pretending to be virtuous.”
Keeping his arm around my waist, he snorted and then took a drink. “By the way,” he said, looking at Kieran, “I would avoid the Hall of Gods if I were you. Reaver has turned it into his current resting spot.”
I frowned. “Does he not have a chamber?”
“Oh, he does. But right now, he’s decided to camp out there in his draken form,” Casteel added, his thumb swiping over the side of my waist. I pictured Reaver wrapped around the statues that Ian and I used to run among. “And is breathing fire at anyone who steps even one foot in the hall.”
My heart immediately took a dive. “He’s probably just upset—”
“He nearly set Rune on fire.”
I started tugging on the laces at the shirt’s neckline, thinking of the last time I had seen the large black-and-brown wolven. Dakkais had swarmed him, and I hadn’t been able to feel him through thenotam—I stopped those thoughts. What mattered was that he was alive now. Well, as long as he stayed away from Reaver.
“He’s really upset,” I said, leaning my head back against Casteel’s chest to look up at Kieran. “My touch didn’t work on Jadis,” I told him, unsure of what Casteel had told him about what’d happened in Ironspire. “I don’t know why, but…”
“I heard.” Kieran let out a heavy sigh. “That’s a shame.”
He sounded genuine, which was as surprising as his parting words to Reaver earlier. It made my chest ache even more. Ipushed down the knot that had formed in my throat and stepped forward, having no idea where I was going but needing to move.
