“I won’t wait another second.” His hand slams against the wall above me, gripping my chin with his other as he places his lips on mine.
My heart slams against my chest, allowing me to breathe once more now that I feel his touch. My body melts into the warmth of his.
His hand falls down to my head, gripping my tangled hair tightly to savor this moment between us. His tongue glides along mine before we both gasp for air, our hearts rapidly pulsing in sync. My toes lift, raising my chin up as he’s pressed against me. In a swift motion, he pulls away, dropping his eyes down my body as his fingers dig around my thighs tightly and toss me up. I curl my trembling legs around his body.
Without waiting—thank the Gods not a second longer—his lips meet my neck, and I feel the heat of his breath tickle my skin before he places me on the piano. The sounds of the keys blare in the room by our bodies slamming into it. My chin lifts, allowing my cheek to rest against the warmth of his head as his lips tenderly touch my body.
His eyes find mine, lips tugging into a gentle smile as he brushes his hands against my hair. I feel his hot breath on my face as he struggles to breathe. This thing, this feeling, it’s intoxicating.
My stomach twists, chest heaving as my lips long for his once more.
“We need to be leaving,” I breathe against his lips. “They are waiting for us.”
He kisses me before pulling a way for a heartbeat to exhale. “Let them wait a little more.”
His hands glide up my thighs, bracing them around his body as he grips my neck tightly, pulling me in to kiss me deeper. My hands glide down his chest, feeling the outlines of every muscle of his abs.
“I don’t want to hurt you. You are still wounded,” I whisper, his fingers tangling in my hair before gripping my strands tightly, pulling my head back to kiss down my neck.
His warm breath beats against my skin as he finds my ear, his lips brushing against it. His voice drops to a whisper. “The only pain I feel right now, is the ache of never wanting this moment to end.”
His fingers curl around my chin, pulling me towards him. Our lips embrace, and my fingers slide around the edges of his waist, yanking his body closer to me.
My heart beats against my chest as his hands fall to where my suit clasps together and slowly begin to unbutton the uniform.
I gasp, feeling the warmth of his skin against my neck and the sounds of his breathing in my ear.
Until, I can no longer breathe.
My heart races. My throat is burning.
I pull away, holding my throat as Koen's eyes widen.
It's as if an invisible hand has clenched my neck tightly, cutting off the air and blood flow with one grasp.
“What is wrong!” Koen frantically searches my body, trying everything he can to understand what is happening.
I don’t understand either.
All I know is my eyes are beginning to blur and everything feels as if it's slipping away. Darkness creeps at the edges of my eyes.
“There they are!” screams a woman.
In a swift motion, Koen glances over his shoulders abruptly to attack, but a guard jabs him in the face with his spear, completely knocking him out.
My eyes widen, still gasping for air as I watch his curls bounce by his body slamming into the ground.
A scraping sound of heels against cobblestone screeches in the air, and I see Lykia and Skie walking in. My fingers claw at my neck, eyes burning as I try to suck in any amount of air possible.
But I can’t. Not with her wielding the air around me.
Skie’s eyes are bloodshot red. Her ivory, silk gown is stained with dirt, the mud smearing along the ground behind her as she fiercely walks straight up to me.
The stones in my arms pulse and fade; I’m unable to reach my dragons.
She steps over Koen’s body, hovering over me as blackness starts to creep at the corner of my eyes.
“You killed her!” Her neck flushes a bright red, veins pulsing through her neck and temples as she points her finger towards me. “Take the shifter to the arena!”
