He pulls back again, his hand gentle on my face, his silver gaze soft, his body hard. ‘Are you sure this is what you want?’
I’m not even sure what he’s asking me anymore. I gather up the remnants of my focus. ‘Yes. I need to do this. To see more. Of humans. See how they live. Live with them. Meet the rebels, if I can. Will you help me?’ Each sentence is punctuated by a short breath, my heart pounding at his closeness.
‘Yes, I’ll help you, Emelia Raven, if that’s what you want. Even though I think you’re mad—’ there’s laughter in his voice now ‘—and we’re bound to get caught, I’ll get you off the estate.’
‘H-how will you do it?’
‘Leave it to me. We have until tomorrow night, so there’s time enough.’ His hands are under my dress now, sliding up my thighs, tracing me through my underwear. ‘Do you really want to keep talking, though?’
I do not.
* * *
A while later, I surface, my breath coming hard. His jacket and shirt are off, as is my dress, but I don’t feel cold anymore. His hips are between my thighs, his hard length pressing into me, the sensation strange, my body responding on a deeper level. He kisses my throat, then lifts his head, stars bright behind him.
‘Do you want me to stop?’
At that moment all the planets in the galaxy could put on a light show set to music and I wouldn’t care less. What I really want is for Kyle to keep kissing me, for me to keep touching him, and for more, if not all, of our clothes to come off. It feels as though the ties that bind me to my life, that have held me in place for so long, are finally loosening. The realisation makes me blush, my skin getting hotter. I reach down between us, running my hand across him, fumbling with the button on his trousers. He takes a short breath. ‘Emelia?’
‘Kyle, I want to… er, I want you to…’
‘What is it?’ he says, so tender.
‘Have you ever…’
He sighs, his breath violet scented. ‘Of course I have. I’m older than I look. But—’ he kisses me ‘—I’ve never felt about any of them the way I feel about you.’
Tears come to my eyes and I blink. ‘It’s just, I’ve never…’
‘I know you haven’t,’ he says. ‘Are you sure…?’
‘Yes.’ Such a weighted word. A word that can open doors, bring new realities into being. Such a small word, yet one that’s about to change me forever. ‘Yes, I’m sure.’
He stares at me a moment longer. ‘If you want me to stop, just say, okay?’
I nod, trembling. His hands move once more. One on my back, unhooking my bra and removing it, while the other goes lower, between my legs, his fingers finding my sensitive core, sliding my underwear down. I gasp and sigh, my eyes closing as I pull at his clothes, moving them away. His mouth is on my throat as his hands work, the candle flickering in time with my breathing, my world all violet-scented sensation, flame and heat and unbearable sweetness all in one. He pulls back, his hand leaving me, and he licks his fingers, holding my gaze. He shifts again, and I feel something hard, nudging at my entrance. Kyle rolls his hips, carefully, and pushes in, just a little way.
There’s pain.
‘Oh!’ I tense, unable to help it. He stills.
‘Do you want me to stop?’
His fangs have dropped, his breath coming fast. I run my fingers down his back, his skin soft and cool, then lower, liking how he feels. ‘Don’t stop.’ I squeeze him, gently, relaxing once more, opening to him. He gasps, then his hips move again, and he fills me, gradually, an inch at a time. He strokes my hair, kissing me as he thrusts deeper, his pace slow and tender. It’s strange at first, but I soon find a rhythm to match his, both of us clinging to each other, our sighs drifting soft in the night air. He brings my wrist to his mouth, biting gently, a kiss of pain, a brief moment of suction. I whimper, then think for a second of the guards below before the thought is gone, overtaken by strange new sensations. He must have the same thought though, for he covers my mouth with his once more, his hand smoothing my hair as he moves faster, harder. Heat starts to build in me, coiling at my core, and I meet his hips with my own, wanting the friction, my breath coming faster. Then Kyle tenses, shuddering, before relaxing against me. There’s heat and cold between my legs, a tingling sensation of fullness. He pulls back, and it feels like loss.
I sigh, my heart still singing. He kisses me, slow, his breath coming back to normal.
‘I didn’t hurt you, did I?’ He kisses the inside of my wrist, his touch healing the tiny punctures there. ‘Fuck, you taste so fucking good.’ He licks my skin, another kiss.
I smile, everything feeling slow, as though I’m moving through honey. ‘No. I mean, just the first moment, then it was… fine.’
‘Fine?’ He raises an eyebrow and I try not to laugh. Seriously? Male pride is something not confined to humans, it seems.
A giggle escapes, I can’t help it. His expression becomes more wounded. ‘Well, it was my first time. What did you expect? Believe me,’ I say, pulling him closer, ‘I enjoyed it.’
‘Hmmm.’ He kisses me again. ‘Well, you’ll enjoy it even more next time.’
‘Oh, and when will that be?’
