I look up at him as I begin to weave the gauze around his waist, leaning closer to reach behind him as I wrap it. “Maybe when you hold the power of a king’s army behind you… But when you’re alone in the world, sometimes there is no option,” I whisper, hating how I sound. I’m not weak, but I wasn’t strong enough to stay and face it when they’ve sealed a part of me away.
He reaches down, placing two fingers beneath my chin, forcing me to look at him. “I don’t need an army to win anything. Do you see my army with me right now? No, because I’ll conquer this kingdom without it.”
My heart thuds at the confidence he exudes.
“I could do with some of that confidence,” I whisper, looking into those molten gold eyes.
“And I could do with a taste of you,” Kai murmurs. My breath hitches, and then his lips are on mine, kissing me hard. My heart pounds as an explosion of pleasure dances through me, running through me like a current and resting in my core.
My heart slams into my ribs. The kiss is hard, demanding, searing straight through me. He doesn’t ask, he takes. My gasp is swallowed into his mouth as pleasure rips through me, sharp and consuming, like a current that makes every nerve spark alive with ecstasy.
I have kissed others before, but never like this. Never with such reckless hunger, such dangerous force. My arms wind around his neck, clutching on as though I might drown without him. His arm snakes around my waist, dragging me flush againsthis chest, so tightly I feel the hammer of his heartbeat against my own.
We shouldn’t be doing this. We are as different as the sea and sky, literally, two things that should never collide.
But I cannot resist him. He devours me, his tongue sliding into my mouth, claiming, conquering, his teeth grazing mine as he deepens the kiss. I try to match him, to fight for control, but he dominates me effortlessly, kissing me as though he means to own me entirely.
A moan slips free before I can stop it, and his other hand is on me instantly, gripping my ass with a force that makes me gasp into his mouth. He growls low in his throat, using the sound to part my lips wider, his tongue plunging deeper, ruthless and hungry.
He tastes of something rich, of heat, passion and something dark and intoxicating. And the longer he kisses me, the more I forget who I am supposed to be.
His one hand roams my back, the other holds my face.
This is wrong. We are born to be enemies, yet in this moment, it feels like the only thing I have ever wanted.
“Kai…” The name escapes as a whimper – a half-plea, half-surrender.
He freezes. His hand slides from my cheek to my throat, fingers closing firmly around it, tightening. I choke on my next breath, my pulse fluttering wildly against his grip as he breaks away, breathing hard. His eyes bore into mine, searching for something, fury and desire burning together. For a heartbeat, I think he might break me completely.
Then he shoves me back, releasing me so suddenly, I stumble. His face is hard again. All the hunger locked backbehind his usual cold control. He rises to his feet as though nothing just happened.
“We rest until dark. Then we move out.” His voice is flat and cruel, as if my lips had not just been on his.
My knees are still weak. I stay where I am, trembling, fingers brushing over my swollen lips. His taste clings to me, bittersweet, sinful, and unforgettable. I have never felt anything like it.
But slowly, the cold truth that I just kissed the enemy settles over me, and it was the best kiss of my life. Wrong in every way, yet unbearably, exquisitely right.
When he looks back, his eyes are unreadable. He says nothing before he turns and walks to the edge of the cliff.
But the ache he left behind is proof of one terrible truth: I want more than just a taste.
What am I doing?!
A few hours have passed,and we have been continuing on foot for a while as he studies a map, trying to figure out where we are. I couldn’t help because all around me, all I see is land.
If I could see even a little of the sea, I would be able to assist him.
Walking for this long is tiring, and my legs feel weak. The lack of water is also taking a toll, and the fear that my skin will soon take on its iridescent blue tinge is making the worry inside of me grow.
“We’re going to have to blend in better, and that meanshiding your hair.”
I nod, playing with the end of one of the strands of pink; it stands out against the black. I begin braiding it as I follow him, wanting to tell him to slow down, but my pride refuses to.
When we do reach a town, I hesitate. “Isn’t it better for me to lie low? You can go get us what we need,” I suggest.
Kai frowns. “No.”
No explanation, just a rude ‘no’. I almost bite my tongue, but I’m tired and irritable, so I speak my mind, “Why not? Do you want the same thing to happen again? Until I’m able to mask who I am, there’s going to be a risk that we’ll be attacked.”
