All the distance between us vanished. The Sidhe King’s mouth pressed to mine, arms circling me in an instant. I was immediately overwhelmed by him. My heart felt as though it exploded in my chest. My brain made little sense of anything as if his touch turned it to sludge. I pressed my hand to his chest, a halfhearted effort to push him away. And though I couldn’t think clearly, I felteverything.
Our breaths mingled moments before his tongue slipped into my mouth, colliding with mine. There was not a bit of hesitation when it came to the way he kissed me. None of the typical exploration of each other that would have been expected for a first kiss. Instead, he simply devoured me. As if starved. He took me as though I had always been his for the taking. And the way his hands gripped me, moving over my flesh with need, my body responded.
It was as if his soul somehow whispered to mine.
His touch burned through me with a strange certainty. Fingers traveling across my skin, over the contours of my body.
No. I needed to stop this. Some shred of my brain worked enough to know this, but it was as if some sort of spell was cast over me. I was not myself, at least not entirely.
His fingers slid up the back of my neck before spearing through my hair.
A moan slipped past my lips.
Suddenly, we moved two steps back, and he pressed me against a wall. His mouth was relentless as it consumed me. His leg forced its way between mine, causing my robe to part and the nightgown to ride up on my thigh. One of his hands drifted up over my breast before stopping at my neck.
Fear sliced through me, of what I was allowing to happen. And with it came a trickle of clarity.
His other hand released my hair and found my thigh, gripping it possessively. When his fingers started rising higher up my leg, a burst of energy moved through me and my hand found his wrist, stilling him.
Finally, he pulled back, our lips parting. Though he didn’t remove his body from mine, keeping me trapped between him and the wall.
I was nearly panting, trying to catch my breath while I viewed him, uncertain of how he would respond.Afraidof how he might respond.
Sadness tainted his eyes as they searched mine. “I will free you from the lies that have surrounded you from birth. I will show you how cold the world truly is. And know that when you need shelter, when you need truth, that I have been one of the few in your life to truly give it to you.” His hand found one of mine, and he brought it to his lips, kissing my palm. The actwas incredibly tender. For someone capable of so much cruelty, I was stunned by the moments when he was gentle.
He then stepped away, releasing me completely.
I remained there, leaning against the wall, unable to move or even speak.
He took another step back before finally breaking our stare, glancing at the tray of food. “You should eat something if you can stomach it.” He peered at me when I didn’t reply. “Goodnight Ariana.” He dipped his head before excusing himself from my room.
I couldn’t respond to anything he said. Instead, images of what we did replayed in my mind over and over. It was just a kiss, but why did it feel like something deeply disturbing? It was wrong in every way. And yet, it was as if my blood responded beyond my control.
I did not want him. Not him.
Thought of Erik slammed into me with such force that I choked.
Tears lined my eyes, and I slid down to the floor.
What in Spirit’s name was I doing?
22
ARIANA
“Ugh, do you have to do this? Why are you even here at this hour?” Gorm’s voice grumbled through the space as I placed a salve on his foot.
“I am meeting Clause at noon today instead of this morning,” I commented with a frown, choosing to ignore his first question. Unease settled over me like a fine blanket at the thought of the Sidhe King’s truths. The things he said would open my eyes to the lies of my life. And that was not the only thing that troubled me regarding him.
Gorm jerked, bringing my attention to his grumpy face. “Hold still,” I instructed.
“It tickles!” He mumbled a few words I could not make out before saying, “Seriously, I am fine.”
The angry inflamed wound on his foot said otherwise. “No, you are not, you injured yourself. Again. And it is infected.Again. I told you to check your feet before bed every night and to come to me if there are ever any issues.” I had no idea howanything tickled the man who could hardly feel a thing at all where his feet were concerned.
He grunted. “You think I am this young and limber fella, do you? Well, I’ll have you know I am an old man. And I cannot bend like I once could. It’s not easy for me to see my feet every night.”
“I’m going to secure a mirror to the floor by your bed, then.” I snapped.It was actually a decent idea.
