Her thumb ran over the pale scar on his chin. “You’re perfect for me.”
A flood of emotions rushed through him, but love was strongest of all as he leaned down and once again claimed her mouth.
Her hand shifted from his jaw, her fingers threading through the soft locks of his hair. Their hearts beat together, echoing the intensity of their kiss. Slow and steady at first, a perfect exploration—then rushed and frantic as need and desperation grew.
Overwhelmed by sensation, nothing else existed. Just the feel of his hands on her body. The drag of his lips against hers. The rapid breaths that feathered across her skin. The heat of his body against her palms. The flex and shift of hard muscles beneath his skin. The rasp of his bristled jaw.
She was drowning in him, and she never wanted to surface. Surrounded by him, feeling the delicious pressure of his body against hers, reaffirmed everything they’d spoken. He was hers. And she was unequivocally his.
There was a slight tug on her hair as his hand fisted in her curls. It sent tingles scattering over her scalp and all across her body. A gasp escaped her when he pressed her against the stone wall.
Carver froze, his breathing unsteady as he drew back. “Did I hurt you?”
“No.” Any aches or pains had vanished the moment he’d begun kissing her.
Despite her answer, Carver didn’tresumekissing her. His eyes were alight, his desire as high and intense as her own. But she felt the moment he forced his need back. He eased his hand from her hair, his fingers brushing the edge of the bandage wrapped around her throat. “You should be resting. I know you’re hurting more than you told the physician.”
She caught his wrist. “Kissing helps.”
His lips quirked, flashing his dimple. “You’re making it extremely difficult to be noble.” He leaned in, pressing a soft kiss beneath the bruising on her cheek. “I can’t heal you,” he murmured. “At least let me take care of you.”
Saints, she had no defenses against this man. She sighed. “All right.”
He nudged her toward the bed, while he went to pick up the pillows.
Her cheeks warmed as he carried them over. “I’m sorry I threw a pillow at you.”
His eyes danced. “I’ve faced worse things than a pillow, sweetheart.” He settled them on the bed, then helped her sit.
She winced as the bruising on her abdomen flared painfully. Carver frowned, but she spoke before he could. “I’ll be fine. I’m just a little sore.”
His frown remained in place as he draped the blankets over her lap. He sat carefully on the edge of the bed, his leg slightly bent as he faced her. “I’m going to have to leave soon,” he told her, reluctance pulsing inside him.
“Oh. The emperor’s meeting.” She’d nearly forgotten Carver would need to give his report on what had happened in Market Square. She tensed, suddenly remembering what Rhone had said. “You saw Tam.”
Carver’s eyes darkened. “Yes.” He proceeded to tell her how he’d run into Rhone, and how they’d followed Tam until they’d been attacked. How they’d come to realize a rebel strike was imminent on Market Square.
Not quite ready to relive all of that, Amryn focused on Tam. “I can’t believe she’s in Zagrev. It’s the last place I would have expected her to come.”
“Maybe her rebel contact was here. Or maybe she’s just that arrogant. Either way, we’ll find her.”
Amryn nodded once. She wanted Tam caught. But there was a small, selfish part of her that was grateful she’d managed to slip away.
Carver eyed her. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
He wasn’t an empath, but he was certainly good at reading her. She sighed. “Tam knows my secret.”
She felt the stirring of his confusion—just as she felt the stab of his fear when he realized the full implication of her words. He paled. “She could tell everyone once she’s caught.” He eased back, shoving a hand through his hair. “Bloody Saints, I hadn’t considered that.”
“It’s all right.”
“It’s not. I should have thought about this.” His eyes widened. She could feel the twist in his gut. “I almost led Rhone right to her.”
Amryn laid a hand on his knee. “I have the bloodstone,” she reminded him. “Even if Tam told Rhone, the bloodstone would still shield me.” But even as she said the words, she wondered if that would be enough to save her from Tam’s accusation. It probably worked in her favor that Rhone hated Tam so much, but would it be enough to make him dismiss her claims entirely?
“I saved Rhone’s life.”
Carver’s unexpected words ripped Amryn from her thoughts. “What?”
