“Yay!” Sera squealed. “Oh, there’s still so much to do—I’ll see you two later!”
Before they could say anything else, she’d strode out of the room. Manny simply shrugged and followed after her, mumbling something about meeting them for training later.
Elyse rolled her eyes, but her smile was impossible to miss. Killian couldn’t help but mirror her joy he returned to his breakfast.
35
Elyse
Elyse lounged on a chaise in the study with a book strewn across her legs. Her neck ached from craning toward the book, and she massaged it with her thumb and forefinger.
“There you are,” a deep voice rumbled.
Elyse grinned at the sound. She looked up to see Killian leaning on the threshold, one arm raised above his head. He smirked at her, and his golden eyes twinkled, as if he enjoyed the sight of her reading. She certainly enjoyed the sight of him towering in the doorway, the edge of his shirt lifted just enough to show a sliver of umber abdomen.
A crease formed between his brows. “What are you reading?” he asked.
“One of the new books from the library.”
Killian dropped his arm and ambled into the room. “You’re nervous,” he noted as he settled onto the lounge beside her.
Elyse closed the book and leaned forward. She ran a hand along Killian’s bicep, letting the touch ground her. “I just want to be prepared for anything,” she said. “Maybe I’ll learn something that will help us.”
Killian laid his hand atop hers. “We have a solid plan. Trust in it.”
They did have a decent strategy for taking down Lazarus. They knew how to trap him and weaken his powers, and how to ultimately kill him. But there was still so much left to the unknown, so many innocent lives at stake. Every waking minute, her head swam with all the possible ways that Lazarus could weasel his way out of their trap and defeat them. Her stomach had been in knots for days, and it only worsened the closer they came to the games.
“We can’t lose,” she uttered.
“We won’t,” Killian retorted. He sounded confident—far more confident than Elyse felt. “I’d bet on you any day.”
Blood rushed to Elyse’s cheeks. “Even against a psychotic, all-powerful demon?” she pressed.
Killian smirked again. “Especially against a psychotic, all-powerful demon,” he stated. “You’re at your best under pressure.”
He lifted a finger toward her face, as if he might tap her nose. Elyse snapped her teeth at it playfully. Killian laughed and moved his hand to her chin, pulling Elyse in for a kiss.
“Save that violence for Lazarus,” he whispered against her lips.
The corners of Elyse’s lips turned upward. “So demanding,” she quipped, and closed the space between their mouths. She would never tire of kissing him, of feeling the way his tongue slidagainst hers in lazy, teasing movements. She dragged her fingers up his shoulder and wrapped them around the base of his neck.
A groan rumbled in Killian’s chest. “We have our fancy goodbye dinner in thirty minutes,” he lamented, “and that’s not nearly enough time for what I want to do to you.”
Elyse’s core melted into utter nothingness at the words. “Let’s skip it,” she whispered back.
Killian leaned forward and reached his arms around Elyse. She let out a yelp as he hoisted her off the lounge, her body slung over Killian’s shoulder. “Can’t,” he said, his voice gruff but teasing. “Sera said she would kill us if we’re late, and I promised my mum I wouldn’t die.”
He carried her into the hallway, even as she protested. “Put me down!” she demanded as she pinched his back, but her request was undermined by her shrieks of laughter.
Killian didn’t release her until they were back in their bedroom. He flopped her onto the bed, right next to a navy blue dress that had been laid neatly across the linens.
“What’s this?” Elyse asked, pointing at the dress.
“I believe that’s what most people call adress,” Killian answered.
When Elyse smacked him in the chest, he let out a laugh. With a shrug, he said, “Sera must have gotten it for you.” He nodded toward the other side of the bed to where a white shirt and black trousers had been set out. “And I assume that’s for me.”
Elyse stood and held out the dress to examine it. The fabric was buttery soft, the stitching impeccable. She lifted one brow as she looked to Killian, but he merely shrugged again and removed his shirt.
