Elyse avoided looking at herself in the mirror as she undressed. She was too afraid of the nervous wreck she’d spy looking back at her. She busied herself with bathing, but even with her hands preoccupied, she couldn’t assuage her restlessness. Too many things fought for her attention. Tomorrow’s battle. Seeing Maelor. Her conversation with Sera.
As she brushed her hair, she thought she heard the door to the hallway open and shut. A few minutes later, she was certain she heard its creak again, along with footsteps.
Finally, once her skin had been scrubbed raw and every last tangle combed from her hair, Elyse dared to look at herself inthe mirror. It was the same face she was used to—deep gray eyes that nearly looked black, silvery hair draped around a porcelain complexion. Pursed lips that conveyed judgment. Chin held high with a false bravado.
Elyse exhaled a shaky laugh. This was the face of a woman who had survived everything that had been thrown at her—even when she had tried to abandon the world. She had faced Death—literally. She had nothing to fear.
Her gaze slid to the door, where Killian waited for her on the other side. It wasn’t her demise she feared. It washis. Manny’s and Sera’s. Zubir’s and his cousins’. Corin’s and Nina’s.
She was torn as she stood before the mirror. On one hand, the best thing she could do at this point was get some rest. On the other hand, going to bed meant rushing toward tomorrow. And tomorrow meant war.
With a strained inhale, Elyse straightened her back and padded back into the bedroom.
Killian was in the same spot where she’d left him, but now he held a chalice to his lips. He tilted its contents into his mouth and grimaced at the taste.
“Something to take the edge off?” Elyse asked, one eyebrow quirked. She didn’t think Killian was the type to drink the night before a battle, but she supposed one glass to subdue his anxiety wouldn’t hurt.
“Something like that,” he breathed as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
Elyse plucked the chalice from him and lifted it to her nose. He’d drained the whole thing, but the scent still lingered—something earthy she recognized faintly, but she couldn’t pin down what it was.
Killian took the chalice from her hands and set it down. She looked up and realized his eyes were locked on hers. A hunger shimmered there, one born of longing—not just for now, but for the future.
“I’d like to tell you something about myself now,” Killian offered. His voice was low, a murmur that seethed with control and desire.
“Is this an invitation for sex?” Elyse asked with a gentle laugh. They were still sharing personal details about themselves before making love. Elyse wondered if they would ever grow tired of it, or if they would finally learn everything there was to know about each other.
“If you’d like it to be,” he answered, gravely serious. “I’m going to tell you regardless.”
Sobered by his tone, Elyse could only nod and listen.
“I will fight for you tomorrow,” he said. “I will pour every ounce of hatred and anger and training into my magic to right the wrongs that you and too many others have faced. But I will also fight for me. Because I intend to spend many, many more years with you, Elyse, and in order to do that, we need to walk out of that battle alive—together.”
Elyse nodded as she stepped closer to Killian. Her fingers grazed the lapel of his tunic. “Me, too,” she told him, voice soft but confident. She slid her hand through his unbuttoned collar and let it rest above the scar that covered his chest. She could feel the rhythm of his heartbeat, a steady cadence that called toher. “This belongs to me, and I’ll be damned if anyone thinks they can steal it.”
She could feel the mottled texture of his scar, the evidence of all the pain he’d endured during his childhood, and the strength he’d acquired to overcome it. Killian touched his knuckles to the soft flesh beneath her chin and lifted her head so their eyes met. With intention and yearning, he lowered his mouth to hers.
His kiss was warm yet refreshing, grounding yet exhilarating. He slid his tongue against her lips in a sensual plea. She honored it by parting her lips and letting his tongue mingle with hers. As the kiss deepened, she felt like she was floating away. She slid her hands around Killian’s neck to keep herself tethered.
Her back arched as Killian leaned into her. He moved one foot toward the bed, then the other, Elyse’s movements mirroring his own until her backside hit the plump mattress. Killian’s hands were on her hips in an instant, lifting her and pushing her back against the soft comforter.
As he crawled on top of her, all her fears skittered away. There was no space in her head for anything but Killian’s flexing arms as he held himself over her, and the gentle nip of his teeth as he sucked on her lower lip. She was entranced completely, enraptured by his touch.
Killian’s hand migrated, his callused palms drawing friction across her cheek. He stroked his thumb along the line of her jaw, the column of her throat. His fingers hovered above her exposed collarbone, sending shivers down her back. Her body ached for more. All the while, his arousal was a growing declaration between her legs.
He tugged lightly at her tunic, and she obliged him by sitting up straight. With tauntingly slow movements, he lifted the fabric over her head. She hadn’t bothered to put on any sort of undershirt after washing, and her peaked nipples rejoiced at being freed.
Killian tossed her shirt to the floor as his gaze remained steady on her exposed skin. Something feral sparked in his eyes before he lowered his head and grazed his tongue against her breast. Elyse moaned as he wrapped his lips around her nipple and brought his hand up to caress her other breast.
“Let me worship you,” he rasped against her skin as he dragged his lips from one nipple to the other, his stubble lightly scraping against her cleavage. She let him do exactly that as he grazed his teeth against her other breast. His breath quickened along with hers, and she squirmed against the bed in hungry anticipation.
Still rolling his tongue against her skin, he gripped the waistband of her pants in both hands. His kisses streamed lower and lower, skittering across her stomach, drawing gentle laughs from Elyse. He pulled her legs free from her trousers as his lips dragged to her hips, then to the inside of her thigh. As he moved closer to her center, Elyse fisted the comforter, her hands shaking with excitement.
Killian dragged a finger lazily from her hip to her knee, then back up again. As if he had all the time in the world, he slowly made his way between her legs. He hissed in appreciation as he felt the wetness gathered there, and Elyse’s core heated with satisfaction at the sound.
His thumb moved in slow circles as his fingers teased her entrance. Elyse bit her lip and let her hips move of their own accord, inching ever so slightly closer to him. Killian took his time, playing, watching, taking pleasure in her body and her reactions. As he picked up speed, he finally pressed a single finger inside her.
It was enough to make Elyse writhe. A gasp tore from her lips, but no sooner had it escaped than Killian removed his finger. She barely had time to register it before he plunged it in again, this time burrowing deep.
