All of the old Houses had dark pasts. It was inescapable, given the longevity of legacy.
And yet my mother had endeavored to bear at least five children—one for each territory—so that a new era of House Kaalium’s rule could begin. It had been centuries since siblings had overseeneveryterritory of our nation. SomeKyzaireshad even been distant relations to the House or trusted advisors in the past.
Yet my brothers were installed at each great territory—Laras, Erzos, Salaire, Kyne, and Vyaan—presenting a united Kaalium for the first time in a long time.
But House Kaalium as it was now had made sacrifices. My mother certainly had…forthisKaalium to be a reality.
And now we are on the precipice of war when we are only just beginning our plans for the Kaalium,I couldn’t help but think bitterly, pushing away from the cooling touch of the window glass.
And I might very well be tempted by a keeper, just like Tynaar,I thought next as a low growl rumbled up my throat.
Blood was blood, after all. And historyalwaysrepeated itself. That was a lesson my father had instilled in us, ever since we’d been young.
But Erina being a keeper didn’t change the fact that she was my blood mate.
Nor was I married, like my uncle had been.
And yet memory ran deep in the Kaalium, like roots of an ancient tree. If I went down this road, it would be a jagged mark against me. A smirk when I entered a room of nobles.Whispering that I would catch in darkened corners at parties. The look of wariness in my brother Thaine’s eyes.I hope you know what you’re doing,he would tell me.
A knock came at the door. Soft, though not hesitant.
“Enter,” I called out.
I’d already made up my mind, weighing the consequences carefully. I knew this as I watched the door open and Erina step within the darkened confines of my study. There was no other choice, and I couldn’t deny that curiosity ran deep. I would always wonder?—
Her scent hit me.Hard.
A muffled groan rose before I could stop it, and I disguised it by clearing my throat. Never before had I thought that I would besensitiveto another’s scent, much less that of my blood mate. Azur hadn’t been. Kythel had been slightly more susceptible. But me? This was madness.
She wasn’t wearing that awful perfume, the one her lover had gifted her. I felt a twist in my gut at the thought but then reasoned it didn’t matter if she had a lover or not. I would not share. Ever.
Without the perfume, she smelled like…mine. I felt the possessiveness rise, my chest straightening, my heartbeat beginning to throb.
I’d never scented anything quite so lovely, so attractive to me. Her natural scent was light and fresh. Like the first rain after harvest season. That first rain bloomed the earth.
I heard her swallow even though she didn’t move away from the door. “You requested me,Kyzaire?” she asked.
Breathing her in too deeply was perhaps not the most intelligent thing to do. I’d need my wits about me to navigate these next few moments, to make her my offer I’d been thinking long over since this afternoon. Her scent would only muddle my mind, slacken my tongue.
But that wary realization was in direct contrast to the words that slipped from my lips, “Come closer.”
She moved toward my desk, which I’d kept purposefully between us—though it seemed like a laughably moot effort now.
Erina stopped about halfway into the study, nearest the burning fire in the hearth, sparkling and crackling lowly. She was nervous, I saw. But there was also something lying in wait beneath the nerves. I’d seen it enough in my lifetime to recognize it readily.
She desires me,I thought, relieved at the realization. Perhaps because I could be a selfish bastard and if she desired me already, this would make it all the easier to convince her.
Erina’s pupils were dilated and a warm pink glow was flushed over the tops of her cheekbones, before the tantalizing color snaked down and bloomed across her neck. Her dark red hair was damp from a recent bath and piled into a messy bun at her crown. She was wearing a pretty blue nightdress, as if my summons had woken her, thin enough that I could see her hardened nipples puckering the material.
The picture she made was alluring and sensual. So much so that I was momentarily frozen, studying her. I envisioned placing my mouth over one nipple, teasing her through the dress. I wondered what kind of sounds she’d make in her pleasure, if she was a quiet or a passionate lover.
It’s the bond,I reasoned, shaking my head to try to clear it.It’s already coursing through me.
But with her scent in my nostrils, I realized she’d already given me a gift, and it hardened my resolve all the more. I was calm, like her mere presence was a balm on the restless and maddening energy that had plagued me for years. Tension released from my shoulders and my wings lowered. Was this how I’d felt before? Normal? It was sublime.
All this time and she’d been right under my nose,I thought.
Slowly, I walked around the desk toward her.
