“There, are you still too warm?” he asked politely.
I took a shaky breath and quickly shook my head. I had never been casually touched by a man before. I was shaking. More from shock than anything else, but it wasn’t that.
He gave me a curious look. “You are shaking. Surely you are not cold now?”
I gave him a curious look, unsure of how to respond.
“Ah,” he said, his expression softening. “You are nervous. That is understandable. You should know—not all Initiates receive special training from the Aurkai. You are special.”
I looked at him, my heart still racing and my face hot.
“I have heard about your skill,” he said. “It is impressive that you can spar with an Aurkai, even if it is Caelan.”
He sneered as if having to say Caelan’s name was unfortunate.
“What kind of training will we be doing?” I asked, my voice unsteady.
Malakai smirked. “We are doing it, darling.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Doing what?”
“Your training,” he mouthed.
A rush of heat overcame me, and I dragged in deep breaths of air, trying to calm down.
I thought of his lips, the curve of his cheek, and the way he was looking at me. It was like an endless pool that I wanted to drown in. I leaned toward him, unable to resist being near him.
“You are still young,” he murmured. “Tell me, has a man ever touched you before?”
My eyelids lowered, and a haze descended over my mind. I shook my head.
He looked pleased and touched my cheek.
“Has a man ever kissed you?” he whispered. “Reallykissed you?”
I stared at him. There’d been moments, but never anything that felt like this.
“I can tell by your look that you have not been,” he murmured. “Such a shame that such a beautiful woman has not tasted pleasure.”
His hand grazed my cheek and slipped into my hair. I couldn’t breathe, and I didn’t want to.
“May I,” he whispered against my lips, “taste you?”
My entire body was trembling. He was near me now, his warmth so close. His hand slipped down my neck, tracing the buttons of my shirt and tugging at one of them until it loosened.His eyes trailed down my neck and to my chest. I took shallow breaths, but they didn’t help.
His thumb touched my bottom lip, and he returned his gaze to my mouth. There was something powerful brewing within me, and I was terrified to move for fear of unleashing it.
He leaned in closer. “If I cannot taste you, may I have you?”
Desire ripped through me, shredding my fear into pieces that fueled my need. I’d never felt like this before. There were times, flashes of want, but nothing like this. This was primal.
I leaned into him, tired of being caged by my demons. I wanted to feel things other than pain and anger.
And this felt good.
He lifted me into his lap and surveyed me. His question lingered as his lips grazed mine.
“Yes.”
