My mouth tingled where he touched me, though tears burned in my eyes. My heart ached for him, and yet the stupid organ was so full of hope and love that it was all I could do not to throw my arms around his neck and bury my face in his chest.
Kaden was still Kaden.
It didn’t matter how hard he tried to keep his distance; I wouldn’t let his father drive a wedge between us. I would remain at my mate’s side, find a way to end his father, and free him from that horrible bond.
“I understand,” I murmured, my eyes fluttering closed as my hand came up to wrap around his. “I know you want to protect me. That you’re afraid of what your father might make you do.”
Opening my eyes, I leaned forward and pressed my hand to his bare chest so I could feel his thundering heart. “But you forgot one thing.”
A small crease appeared between Kaden’s brows as he stared down at me. I wasn’t sure he was breathing.
“You forgot you were mated to a huntress,” I said, leaning in close enough that my lips brushed the shell of his ear.
Kaden’s breath escaped him in a rush, and I grinned at the shudder of pleasure that shook his powerful body.
“And if you try to hurt me, I will not hesitate to bury my blade in your heart. I will turn you into smoke and mist, and then I will come for your father.” I drew back, looking up at him from under my lashes. “So, you can stop trying to protect me, Kaden. I am perfectly capable of protecting myself.”
For several long seconds the prince said nothing, and the air seemed to crackle with tension. His chest rose and fell with uneven breaths, his shoulders tense as if he were physically restraining himself.
I wasn’t sure who moved first, only that my arms came around his neck at the precise moment Kaden crushed his mouth against mine.
His lips were hot and demanding and full of need, and when he locked an arm around my waist, I lost myself in the rightness of it all. I groaned against him, and he took advantage of my parted lips by slipping his tongue into my mouth.
Gods, I had missed this — missedhim.
His free hand slid up to cup the side of my face, his hold gentle but firm.
Then his tongue began to move, stroking mine as he pressed his chest flush against me. The friction had my breasts peaking against the material of the shirt I wore, and I forgot all about my discarded dagger.
Kaden’s scent was all around me — charred cedar and leather and crisp mountain air. He pulled away to lave at my neck, and a surge of liquid heat erupted in my core.
Pushing me down onto the mattress, Kaden trailed kisses down to my collarbones, his soft lips a delicious contrast to the rough scrape of his stubble. I tore my fingers through his hair, guiding him down to where I wanted him.
His rough chuckle rumbled through me, and he smiled against my skin. “Impatient little huntress.”
I growled and wrapped my legs around him, savoring the heat of his body against my aching center. He groaned in response and slid a hand beneath my shirt as his other gripped my ass.
His hand left a scorching trail as it skimmed up my ribs to the underside of my breast. I arched into his touch, but his hand swiftly changed course, denying me what I craved.
Then he pulled my hips flush against him, and I gasped as I felt his hard length straining against his trousers.
A feral growl rumbled up my throat. “Kaden, I need —”
“I know what you need, little huntress,” he purred, skimming his nose down the side of my neck as he continued to make those infuriating circles over my ribs. “But we have company.”
Distantly, I remembered that Adriel and Sorsha were right downstairs. The safe house was incredibly small, and with their enhanced hearing . . .
“Just give me a moment,” Kaden murmured, shoving himself off the pallet and disappearing through the opening in the floor.
“What are you —” I began as the realization dawned on me.
He wouldn’t.
I was on my feet a heartbeat later, but I’d barely managed to haul myself down the ladder when I heard him bark, “Out!”
Grimacing, I couldn’t bring myself to look over the railing at Adriel and Sorsha seated at the small wooden table. My cheeks flamed as chairs scraped the floor, and Sorsha gave a knowing chuckle.
The front door slammed, and I turned to face Kaden — all traces of embarrassment evaporating at once.
