My breath hitched, and I could only manage a nod. Somewhere along the line, my heart had decided he was trustworthy. I thought of the honorable way he actually did something about the war crimes the Eagle Riders had committed against my people, and the way he was just as disturbed as I was about the Devourer. He was a commander of the aerial cavalry, but he didn’t seem to want to go along with the emperor’s plans.
We both got into bed, and he pulled me against his firm chest, careful not to touch my injuries. I leaned back against him, and he wrapped his arms around me, the smell of mountains and sky, leather and spice, enveloping me. His touch electrified me, and I knew sleep would not come easily now—for an entirely different reason.
After a moment, I glanced up at him, and his eyes darkenedwhen our gazes met. “Don’t look at me like that if you want to get any sleep,” he warned, his voice a deep caress.
“Maybe I need a distraction,” I said, and he sucked in a breath.
Gently, he reached out and cupped my cheek. My lips parted, and his gaze zeroed in on my mouth. After the slightest hesitation, he lowered his mouth to mine, the kiss achingly gentle. Warmth exploded through me, and I parted my lips more. He immediately deepened the kiss with a groan, plunging both hands into my hair. His tongue slid over mine, and it ignited something within me. Injured arms forgotten, I practically crawled into his lap, tugging him closer to me. He kept one hand in my hair, cupping the back of my head, while the other traced down my spine. His body was all hard lines against my soft curves, and the feel of him under my hands made me desperate for bare skin.
Distantly, my mind warned that this was a bad idea. That this could only lead to heartbreak—or worse. My life here was on a razor-thin wire to begin with, and if anyone discovered I kissed my bodyguard, much less that I was falling for him, Altair would gladly hand me over to the Devourer on a platter.
Am I falling for him?I asked myself, shocked that those words had even flitted through my mind.
But then he trailed kisses down my neck, his lips leaving a trail of burning desire in their wake, and I couldn’t form words, much less think. Our mouths met in a tangle of tongues and teeth. He kissed me just as desperately, his hands roaming over my body, as though he couldn’t get enough.
I let out a whimper of desire, and he suddenly pulled back, eyes searching mine.
“You must forgive me,” he said, looking pained. “I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you like that when you’re hurt.”
I touched his cheek. “I’m fine,” I reassured him. “You weren’t doing anything I didn’t want you to do.”
He searched my face. “Then I must honestly tell you I have dreamed of nothing else since the moment you came back to the palace with me.” Hope bloomed inside me at his words, fragile and heady, and I gave in to the thought of actually being with him. “It may be wrong of me to want the woman who is meant to marry my cousin, but skies help me, I can’t bring myself to care.”
The frantic buzzing in my mind—the warning that being with him here was the most dangerous thing I could do—instantly quieted. My body took over as I silenced whatever he was going to say next with my mouth. He responded just as intensely, his tongue stroking over mine. His wide hands spread over my back, pressing me closer to him. I melted against him. His fingers danced up my spine before skimming my ribs on either side. Warmth from his hands penetrated my thin nightgown, and my breasts ached for his touch. I groaned with pleasure when he cupped them in his hands, his thumbs grazing over my nipples through the sheer fabric.
I ran my hands up his arms, the muscles hard under my fingertips, all the way to his dark hair. It was so much softer than I imagined.
“Skies, you’re beautiful,” he murmured, his hooded gaze touching every part of me, leaving fire in its wake. He looked intoxicated with desire, and it made my body pulse with need.
He kissed me until all I could feel or taste was him. I lost track of time. His hands roved all over my body, but he was careful to avoid my arms. Beneath me was evidence of his arousal, yet he made no move to take it further. All I could think was,More.I wanted more of him. All of him.
When we came up for air again, I reached down and tried topull my nightgown over my head, but the movement caused my hands to brush my bandaged wounds. Stabbing pain instantly spread over my arms, and I winced.
Talon reached out and stilled my hand. “As much as I desperately want to see what’s under this maddening excuse for a nightgown, I wouldn’t dream of doing anything else tonight. Not after you were so badly attacked and injured.” His hand cupped my cheek as he gently ran a thumb across my lips. “I’m not totally chivalrous, though—I can’t resist kissing you. Even though I’m supposed to be guarding you.”
“You are guarding me,” I said, still a little breathless, “just while kissing me.”
He let out a soft laugh at that before shaking his head. “I’m not sure that’s what the emperor had in mind when he commanded me to be your guard.”
“Do you regret it?” I asked, tensing as I waited for his response.
His eyebrow arched. “Regret what? Guarding you? Or kissing you?”
I flushed. “Both.”
“Neither,” he said, his voice a deep rumble. “The only regret I have is that I never should have left you. I won’t make that mistake again.”
Imagining Talon standing guard in my room every night made warmth pool low in my abdomen. “How will I ever sleep?”
He let out a groan before gently picking me up and shifting me so that I was tucked next to him. “Lie next to me so I’m not as tempted. I can’t look at your beautiful lips and not want to taste you.”
I closed my eyes as his words washed over me, igniting my body with desire. By the way his heart was pounding beside me, he struggled, too. The thought was little comfort. I tried to focuson the steady rise and fall of his chest. We lay there beside each other in the quiet, flames from the fireplace and a few candles providing the only light.
I glanced at him once, only to find his eyes wide open. “Sleep,” he said, his voice a caress, as he pulled me closer. With a sigh, I laid my head down on his chest. “I’ll keep you safe.”
As exciting as it was to have him in my bed, it was also comforting. Warmth spread from his body to mine, making me feel safe. Protected. It chased away the thoughts and fears from my mind. Somehow, despite everything that had happened, exhaustion crept in.
Knowing he would protect me from the shadows in this place, I slept.
