And he kisses me.
I sever myself from my body, opening my mouth but reaching for Anassa. I pour myself into my bond with her, letting Killian kiss me deeply and relying on Anassa’s waiting presence.
If I’d known, if she’d been able to warn me about the mask Killian wears, I’d never have consented to being with him. There’s rage there, too, that he took so much from me.
That I gave so willingly, let him see the gaps in my armor, when all along he wasthisperson.
This vile creature who would kiss a woman while she trembles with fear.
It doesn’t matter now. Or, it does, but I can’t confront my personal wounds. This moment is about more than just me.
And it’s working, I realize. Killian’s fingers pull at the tight laces on the back of my dress, slowly loosening them as he kisses me.
I run my fingers through his hair and focus on Anassa’s murderous satisfaction. Killian is crawling into her jaws, and she’s anxious to taste his blood.
“It’s okay,” he breathes huskily against my mouth. “I’ll take care of you, Meryn. I always will.”
I shiver. It sounded like a threat, somehow, though there’s nothing in the shine of his eyes that hints at anything sinister. He closes his arms around me and pulls me close, but I shift my legs and stand.
“I’m… not okay,” I say, chest rising and falling rapidly.
He lets me take his hand and pull him to his feet. When he stands, he cups my cheek and uses his other hand to loosen another lace on my bodice.
“But… when I’m with you, I feel better,” I lie, looking up into his eyes. I lean into his chest, gripping his lapels like I’ll fall without it. “Make me feel better.”
Killian’s next breath is hungry. He leans in and molds his mouth to mine, closing his hands around my hips. I stepbackward, pulling him with me towards the bed. His eyes flash with lust.
There’s something almost victorious in his smile, and I quickly look away from it as I turn to guide him by the wrist.
Once I’m beside the mattress, I take hold of his shoulders and push gently. He sits back and lets me slip into his lap, fine silk gliding with a whisper over his legs. He sighs and reaches down, closing his hands around my delicately adorned thighs and squeezing.
When Killian arches his neck, I kiss him again.
It’s like swallowing poison.
None of the pleasure I once found in this reaches me through the pain and anger. When he slips his hand under my dress and slides his touch up my thigh, I lean my weight into him. He grunts and lets me push him back against the mattress.
I lean over him, kissing him, biting lightly at his jaw. He pulls me closer and kisses my neck. I force myself to grind over him a few times, moving my hips until he starts to harden beneath me.
Then I slowly reach up to guide his hands lower on my thighs. He thinks I’m asking him to touch my ass and reaches out.
The moment he does, I push his arms down and pin them beneath my legs with my full weight. I rip my mouth from his and sit up, ice crystallizing in my veins.
No more.
His eyes widen, but he’s too slow. I’ve trained for this.
When he attempts to break free from the compromised position I have him in, yanking his arm, I slam my fist into his throat. He chokes as his face turns red. I use the opportunity to hook my leg around his dominant arm and reach down.
And I slide theDiren Blædfrom his hip.
Then, before he can blink, I press the blade against his throat, relishing the flustered noise of surprise he makes.
Killian’s eyes are moving over the position I have him in. My bare thighs are clamped around his arms, my blade at his throat. But he only seems…amused.
“Kinky,” he says, cold eyes rising to meet mine. “You trying to behead a second king with that sword? Two in a day probably sets a record.”
I put pressure on the sword at his throat. He doesn’t even flinch as it bites his skin. My eyes dart briefly to the thin trail of blood sliding down the side of his neck, then return to his icy gaze.
