“Has your mother said anything to Ezrich?” I asked, concern squeezing my chest for the kind woman. What would it be like? To find out the daughter you thought had died had actually lived a full, if not short life, had fallen in love and raised two beautiful children… One of whom now rested and recovered in your home.
Kellan shook his head as he ran his thumbs down the center of the bottom of my foot. I stifled a groan as my eyes fluttered closed. My head fell back over the top of the velvety chair. I blinked my eyes open after a moment to find Kellan’s lips kicked up into his cocky side smirk, but his eyes remained soft as he rubbed my feet.
“I think she’s nervous,” he finally said. “She’s lived a hard life. To see her grandson… To find a piece of Morwyn…” He shook his head.
“Will you say something to him before we leave?” I asked, sighing as his thumbs slipped over the top of my foot before sliding up my shin and around my calf.
Kellan’s throat bobbed, and his gaze dipped to the skirts of the light blue, summer dress I’d donned in place of my leathers.
“Yes,” he confirmed. “But I’d like to wait until my mother does.”
I nodded, scanning his face as his brow creased in worry.
“We’ll see Evony again,” I assured him. “We’ll get back, and you can tell her.” His head bobbed, and I traced the lines of ink snaking up his exposed neck.
His hair had been tied back into a bun, the heat of summer forcing it off his back.
“You’re worried about returning to Lotrennia,” he murmured after a few minutes of silence.
My stomach twisted, and his pressure increased against my calf muscle.
“Can’t say I’m looking forward to seeing Queen Antares again,” I murmured, averting my gaze and failing to stop memories from the prior summer from surging forward.
“And Bayne,” Kellan continued for me, moving to my other foot.
I focused on the bookshelf in the corner and nodded. My chest tightened as an unspoken question lingered on my tongue.
“I’m coming with you,” Kellan continued, drawing my gaze back, his face calm.
My throat bobbed, yet an unwavering wave of relief washed over me.
“You don’t have to,” I half-heartedly argued. “What about the Marisarma fleet? TheHydra? Who will direct the work at the forge while you’re gone?”
Kellan’s lips quirked up into a smirk, the scar on his lip lightening as a wave of his scent drifted toward me.
“I’ll figure it out.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, unsure why I didn’t feel more guilty about pulling him from his duties.
“Overprotective asshole, remember?” He raised a dark brow and his tongue slipped over his lower lip. I tracked the movement, and I pressed my teeth into mine. His hand slid under my calf, and his thumb and forefinger made smooth, circular movements as they reached the space behind my knee.
Heat shot up my leg to my core as his gaze darkened, and he paused. My heart began a quick gallop as I traced the tanned skin peeking through his unbuttoned shirt.
Kellan leaned forward and his hands slipped to my knees, slowly reaching up my thin skirts. My legs opened for him as his hands gripped my thighs, his thumb and fingers squeezing gently as he slid further to my center.
My mouth parted as he dropped from his chair to his knees. His hungry gaze slipped from my eyes to my lips. My breath escaped in a slow and controlled exhale as his hands made their way to my hips, and he moved between my legs. His head tipped to the side as he examined me.
I took his face in my hands as I stared at the beauty in the darkness of his eyes, running my thumb over the scar on his lip. He twisted his head, kissing the eight-pointed star on my palm while keeping his eyes on mine. I slid my hands to the back of his neck.
I gave a gentle tug, and he leaned forward with heavy lids. The bridge of his nose brushed against mine, but he paused.
“My heart sings in your presence, Bonscaíh,” he said, his voice thick, the air from his lips kissing mine in little puffs. His forehead grazed my own as he took a deep inhale.
“And I could live off your scent,” he purred.
My skirts slipped to my hips as he lifted his forearms, and he pressed his thumbs into the sensitive muscle at the top of each thigh. My hands slid from his neck over the smooth slip of skin until they hit the pebbled brand at the center of his chest, and I unbuttoned the rest of his shirt.
“And what is my scent?” I breathed, sliding his shirt over his muscled shoulders. His hands released my thighs long enough to shrug out of his shirt, and he slid them back under my skirts, this time wrapping them around my ass.
