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I hadn’t noticed Kya beside me until I felt the intense shock of her hands cupping my face, turning my head to look at her. The feel of her hands against my skin settled something in my soul. Those bright green eyes bore into mine and the world fell away.
The simple act of her skin against mine shifted everything inside of me. I wouldn’t look away from her. I couldn’t. At that moment, she was everything to me.
Nothing existed but her.
I hummed a low purr and my breathing slowed, taking in deep breaths. Her lips parted at the guttural sound, and the scent of her arousal wrapped around me.
Without breaking eye contact with Kya, I released Cade from my shadows. “Do not come near my mate again. And if you ever touch her, I will make you suffer a fate worse than death.” Not a warning, but a promise.
“Kya…” the male said cautiously.
I snarled at the sound of her name from his mouth.
Mine.
But my mate didn’t cower, didn’t turn in disgust at my selfish, uncontrollable domination. She smiled ever so slightly and leaned into me. My primal need to claim her and mark her as mine, to wrap her in my scent, to bind her soul to me, was damn near overwhelming in the presence of another male threatening that bond to be taken away from me.
“I belong toyouRyker. He will not take me from you.” Her voice was soft, comforting.
I understood what she was doing, but I wasn’t in my right mind. I was the unhinged beast I swore to never become. She was protecting me from killing him—the consequences of killing someone in Riyah was banishment for life. But her words struck me somewhere deep.
My hand reached around and grabbed a fist full of her hair on the back of her head and my other on her slender waist, pushing her roughly against the stone wall, my hand protecting her head. Her fingers tightened on my face. I could feel the slight scrape of her nails against my skin and I wanted to feel that all over my body as I filled her with pleasure.
One of her hands gripped my arm and I swore she pulled me in further as I pressed my body against hers, my already hardened length against her stomach, shielding her from the male. The bond sang between us. Our heavy breathing and racing hearts matched with each heave and beat.
I leaned in closer, curling over my mate, until our noses touched and I breathed her in, as if I had been drowning and she was my air. I groaned, holding myself back from ripping her clothes off and impaling her with my cock until she screamed my name. But I wouldn’t do that to her. Not here at least. Not yet.
“Tell him to leave before I claim you against this wall right in front of him.” I shifted away my wings then.
Her breath hitched and she tensed, the scent of her excitement surged and mixed with a tinge of fear. My eyes pleaded, begging for her to heed my request so I didn’t do something I would possibly regret. Her features softened in understanding.
Kya turned her head and looked at the male over my shoulder, and I growled, tightening my hold on her. She snapped her head back, meeting my longing gaze once again. I didn’t want her glancing at another male, let alone this one, not when our bond was this vulnerable.
“Leave Cade. I don’t want you.” As she articulated each word, my muscles began to relax. Her thumb stroked over my cheek tenderly, a precious smile spread over her mouth. She whispered quietly so that only I could hear, “Our bond is not endangered by this male.”
The shuffling of feet and grumbling of curses let me know that Cade was leaving. Once he was gone, my shoulders relaxed, but I didn’t relinquish my hold. We stayed like that, alone and in our own world, and I let myself get lost in her captivating eyes, her sweet scent, her soothing touch. My hand moved from the back of her head to the side of her face, mimicking hers on mine, as I brushed the pad of my thumb across her cheekbone, she leaned into my touch which only made me want to feel the rest of her body under my skin.
My body vibrated with energy, with the drive of the bond to claim her and truly make her mine. I was losing my control, my vision blurred and my grip tightened.
She said in a low breath, “I am yours.”
I released a sigh of relief, grateful that she remained patient, reassuring me over and over that she would remain—that she was mine.
I was a Lord, a Worthy of Xareus. And this female had more power over me than I ever wanted to admit.
Minutes or hours passed, I didn’t know. Kya grazed her fingertips through my hair, down my neck, across my shoulders, over and over and over, allowing me to ride out my loss of control and rein it back in. She became the calm to my storm.
I finally released her and stepped away, already missing the feel of her against me. I expected her to berate me, to run back to Morah and lock me out as punishment. But to my surprise, she took my hand in hers, interlocking our fingers, and led me back to the great library. I followed her, just as I knew I always would.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Kya
We walked back to Morah, hand in hand, as if it were something we regularly did. I adored every second of the seemingly mundane act. For a few minutes, I let myself pretend that this was normal, and we didn’t have the weight of an entire Nation on our backs and that this was how it could be if everything were right in the realm.
We had thought that touching skin to skin would drive us wild, which it did, but we were able to keep ourselves under control. It was almost as if touching kept the urges at bay—a closer connection. At least for now.
When I had first laced my fingers through his, Ryker had simply smiled and caressed his thumb over my hand, looking down at me like I was something precious to behold.
