“Excuse me?” I must have misheard.
He manages to cast a wry, pained smirk at me. “Don’t get me wrong, blood is literally life, and sometimes. . . it can smell so sweet, so enticing.” His gaze drops to my throat, and the skin under his scrutiny prickles with fear and anticipation. Kai shuts his eyes and turns away. “But I don’t enjoy the dependence. I don’t really want to need it.”
“I don’t understand.”
I really didn’t. I needed food, but I also wanted it.
“I don’t ever want to forget where it comes from. I don’t want to take that shit for granted.” His hands curl around the stone edge, the bones turning taut from tension. “My father views blood as power, and he abuses power. I don’t want to be like him.”
“So what?” I let out a little laugh of disbelief. “You intentionally starve yourself to keep from being like your dad.”
His jaw flexes.
Oh.Oh my fae lords.
“You realize that’s insane right? You need to eat. I need to eat. We all need to eat.”
His head leans forward, that unruly bit of hair hanging in his eyes doing that trick where he goes from handsome to devastating. Still, he doesn’t answer.
Coward I am, I change the subject, “What are you listening to?”
Kaison holds out an earbud. I pop it in, bringing our faces closer together so it can reach.
Whatever I was expecting it wasn’t this.
Sure, some club music, or maybe some pop hit sung by a hot chick, but no.
It’s a cover of the songMoon River. Peeking at the screen, I see in tiny digital words, Frank Ocean. The song is layered, complex, beautiful and. . . sad.
There’s a wistfulness in it that wraps around my heart and doesn’t let go. My gaze lifts and I meet his. That same wistfulness, an intense hope shines from his eyes. His poor bruised eyes. He’s holding back drinking blood, forcing himself to feel the pain.
Whatever Prince Charming the world thinks it knows, they are all wrong. I was wrong too. He’s not a killer. He’s a protector.Protecting others because no one can protect him. Because he knows what pain and suffering is.
I know the same truth, but instead of protecting others, I withdraw into myself. Disconnect from the world to keep from feeling any further.
I’m seeing the real Kaison right now. I recognize the same look he gave me when we were young. It holds such intensity, such undirected need as if he is desperate for a freedom he can’t even fathom.
As the song begins to fade out, I ask, “Play it again?” It’s a whisper. I’m desperate to keep this moment from ending.
He wordlessly hits the button to start it over again. My heart flutters, unsure of how to beat as Kaison stares at me with unrestrained, open longing. Not for my body, not for my blood, but forme.
Our faces move in as one until our lips connect. We’ve kissed before, but there is a new weight to the pressure as our lips find one another’s. It’s like meeting a new person, and the effect of the kiss makes my heart thump so hard my chest rattles. My skin turns into one giant hungry organ, desperate to have him everywhere.
His hands find my hips before sliding up to my rib cage, pulling me closer to him until our chests are pressed together.
My lashes flutter enough for me to see Kaison’s face is contorted as if in pain as he meets my mouth with passionate intent.
Kai pulls back suddenly, looking at me with surprise. “Your tongue ring. It doesn’t burn,” he says in amazement.
I lick my lips. “When we were at Inked by Tink, I had her take me to the back real quick so we could swap out all my silver for something a little more. . . fiancé friendly.”
My pride pinches a little at the confession. The silver always gave me a sense of comfort, a layer of protection. But I traded it in for the vampire in front of me.
Next thing I know, I’m lifted onto the edge of the castle wall and he’s attacking my mouth with a fervor and huskythank yous. I pull up my skirts, his hardness meeting my hot, needy center.
We gasp against each other’s mouths as our sensitive straining parts meet.
“Cinder,” he rasps against my mouth. Then he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a handful of marshmallows. He pushes a couple on his sharp canines.
