I’d need to make rational decisions, not ones that came from rash emotion.
My hands curled into tight fists at the thought. I hated the idea of our people fighting a war against an empire we still knew so little about, but I wouldn’t give Kyella back either. I hadn’t had a plan for what I’d do if our ruler had refused to let her stay, but it wasn’t to return her back to Malakai.
I suppose if there was one positive to this situation, it was that we weren’t completely in the dark about the other empire—at least we wouldn’t be for long. Tristian was hopefully going to be a wealth of knowledge when it came to how their military functioned. I knew that our Empress would want to speak to Kyella about Malakai, mostly to gauge how much she knew about his thought process to determine his next move…but the idea of her having to relive those moments and what memories they could dig up, didn’t sit well with me.
Suddenly, the bedroom door swung open, interrupting my thoughts as I was met with a pair of lively gold eyes. A gaze that was lit with a challenging fire despite it being so damn early.Shit. There was something different about her, an energy surrounding her that was growing stronger—most likely because of feeding—and it was making every element of her come alive. A rumble caught in my throat as my body tensed and hardened for her.
“You could’ve come in. The door was unlocked,” she said nonchalantly, brushing a piece of her dark, long hair back from her shoulders. My gaze darted down to her neck, following the line to the top of her crimson dress, where her corset pushed her cleavage up enough that I nearly let out a growl. I had never been attracted to anyone as strongly as her, and I could easily imagine kissing along her neck and biting into the swell of her breast as I held her captive in my bed, hands tied above her head. Trapped. At my mercy.
Fucking hell.
“It was unlocked all night?” I demanded, her words finally registering. Rationally I knew that neither of my brothers would have risked that, but it seemed my rational mind went out the window with Kyella.
“No.” She shook her head, a smirk tugging her lips up. “I unlocked it this morning, just in case.”
Just in case?
“Come on!” she chimed, walking forward with a pep in her step.
I was definitely in for an interesting morning with her. I wouldn’t say I knew Kyella well—though I had the urge to study her until I did—but I could sense her shift in moods. I didn’t think it was in her nature to hold back her emotions and thoughts, despite being forced to do exactly that under Malakai’s rule.
Unlike yesterday where a storm of emotions clouded her gorgeous face, today her demeanor was filled with determination. I had no idea what was going on in that head of hers to cause it, but I was treading cautiously. I only trusted my control to a small extent when it came to this woman. When I’d scented her arousal last night at the table, I thought I was finally going to unravel.
“So why didn’t you knock?” she asked, slowing down so we were walking side by side. Our hands were close enough that they could’ve easily brushed against each other if I reached out and closed the small distance between us. “And how long have you been standing out there?”
“I didn’t want to interrupt you sleeping. I couldn’t tell you’d gotten up at first,” I said, hoping she’d buy it. That was only the beginning of the truth, but she didn’t need to know the rest, that I hadn't wanted to see Dakath and Kolvar in her bed. “I assume everyone slept well?”
It was a stupid question. The two of them had slept next to her—I’m sure they slept perfectly. The sting of jealousy sparked against my skin, but I did my best to ignore it.
Kyella looked up at me, her gaze searching my face before she let out a soft hum. “I did, thank you. What did you do with your night?”
Thought about you.
“It had been a long day. It felt good to rest after being on the sea,” I said, attempting to casually shift the conversation to safer territory. “I’m not a massive fan of sailing.”
“Really?” she asked curiously, her eyes warming as if my answer made her happy. I didn’t understand why, but I didn’t think it had to do with my dislike of the sea. Maybe because I’d given her more of a personal answer, compared to my usual polite, impersonal ones?
Before I could get caught up in her eyes, I looked forward, reminding myself that I had to be careful. It would be far too easy to fall into their mesmerizing depths. Already I was thinking about how much I liked the fact that I’d been the one to put the spark in them moments ago.
I knew she thought I was avoiding looking at her because I was trying to ignore her, but that was far from the case. Everything I felt, my reactions to her, were all right under the surface, ready to surge forward. Ready to claim her.
So yeah, avoiding eye contact was the best plan.
Although, I didn’t like the idea of her being upset with me, even if it was a necessary evil to keep a wall between us. I found myself slipping often, and I’d been so damn jealous of the way she had accepted Kolvar’s touch and Dakath’s kiss last night.
My jealousy had seeped through, and she had immediately called me on my turn in mood—before dropping the bomb that she cared for me. Not a small amount, either, but at the same level as the others. I loved and hated hearing that. It made my control so damn weak.
Even more, I hated the way I’d crushed some of the hope in her eyes when she had admitted it to me. It had rebelled against everything inside of me to do that, but I knew it as necessary. It was also the main reason I was so cautious of her seemingly good mood right now. After my actions, combined with what she’d learned last night, this was quite the opposite of what I would’ve expected from her in reaction to it.
My little enigma.
“Really,” I admitted. “I’ve never been a fan of the water. Much prefer being on land. I can trust the ground. Not so much the water, with its unforgiving nature. It’s a beast.” It was a pain in the ass to fight on the seas. Naval games were not something I enjoyed partaking in, though they were necessary training since our enemy was located across the Cursed Divide. We were expected to be prepared for battle on any terrain.
“Wait.” Kyella came to a stop as we turned a corner, the dining hall appearing in front of us. “Where are we going?”
My gaze darted up from her plush lips, and I pressed a hand to her back and gently prodded her forward. “Breakfast.”
Keeping my gaze forward, I tried to withstand the temptation to look down at her body. I had already imagined all the ways I could pull her against me, hold her, or pin her to the wall. It was an uncontrollable thought process. I wanted her beneath my touch, following my commands and trusting me to make her feel good as I explored every inch of her body.
