Whatever the librarian knew didn’t matter. I refused to be the rope in a tug-of-war between him and Cyrus. This came down to who I trusted most, and the answer was simple. Myself.
I refused to do something so potentially detrimental without a solid reason. Besides, I could guess Domino’s motivation. No doubt he hoped to prevent one of the gods from choosing me. Well, too bad, so sad. I didn’t care if I was chosen or not. I had free will; I’d say no. Not for any reason would I bail on the man who’d just admitted he loved me.
Decided, I let a wave of fatigue drag me into a turbulent sea of darkness.
I woke before the wake-up bell, beyond tired but cognizant of a strange sensation in my chest. As my brain kicked online, I sensed a presence ...
My eyelids popped open, and I reached for the knife stored under my pillow. When strong fingers clamped around my wrist, I jolted upright and swung my free hand, intending to punch first and ask questions after. Mid-strike, I detected a familiar ambrosial scent.
Cyrus.
He caught my other wrist before the blow landed, and I gasped with surprise and pleasure.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, grinning.
Shadows couched him, giving his face a sinister sharpness. He didn’t speak but gently, insistently, urged me to lie down. Though confused, Ioffered no resistance. With my head on the pillow, I frowned up at him. He stared at me, somehow too harsh and too soft at once.
Hmm. His expression ... How best to describe it? Crazed determination? Tender adoration? Mild irritation? Perhaps a tinge of all three.
“Cyrus, I hate to say it,” I muttered, “but this is kind of creepy.”
“Have you spoken with Domino?” he demanded in a quiet tone.
At the librarian’s name, I jerked my gaze behind the high prince. My guards were gone. “I have, yes.” It was the truth, though not the truth he sought. I didn’t offer any other information, and he didn’t ask.
But he did narrow his eyes. “Do you love me?”
Okay, I should’ve expected such bluntness from him. Never mind Domino’s orders and my concerns for the future. Here, with Cyrus, there was only this moment. “I think I do,” I admitted, speaking just as softly. “I must.” I felt more for him than I’d ever felt for another. “But I’m afraid to say the words.”
Far from upset, he flashed a sultry smile and caressed my cheek. “That’s okay. You’re falling. You’ll never leave me.”
Heat bloomed where his fingers brushed. I flattened my hand over his and leaned into his touch, the creepiness factor fading. “Will you leaveme?”
“Not in a thousand years. Not in eternity,” he vowed. “Stay in my suite while we’re in Theirland.”
My heart skipped, and I opened my mouth to accept.
Be on guard. Trust only me. Avoid Cyrus. He’ll be there, and when you see him, you’ll wish to aid him. Do not.
I will never ask you to do something that will lead to your harm or the harm of others.
Ignoring the whisper of Domino’s words, I kissed the heel of Cyrus’s palm. “Yes. I will.”
“Good.” He cradled the back of my head, the firmness of his touch sending shivers down my spine. The air charged with anticipation as he lifted me and leaned in, rasping, “Every second I didn’t kiss you was a second wasted. I don’t plan to waste another.”
Chapter Ten
Listen, and you will hear the victory plan.
—The Book of Soal1.20.4.20
Our lips met in a fervent press. I wound my arms around Cyrus’s sculpted form, drawn to the furnace of heat that poured from his body. That heat seeped through the thin barrier of my clothes, and it was as if sunlight melted frost. He claimed my mouth with aching reverence, sweeping his tongue past my teeth, enthralling me with a kiss both a promise and a possession. His rich, familiar taste struck a chord buried deep, where reason couldn’t reach. Something primal answered.
I matched the rhythm of his next thrust with a desperation that rivaled his, every lick an unspoken vow between us. He seduced me with devastating precision, stoking a slow burn of longing until it roared. My senses fractured and re-formed around him, sharper, hungry, and undeniably transformed.
Time blurred. Thoughts dissolved. There was no room for doubt. No escape from the intoxication. He was mine, and I was his, and we belonged together. Never should we part.
“You want more of me, sweetness?” He rumbled the words between ragged breaths. “Perhaps just a little?”
