The street beyond thrummed with noise—laughter spilling from doorways, boots scuffing against cobblestones, and shouts rising above the din.
At the tavern ahead, a drunk staggered into view, weaving on the top step. He squinted at the world as if struggling to place it. She walked past, her gaze fixed forward, blind to any surrounding threats.
I surged, my hand cutting off her scream as I dragged her into the darkness between two buildings. The air turned cold and heavy, reeking of beer-soaked stone and decay. Behind, Greaves tripped the drunk, sending him sprawling. The man roared in pain, his shout stifled by the crash of another body falling into him. A scuffle broke out, voices snarling like feral dogs.
Nienna screamed again, the sound muffled against my palm. Her nails dug into my skin as she struggled. I pulled her further, a dark satisfaction curling within me for catching her off guard. She fought, twisting and kicking with all her strength.
When she sank her teeth into my finger, I hissed, and we turned the corner into a dead-end. I released her and threw back my hood.
“You son of a—” Her insult cut short. Her eyes widened in shock before narrowing in fury. She stood tall, enough to glare at me, though I still towered over her. “—of a swine,” she finished with a scowl.
“Such filthy words, Princess,” I chuckled. “You speak to your king with that mouth?”
Fire blazed in her deep blue eyes, an intensity that burned away the chill. I closed the distance, backing her against the wall, my palm braced beside her head. Her chest rose with quickened breaths, and tension crackled in the narrow space that separated us. Her lips parted, the faintest tremor betraying her fury even as she tilted her chin in defiance. The faint scent of her skin—something sweet. No, dangerous…
Her teeth clicked together, the sharp sound breaking the silence. For a moment, the fire in her stare faltered, as though she forgot what fueled her anger. Her voice was low, edged with steel, as she said, “I’ve kissed him with these lips.”
Gods, the things that did to me.
Blood roared in my ears. My gaze traveled down her face, grazing her throat and the rise and fall of her chest, before snapping back to safer territory. Her hands clutched my cloak, fingers digging into the fabric. She wasn’t as angry as she pretended to be.
“Had you dismissed your Thresher, you might have met another’s lips in this alley.” My words lingered, heavy with accusation, as I watched her eyes flash with indignation.
“You attacked me!” Her nostrils flared, betraying a fury that rippled just beneath her composed exterior.
“Better me than another man.” My voice dipped, low and mocking.
I leaned closer, the rough stone of the alley wall grazing my arm. Her breath hitched as I brushed my lips close to her ear, the warmth of her skin taunting. “What would you have done if it wasn’t me?”
I waited for her reply, letting the silence stretch between us. Her throat worked, tension radiating from her as she straightened. The sharp line of her jaw betrayed her struggle for control, her pulse visible where it throbbed at her neck.
“I can protect myself.”
“Oh?” I pulled back, sliding my hands down her arms.
Her gaze locked onto mine, yet when I lifted her hands above her head, there was no resistance. Her wrists met the rough surface of the wall as I pinned them there, firm but unhurried. And as her tongue flicked out, tracing her lips, the gesture almost undid me.
“Whatwasyour plan?” I stepped closer, my body pressing her against the cold, uneven stone, trapping the last of her composure between us. The alley’s grime clung to the surface, but I didn’t care.
Her breathing faltered, her grip on control slipping like frost melting beneath the sun’s heat.
Something hard jabbed at my hip. I drew back, my eyes dropping to the source. A breathless chuckle rippled from her chest, low and teasing, stoking the flames that already burned inside me.
“I told you,” she said. “I can protect myself.”
“And yet, you didn’t.”
My smirk deepened as her expression shifted, the fire in her gaze cooling to ice. The contrast was sharp, cutting. I almost laughed at how easily she masked her fury. “What do you think can protect you from me, Nienna?”
Pushing her felt too easy. Every line of her body was taut, like a bowstring drawn to its limit, but still, I pressed. Restraint had long since burned away, leaving only the gnawing hunger that demanded more. More of her. More of us. A force pulling me closer, sharper, darker, until something broke.
“Why don’t you find out, Kallias?”
Her voice shattered my control. My name on her lips sent a jolt through me. She was already arching into me, her mouth upturned as I dipped to kiss her.
I tried to go slow—sun above, how I tried. But with us, there were only frantic, stolen moments. Her tongue brushed mine hesitantly, almost as if to test her bravery, and I groaned as I opened to her. Her hands tugged at my grip, but I held her firm. With my free hand, I hiked her skirts, desperate to find what she kept hidden beneath them.
I wanted far more than the blade I knew was there.
