And in that moment, here’s what I knew:
The kiss was epic. The kind they wrote songs about. The kind that would, if things progressed, havemesinging.
It turned me inside out and left me reeling.
It made the stars scatter behind my eyes.
It filled me with a fire unmatched by any I’d imagined from such an explosive reunion with the man I’d loved for most of my life.
But here’s what else I knew:
The man kissing me senseless right now? Itwasn’tElian.
Not even a glamoured version of Elian.
Didn’t matter that we hadn’t kissed in years. Didn’t matter that so much had changed between us, we were practically strangers.
Some things, you just knew. You just fuckingknew.
I shoved hard against his chest, and the imposter pulled back, just as breathless as I was.
Hands still in my hair, rock-hard cock straining against his silken finery, he stared down at me with heavy-lidded eyes, violet once again. “It seems our realms have rather different interpretations of dueling. Admittedly, I like your version better.”
“You… You’re not…” I sucked in a sharp breath and pressed my fingers to my tingling lips, mind reeling. “Who thehellare you?”
A slow, devouring grin slid across his mouth, his face flickering back to the version I’d seen earlier. Menace flashed in his eyes.
“Kiss me like that again, Daughter of Darkwinter,” he whispered, “and I’ll be whoever you need me to be.”
Daughter of Darkwinter?
No. There was no way he knew about that. Not even Elian knew about that. Only my sisters, who I hadn’t spoken with since I left Blackmoon Bay and had no idea I was even here, and…
Oh, fuck.
The goddess Melantha.
“The question remains,” Keradoc said, “Areyougoing to be whatIneed?”
At that, he smiled and lowered his mouth to mine once more, then pursed his lips and blew out a sweet, gentle breath, so soft it tickled my lips. Golden smoke swirled up before my eyes, and all at once, the room spun.
For the second time in an hour, my world turned black.
38
ELIAN
Where the fuck have youbeen?” Jax fisted my lapels and hauled me close, his fury barely contained. “Tell me you’ve got Haley. Tell me you didn’t fucking blow this and risk her fucking life, you piece of shit, or I swear I will throw you over the wall and feed your useless ass to the fucking ghouls.”
Fuck.
Adrenaline spiked. I tried to swallow down my fear, school my features, but it was no use. Jax could sense it a mile away.
No, it wasn’t his bullshit threats that had me tied up in knots.
It was fucking Haley.
Despite Jax’s accusations, I’d been here the whole fucking time. Gem and I had been keeping watch all night, taking turns checking on Haley while we cased out the best opportunity for me to get my shot at Keradoc. I knew Haley had gotten her weapons. Knew she’d fucked Jax in that damn closet, too.
