“I want to be with you,” I say, leaning forward to kiss him. He stills at my touch, his body tensing with need. “I’m not afraid, not if you’re there.”
“I am,” he says softly. “Gods, I’m so worried that I won’t be able to keep you safe.”
“Ronan,” I say, standing on my tiptoes to hug him tightly. “We’re going to be alright. We’re together again. That’s what matters.”
Then I bring my lips to his ear. “Take me to bed.”
“Fuck,” he says, bending to scoop me into his arms. I wrap my legs around his waist as he carries me past the guards through the hall, past the antechamber, and into his living room. He’s headed for the bedroom when I stop him after I see movement through the billowing white curtains in front of his balcony.
“There’s something there,” I say, my pulse racing. Gods, that didn’t take long. I thought I’d have half a minute of peace with him before facing the next threat, but apparently, there’s no peace for us.
To my surprise, Ronan doesn’t charge, or assume a fighting stance, or even put me down.
He laughs.
“She’ll be furious if I keep you from her,” he says, carrying me out onto the balcony.
As we approach, my mind resolves her silhouette through the fabric.
Kira.
“Put me down. I want to see her!”
Kira’s golden eyes blink rapidly at me as I approach her, her eagle neck stretching out to greet me. She nuzzles against me as I stroke her feathers, marveling at the sheer size of her. She takes up half of Ronan’s balcony.
“I had to have Marta bring some of her things up here. She worries too much about me from the stables. At least from up here, she has a good view of the city, and she has access to the sea to hunt.”
“It’s the perfect place for her,” I say. I don’t say it to Ronan—I don’t want to worry him unnecessarily—but having her here does make me feel safer. If someone tries to take me from the living chamber again, they’ll need to fight off an enormous, hyperintelligent bird monster to get me out of the palace.
“She missed you,” says Ronan. “I think she knew what I was trying to do when I took her to find you. She’s been upset for days.”
It’s insane to think it, but I do believe Ronan. He has a connection with her, an understanding of her thoughts and feelings that seemed ridiculous at first, but as with everything else about him, I’m learning more and more how right he is as time goes on.
Ronan yawns again, more loudly this time now that no one else is here to see it.
“You need to go to bed,” I say, turning and pushing him towards his bedchambers.
“Is that an order?” He grabs at my ass, and I squeal out of his reach.
“You need rest. You’re exhausted. We’ll have plenty of time for all of that in the morning.”
I march him forward, but just before his bedroom door, he stops and pulls me to him. The feel of him against me takes my breath away.
“Did you say something about waiting until the morning? Sorry, I didn’t hear that.”
But then he yawns again despite himself. Gods, he can barely keep his eyes open.
“Get in there,” I say, pushing him through the door. “Don’t make me tie you down.” My shadows flare, snaking around his wrist in warning.
His pupils dilate. He bites his lower lip in a way that sends heat through my entire body. “Sylvie, howdareyou threaten me with a good time.”
I tilt my head in surprise. “You would like that?”
He reaches for me, but I restrain him with the tendril of shadow.
Then he moans.“Are you kidding? I’m the king. I do nothing but make decisions all day, every day. Everything is my choice, my responsibility. Everything is in my control.”
His eyes darken as he strains against my first shadow tendril, and then a second tendril that I wrap around his other wrist. “I would like nothing more in this world than for you to take what you want from me. Tie me up and take your pleasure from me, my darling. Ibegof you.”
