Page 140 of Taken By Shadows

The choices I’d made that day made this as much my will as his in a way. He’d done what he believed to be right for his Crown, and I did what I knew to be right for my home. I had sabotaged my only hope of finding my blood family to protect the adopted family who cared in their way and the town that hadn’t cared at all.

But staring at him now, I wasn’t sure either of us knew those truths anymore.

Kaed stood in front of me, his chest undulated with heavy breaths, and the rain soaked his hair.

What was right anymore?

This felt right. For longer than I cared to confess, I’d wanted him. Physically. I could admit to that. But seeing Kaed go willingly to the Cage … Seeing him bound and in agony. The facade he wore was an intricate mask so beautiful you’d never think to look under it. But he had lifted that now, he’d shown me something deeper than the exterior I’d first met.

“What happens now?” My voice shuddered under the warm rain.

His hands finally touched me. They were like scorching wild wyvern fire as they ran down from my shoulder to my back and settled on my hips.

“Now …” He let out a breath. “I’m going to kiss you. If you still want that.” His fingers moved to trace the line of my jaw.

“I want that.” I didn’t hesitate. I couldn’t take my eyes off his lips.

His eyes searched mine for any hint of doubt and he looked right into me.

I forgot to breathe as the storm raged and rain washed over me.

And then he claimed me.

Kaed pressed his lips to mine, one hand cupping the back of my neck. I couldn’t have pulled away even if I wanted to.

His hand guided me to stay in the kiss, to get lost in it, to be devoured.

And I did just that.

I lost all sense of time, all sense of touch except for him.

Seven seasons could have passed, and I’d have stayed crystallised in that single moment.

Every stroke of his tongue had me wanting more. He searched, hungry, tasting me.

His need was that of famine, and it made me ravenous too. The incurable urge to taste more of him came over me like I was no longer myself but a creature of the moon and night, and I was worshipping at the altar of darkness.

I could hear the rain, but I couldn’t feel it anymore.

A thousand diamond drops crashed to the ground around us and I pulled from the kiss to see his wings overhead. Their ethereal veil of his wings shimmered in the storm light as they absorbed the silver needles that fell to them.

“I wasn’t finished.” He guided my gaze back down, his thumb and index finger gripping my chin.

And when I looked at him again, part of me wondered how I had been able to rip my lips from his at all. His cheekbones were like shafts of moonlight cutting through the night. Rain had gathered until it trickled down his nose and painted his angles like knife edges honed on stars until they could cut glass.

His mouth devoured mine again before I had a chance to breathe, to recover.

Once he let me up for air, I was panting through swollen lips.

“Did you enjoy that?” A tremor of heat vibrated through his words as his breath warmed my skin.

I nodded as his fingers still held my chin.

He chuckled, low and breathy at that. “Good.” He loosened his grip, but didn’t let go.

I reached to stroke the shimmering plane of his wings around us, my fingers rippling through them as they always did with his shadows.

“Why did you kiss me?” I knew I wanted him like that. I’d been fighting and losing that battle for what felt like an age now. “I don’t need you to pity me because … of what I did earlier.” I chewed on my sensitive lip, the pendant at my neck now pinched between my thumb and forefinger. “I kissed him because I knew … I knew he would try to destroy you if I didn’t.” My words were spinning like a snow flurry. “It was his price, and I would pay it again if it meant—”