Page 145 of The Dark Lord’s Guide to Honeymooning (and Other Acts of Tyranny)

He’d set me on my feet only to drop to his knees in front of me, looking up through dark lashes. “More what?” His hands skimmed up my thighs, finding the laces of my leather pants. “Tell me what you want, Arabella. I want to hear you say it.”

I grinned with my lower lip between my teeth. “Teach me something new.”

His eyes flashed silver—possession, satisfaction, and underneath it all, that fear he couldn’t quite hide. But then his mouth was on me through the leather, and I forgot how to think.

Afterward, we lay on the floor, clothes still mostly on but askew, both of us breathing hard. Kazimir’s head rested on my stomach.

My new leathers would definitely need reconditioning after this.

I ran my fingers through his hair. “That… was new.”

“The runes feel better now,” he said after a while, voice muffled against my skin.

I tugged lightly on his hair, forcing him to look up at me. “Are you saying all you needed was sex?”

The corner of his mouth lifted in a half smile. “It does seem to have a calming effect.”

“On your magic or your mood?”

“Both.” He shifted, moving to lie beside me and propping himself up on one elbow. I studied his face, noting the lingering shadows in his eyes despite his relaxed posture. Whatever was troubling him hadn’t been fully exorcised by our encounter.

I could practically feel his walls being erected once again. I sat up, ignoring the protest of muscles that had been pressed against stone.

“You better not die while we’re separated,” I said abruptly.

He raised an eyebrow. “Planning to kill me yourself when you return?”

“No.” I began adjusting my clothing. “I still have a lot of things to say to you, once you get your head out of your ass.”

Instead of the sharp retort I expected, Kazimir laughed. “I’ll do my best to stay alive, then,” he said, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “We’ll go to our respective kingdoms, kidnap some heroes, save the world. Standard Tuesday.”

I stood and attempted to restore some dignity to my appearance. “When has anything about us been standard?”

He watched me rebuckle my vest, his expression unreadable. “You’ll be careful on Meridian Isle.”

“I thought I’d announce myself at the gates and challenge the entire royal guard to single combat.”

“Arabella—”

“I’ll be careful.” I softened my tone. “I have Vex and Nyx, and can contact you via the scrying crystals. We’ll be fine.”

“And if something goes wrong?”

“Then I’ll use that portal magic you barely taught me and probably scatter myself across three dimensions.” I grinned at his expression. “Kidding. Mostly.”

He stood quickly, catching me around the waist. “This isn’t a joke.”

“I know.” I met his gaze steadily. “But if we don’t laugh, we’ll go insane. And you’re already halfway there with all this brooding. Besides, I’m not quite ready to call it a day, and since we’ve worked out some of our… distractions, I want to try that portal again.”

43 Try Diplomacy First

(Just Kidding, Kill Everyone Who Saw You)

Kazimir

The portal deposited us in a back alley of Kheldvar’s merchant quarter, between a bakery that smelled of burnt bread and a taxidermy shop specializing in two-headed creatures. I’d visited Valmont’s capital twice before—once to negotiate trade routes, once to assassinate a particularly annoying diplomat. The city hadn’t improved. Thorne emerged behind me, somehow managing to look like he’d just stepped out of a tavern brawl.

“Remind me again of our target?” he asked, brushing imaginary dust from his leather armor.