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Her eyes narrowed on him, her expression no doubt reflecting her confusion. “No. In fact, I haven’t the slightest idea what draws you to me.”
“Everything,” he said in a low voice, echoing her sentiment. “But beyond your beauty and your strength and even your pain, I’m somehow fixated on your candor. You never let me forget I’m a demon…or what I’ve done to the human world.”
She stepped away from him. He let her go. Her pulse raced as her confusion melded into a darker warning. “I’m not trying to be blatantly disrespectful. I’m merely stating facts that can’t be disputed.”
Perhaps now was the time to address the obvious.
“Shifters murdered my parents,” she said. “Demons altered the face of this planet. I don’t care that I can’t use Lisette’s blow dryer. What I care about is people. Like Michael and…Jinx.”
He nodded. “I’m not being accusatory. I’m being humble. I have many, many regrets, Jade.”
Searching his mesmerizing eyes, she found he was being earnest. “What kind of regrets?”
“I never wanted to be king. I never wanted the wars. I never wanted to almost obliterate the human race.”
She drew in a sharp breath. “But the wars were executed by your command.”
“Yes. Though that doesn’t mean I was ever in agreement with the politics. Or the destruction.”
Covering her mouth with her hand, she stared at him. Then shook her head. Finally, her hand fell away and she said, “The pacts you make for demon-human peace—you…” Her brow furrowed as she fought for the right words. “You don’t despise us.”
He looked taken aback. “No. Never. Like every other war in history, it was simply about power. The shift from human rule to demon in this case. It should never have gone as far as it did, but that happens in battle.”
A tear formed in her eye and sat precariously on the rim. “You really did feel bad about Jinx, didn’t you?”
He nodded.
She sighed. A shaky one. The fat drop rolled down her cheek. “I wanted to believe you cared enough to be remorseful on behalf of your alliance.”
“I did,” he said with sincerity in his voice. “I do. But, Jade. I am still king. That doesn’t mean I don’t feel anything, but it does mean…I have obligations. Responsibilities. A position of power to uphold. All of these things might challenge my personal convictions, but the overarching issue is that I made a commitment to my species. I might not have done it wholeheartedly, but I did do it willingly.”
And here she’d thought her existence was a tumultuous one. Closing the gap between them, she trailed her fingers over his temple and down to his jaw. “You’ve let me be so glib about what it’s like to be a demon or a king. Why?”
His fingers twined with hers and he kissed them again. “You are anything but glib. You’re as entangled in this insidious situation as I am. I just have more control than you do. Though…no more at stake than you.”
Something inside her shifted upon hearing those words from this man. She said, “I’ve questioned my place in the village. My authority, actually—because clearly, I possess some. People have always looked to me for guidance when they’re unsure of the slayers’ direction. But I’m not their leader. Nor do I want to be.”
With a nod, he said, “This is a horrifically asinine and selfish thing for me to say, but I don’t want you to be either. The slayers are in mortal danger every day of their lives because of rogue demons like the fire wraith that attacked you. I can’t even conceive of you being in such a position on a daily basis. It’s difficult enough with this one instance.”
His head dipped and he kissed her. Passionately. As though the thought of anything dire happening to her compelled him to express how deeply attracted he was to her. Possibly even how moved he was by her.
Jade wrapped her arms around his neck. She knew the trouble she invited into her life by giving in to her desire for him, but it was too overwhelming a feeling for her to walk away from.
His kisses in real life were even more scorching-hot than in the fantasy they’d shared. His tongue swept over hers, twisting and tangling in an erotic dance. One of his arms encircled her waist, hauling her up against his hunky body, sealing them together. His other hand cupped the back of her head as his tongue delved deep, intensifying the blazing liplock.
Jade felt the effects of his passion all the way to her toes—and particularly in the most sensitive parts of her body. An ache in her cunt pulsed in time with her raging heartbeats. Her nipples tightened and her chest rose and fell quickly. As with her pain, she acutely felt pleasure.
But these were sensations she wanted to give in to. To bask in. Drown in.
When they finally came up for air, she was light of head and unsteady on her feet.
He let out a low groan. “I won’t be sticking t
o any convictions about you with kisses like that.”
“I’d told myself long ago they didn’t exist.”
“Clearly, you were wrong.”
