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She would take him into her arms and run her fingers along the tracings of his body. He swore he could feel them pulsing like the equator as she did, healing the razor edges of his discontent.
It shook him to the core to think of her so vividly. It also swarmed him with shame to think that he was capable of looking at any other woman the way he looked at her.
He continued on, swearing that he could catch her scent in the wind out the open window.
TWELVE
SARAH
Sarah spent most of the day after the picnic taking care of Suki. She recovered amazingly fast, which Sarah assumed was because of her Drakonian nature. Being with her was easy and smooth. Suki was an intelligent, curious, and adventurous child in spite of the immense loss that dented her heart.
It inspired Sarah to think more positively despite the memory of her mother's long illness. It was something cosmic she felt in the stars that brought them together. She was healing. She could see it in her own reflection.
That same evening, Kael returned from his job earlier than she expected. He seemed distracted, more than usual, coming into the playroom where she and Suki were playing a card game she had just taught her.
“Suki,” Kael said rather gruffly.
“Yeah, Dad?”
“Your grandmother wants to see you tonight. She has some of that sweet, honey chocolate you like.”
Her eyes lit like fireworks, and she jumped to her feet.
“Honey chocolate!” Suki shrieked.
She ran into her father’s arms, hugging him enthusiastically. His expression wavered, the smallest crack of a smile splitting his cheeks. There was something on his mind outside the general sense of sorrow that the Commander carried with him like an oozing wound.
“Yes, yes, she made some especially for you,” he said, crouching down. “Especially when she learned about your allergic reaction.”
Suki was over the moon. It was an adorable look on her, one that Sarah wanted to fuel like a magical fire.
Suki went over to her grandmother’s soon after, which wasn't far from Kael’s property. Sarah thought it was nice that Suki was visiting family, but there was certainly some anxiety about being left alone with Kael for the entire night.
Then, a touch of excitement slithered up and down her body and nestled in the core of her loins. It made her tingle, and she wanted to follow it, even as taboo and potentially wrong as it felt.
She had to make a decision between her shadow side … the side that wanted him, inextricably, carnally, sensually … and the side that knew it wasn’t the best idea. It wasn’t going to be easy.
They ate together in near-total silence, speaking about Suki every now and then to keep the tension at bay. Sarah found herself breathing heavily, her heart fluttering in her chest like a bird rattling in a cage. He was so handsome, simply sitting there, rolling his food around on his plate like a grumpy toddler. His black hair looked slick in the dim light, his eyes glowing. She tried her best not to look at him directly as she would likely no longer be able to control herself.
“There is a storm coming,” he said suddenly.
“Oh?”
“Yes. Our storms here are quite beautiful. We could sit by the fire out by the terrace and watch if you would like.”
She smiled up at him. He smiled nearly imperceptibly, then hastily looked away.
“That sounds nice. I’m curious what you mean by beautiful. If that means something different in comparison to what it means on Earth.”
“I think you are going to like it,” he said.
Dinner was cleared away, and Sarah changed into a comfortable sweater and pants. The air was getting crisper as the sun fell and the watery moon rose.
She met with him on the terrace on the first floor. The hearth of the fire was protected in an iron cube, blazing madly. The gardens and the maze were mostly blurred by the oily dark of night. The sky, however, had taken on a dewy look, not quite black yet but a color that humans simply didn’t have a word for.
Sarah sat in the chair opposite Kael, who wore the same clothing he’d returned home in. When he saw her, he stood and offered her a blanket that was draped around his chair.
“I wasn’t sure if you have acclimated to our weather yet,” he said plainly.
