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From the shadows at the end of the long hallway, Kieran stepped into the light and faced me.
The fact that I had sensed him had me questioning everything. I wanted to wrap my arms around my waist to protect myself from his presence. Maybe Alina wasn’t the exact opposite of me.
I refused to allow him to see the power he had over me. “What do you want? I figured you’d be with one of the ladies you danced with.”
As soon as the last sentence had left my mouth, I wished I could take it back. The point had been to appear unaffected by him, but instead, I’d acted jealous. I gritted my teeth, so damn annoyed with myself.
“You could have cut in at any time.” He strolled toward me … so confident … so self-assured. His hair framed his sculpted features, and my traitorous hand wanted to reach up and caress his cheek.
“I didn’t want to ruin your fun,” I said. Thankfully, my voice was steady. He needed to leave before I did something I’d regret. “The other Summer Fae will be here soon. You should go.”
“Watching you was the highlight of my night, but I made the first move. I need you to make the next one.” Head tilting, he examined me and asked, “Do you want me to leave?”
That was a loaded question, and he knew it. This had to be a test. “If you’re waiting for me to make a move, you’ll be waiting for the rest of my or your life, whichever one is shorter.” Enough people had hurt me already—the memory of how he’d made Alina feel was a sort of pain that would debilitate me. No one, especially this man, would ever break me. “And, yes, I want you to leave. I don’t know what your intention is, but nothing good can come of it.”
He licked his lips, drawing my attention to them.
My own lips prickled at the memory of the way his had felt on mine, and again, the urge to taste him flooded me. I wanted to feel that buzz like it was a hit of some illicit drug.
“That’s only a half-truth.” He stepped closer, his chest brushing against mine. “I can see the hunger in your eyes.”
Body humming, I swayed toward him, a knot of desire twisting within me. If I acted on these emotions, it would only cause more problems. More pain. “Maybe, but we both know it’s a bad idea. We’re enemies and competitors.” I took a step back, needing distance. “We both know your people would never approve of us … not even temporarily.”
His brows furrowed, and the cocky smirk disappeared. “Why would you say that? You haven’t been here long, nor do you know how the Winter fae would react. I am their king.”
I wondered if this was how Alina had fallen—an implied promise that they’d be together, only for him to yank the rug out from under her. “As tempting as that is …” And boy, that offer was way more tempting than I wanted to acknowledge. “I’ll have to pass. I’d hate for us to be the cause of any civil unrest.” I let the words he’d told me so many years ago float between us.
He scoffed, and his mirth and arrogance vanished. “I see you’re getting your memories back.”
I nodded. “Not many, but a memory resurfaced tonight. I remembered the reasons you rejected me.”
“Alina—” His face twisted in agony as his forehead creased.
“No.” To drive the point home, I shook my head hard. “I don’t want to hear it. You had concerns about us being together when I was born and raised here. Now, there are even more reasons to keep us apart. I don’t have magic. I just got my wings, and one of us, if not both, is going to die in a matter of days. I don’t need you to be more of a distraction than you already are. So please, Kieran, leave me be. The Summer Fae will be coming to their rooms, and after what happened at the ball, the last thing I want is for them to see us together.”
He hung his head, looking broken. “You’re right.”
The wind whooshed out of my lungs. I knew I was right, but dammit, he wasn’t supposed to agree with me. Despite my determination, I was officially becoming one of those girls. The kind who said one thing but wanted the guy to do another. The type I swore I’d never become, yet I was standing here, eating my words. Oh boy, were they bitter. “Yeah. I am,” I said, a little defeated. I needed to get into my room, secret place for my key be damned.
I reached down my top, and Kieran shook his head as I fished out the key.
“Hey, it works.” I was surprised no one else had come upstairs yet, but it was only a matter of time before my luck ran out. I showed him the key since he was acting as if I’d gone pervy. “So I can get away from you.” Before I do something stupid, I almost added, but luckily, I kept that part quiet.
“You know you could carry a purse.” King Kieran bit his bottom lip. “That’s what most women do.”
“I’m not most women.” I slid the key into the lock.
A low growl emanated from him, the noise completely animalistic.
It should’ve disgusted me, but instead, my head clouded.
“Nobody better put their hands down your dress.” His eyes darkened to a grayish blue. “If they do, I’ll kill them, whether it’s during a trial or not.”
My heart fluttered. Officially, my body had a mind of its own, and it was very problematic. I hated how obvious my attraction to him was. The thought of him trying to take my key sent desire coursing straight between my legs.
Shaking my head, I turned to the door and slid the key into the lock. I needed to get inside and away from him before I did something foolish … like invite him in or jump him right here. Even the thought of doing that had my legs wanting to run straight at him.
When the lock clicked, I pushed the door open, but he caught my hand. The jolt between us nearly stole my breath.
