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Turning to another page, I settled in to learn about communicating on an animal’s level of consciousness when the door to the library opened. I was surprised. In all the hours I’d sequestered among the books, I hadn’t even heard another set of footsteps pass by.
I glanced up from my book, fully prepared to ignore whatever annoying noble had trespassed on my peace, when I was greeted by the sight of a palace guard. I knew something wasoffabout him almost at once—something I couldn’t place my finger on.
He felt familiar, like I knew him, but at the same time there was an overwhelminglywrongfeeling about his face. I stared at him openly, all manners forgotten, until finally it hit me.
“Kai?” I said, absolutely incredulous at why he was, well,blond.
“Ah, and here I thought I’d last a full minute,” he said, chuckling. The stupid facial hair and the blond wig didn’t matter. I’d know his smile anywhere. “You got me.”
“What are you doing?” I said, laughing as I stood up. I’d read a couple of mystery books or two with fancy disguises and subterfuge in them, but goodness, it was so much sillier in real life. “Why are you wearing those?”
“It was the only way I could show up without my own personal entourage,” he said, taking the hat and the wig off. The guard uniform hadn’t looked silly to me before seeing Kai in it, just expensive, but it did now. He looked like someone dressing up for the autumn equinox. “What, do you not think I have a career in palace security?”
“I wouldn’t say so, Your Captaincy,” I said, chuckling slightly.
“Noted.” He smiled and took a step closer. I thought fleetingly about keeping my distance, knowing we were on a roll and should keep the streak going, but I just didn’t have it in me. When he pulled me close, his face lowering toward mine, I closed my eyes and let it happen.
Granted, I was much more active than that. My hands clenched at his starched collar, pulling him down to me to close the scant distance. Our lips pressed together, and my tongue slid out ever so slightly as I sank into his embrace.
It just felt sogood,like taking a sip of ice-cold water after being out in the sun: refreshing, but it left a craving for so muchmore.
That was apparently the wrong thing to do, or maybe the right one, because Kai growled into my mouth, his alphapheromones rushing me despite the astringent scent-blocker I could smell on him. Others wouldn’t recognize it, but I did considering my long, long history with them. They’d saved my bacon more than I cared to admit.
Arousal peaked as my hands tugged harder on his collar, like I could merge us together. At the same time, his arms circled around me, practically crushing me to his front. His teeth came out as well, fangs growing along with his nails as he tugged at my lip, dominating the kiss in a way he only did when he was beginning to lose control.
I wanted him to.
That realization surprised me enough to knock me out of the kiss. I’d daydreamed about Kai taking me with his inner wolf at the reins, both of us wild with it, and it wasn’t like our sex was tame, but it was another thing entirely to be presented with his more feral side in the middle of a public library.
I’d have thought potentially getting caught would’ve turned me off, but in fact, it lit a fire in my belly—one which licked up my spine and spread deep warmth through me. I found myself digging my nails into his shoulders, like I was piercing the fabric of his uniform while my lips chased after his.
I was getting lost in the needy pit growing in my heart. I’d been so worried about what’d happened since he’d been whisked away at the beginning of our tour, and, well, I missed him.
Eventually, it was Kai who pulled away first. I was used to being the voice of reason, the naysayer, but it seemed that while I was getting lax, Kai was only building his resolve.
It figured.
“Asmuch as I’d like to continue this, I was able to get in touch with the enchantress.”
My eyes shot open wide at that. “Wait, already?”
“Must have been a slow week for her, but she wants to meet tonight.”
“Tonight?”
There was so much I wanted to do before meeting with her, and I’d thought I had time. I wanted a list of questions, and a much stronger knowledge base of different schools of magic. I thought we’d have at least two weeks before she’d even grace us with her presence. I wanted to present some solid theories, not the assumptions and ideas circling around my head.
“Yeah, you know how magic users are.”
I did. Whether affected by the tides, the moon, or just everyday life, we tended to be a bit flaky. Things either took ridiculously long or needed to happen right then and there.
“But still,tonight?She just got in touch today?”
“Less than an hour ago. I came straight here. Well, not straight here. I did talk to your BFF first.”
“My BF—oh.Yeah, we were supposed to go shopping, but I just, I dunno, wanted to hit the books.”
I didn’t want to admit I missed being around him, and hated the thought of navigating the crowded, busy streets of a city I wasn’t familiar with. That just seemed entirely too pathetic to me.
