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“And you call yourself an immortal.” His tongue clicked against the roof of his mouth. “What do you do with all of your time if you don’t learn new things?”
Quirking her lips together, Rukia bumped her shoulder into his. “Who said I don’t learn new things, sparky? As it happens, I’m very proficient in a plethora of tasks.”
“Painting your nails and stealing clothes from my closet?”
Rukia pinched him unforgivingly, but in the next moment, she’d flattened her hand against the countertop. A chill brushed against the underside of her palm, but she didn’t move. Seconds later, after she was satisfied, she lifted her hand.
A perfectly sculpted ice shark, no more than two inches long, was revealed to the Raeth who was staring unrepentantly at the mini-marine animal. His eyebrows drew together as he studied what she’d created.
Awe widened his eyes moments later, and Rukia couldn’t help the pride that abounded as he simply said, “I’m impressed.”
Instead of responding, she feasted on the rest of the tasty creation in front of her, aware he’d finished his and was now merely watching her inhale her brunch.
“Enjoying the show, Isaiah?” Rukia challenged, casting him a suspicious side-eye. She would never admit it, but she loved speaking his name.
“I am, as a matter of fact.”
She finished her last bite and turned to him. “Voyeur.”
The intensity of his gaze magnified, his thumb reaching up the lightly brush over her plump bottom lip. She shivered at the contact, feeling the draw toward him deepen at their proximity. His thumb came to rest on her chin, an electric jolt of sensation as Rukia’s breathing sped up.
Inclining her chin in silent permission, she held her breath as the man opposite her tenderly pressed his lips to hers. The shock of his tenderness riffled through her core while his arms covetously closed around her waist and pulled her up from her stool. Possessed entirely by the firmly cut lines of Isaiah’s body, she melted into his hold and cherished the feel of his mouth on hers.
Clutching at the Raeth, she let her head lay against his chest as their mouths parted moments later, both content at the fleeting but affectionate contact. “I was scared for you.”
Isaiah stiffened. “Forgive me, Rukia. It wasn’t my intent to frighten you, but I couldn’t refuse him.”
“I know; Derikles explained it to me.” She sighed, her finger lightly tracing a line over his chest. “How do you live like this, knowing that at any moment, someone could come gunning for you with the explicit intent of taking your throne, your very life?”
“Raeths mature slowly,” he explained, tightening his hold on her. “We typically have a fair amount of warning before one of us is challenged.”
“We?”
“Raeth sovereigns.” His knuckles trailed lightly over her back in a sensual caress. “There are probably two hundred of us worldwide, each of us presiding over our own clans. Clans vary in size from twenty to nearly six hundred clansmen.”
“And you keep in touch?”
“More or less.” Isaiah released her, delicately tucking an errant piece of hair behind her ear. “Do you like being here, Rukia, or are you merely escaping?”
“Can I say both?”
Her voice was rougher than she’d intended, her mind trying desperately to block out thoughts of what she was escaping from. Drawing in a restorative breath, she leaned against the counter.
“So tell me, Raeth, why you have a violin in your closet?”
Ebony eyebrows scrunched together on a face far too handsome for his own good. “You went through my things?”
“I had to keep myself entertained while you were snoring on the couch,” Rukia lied. “Play for me.”
The faintest of smirks appeared on Isaiah’s face. “Is that an order?”
“Pleaseplay for me, oh great sovereign of the Sylth.” Both of her hands rested on his chest briefly before she leaned her body weight into him. “Of course, only if you’re feeling up to it. Almost dying and all.”
His eyes narrowed, taking the taunt as she expected.
Her hands suddenly met air, the Raeth disappearing from where he’d been standing. Pursing her lips comically, she suddenly realized he’d teleported out of her clutches.
“Isaiah!” She chastised, looking around the kitchen before wandering toward the other room. “Bloody ghost.”
