He’d been completely normal for three days as he bribed the doctors and helped his sisters cope, then after the funeral when he’d been on his way to school, something inside him had snapped. In a back alley alone, he’d cried until he made himself sick.
No one knew about that and they never would. It’d taken him hours to pull himself back together.
“Don’t worry, Princess. I’m here if you want to talk about it.”
Desideria didn’t respond as the reality of her predicament hit her all over again. There was no escape for them. No hope. All of her dreams of a future were gone. This could very well be the last day she’d live…
Fear and grief choked her. “I’m not ready to die yet.”
“You won’t.”
How easy he made that sound. But not even his conviction could sell that lie to her. The truth was cold and harsh.
And it was in her face.
I’m the walking dead. They would condemn her for this and there was nothing she could do.
He held his hand out to her. “C’mon. Take a shower and you’ll feel better.”
She scoffed at his useless optimism. “A shower won’t cure my problems.”
“No, but it’ll help your mood. I promise.”
“Yeah, right. It won’t—”
He silenced her words with a kiss so hot it set fire to her blood. Her head spun at the warmth of his hard body pressing against hers. Of the sensation of his arms wrapped around her waist. Her raw and ragged emotions were so overwhelming and confusing.
No one had ever held her like this before.
Like she was precious. Like she mattered.
Like she was loved…
In that moment, something inside her burst. All her repressed emotions flooded through her with a ferocity so intense that it left her as breathless as his kiss.
But the one thing that held her grounded fast and kept her sane during this insanity was the taste of his lips. The scent of a man who had walked her through hell and had stood by her every step of the way.
A man who had protected her even when they’d been fighting against each other. No one had ever sown her that kindness or consideration.
One way or another, her life would be forfeit. Even though she’d lived her entire existence with her singular purpose to be dutiful and to make her mother proud—all of that was for nothing now.
Absolutely nothing.
But if she had to die, she wanted something for herself. Something uniquely hers.
She wanted Caillen. She wanted to go to her grave with the memory of his touch forever branded on her skin. To know what it was like to be with him, just the two of them with no pretense or regrets.
For the first time in her life, she felt like she was making a choice not out of duty or obligation. She was making a choice for her because it was something she wanted.
You’re Qillaq, bound by the laws of your people.
Yes, and part of that was knowing herself. Deciding her own fate and not allowing anyone to rule her. Ever. Her mother was dead. It was up to her to find the killers and bring them to justice. Only she could do that. But until they landed, there was no way to pursue her traitors. Nothing to do except claim the only man who’d ever made her feel like she was human.
A man who touched a part of her no one ever had before.
Caillen growled as he felt the change in Desideria’s kiss and in her mood. She clutched him against her, taking control of the situation in a way he’d only dreamed about. His senses spun as she explored his mouth and teased his lips with her teeth.
Oh yeah, baby…
This was what he’d been craving since the moment he first saw her. Every hormone inside him was salivating, dying for a taste of her body. When she pulled back to stare up at him, he felt his cock harden even more. He waited for her to speak, but she didn’t. Instead, she opened his shirt and splayed her hands over his chest, brushing against his bruised flesh. Her caress sent chills down the entire length of his body.
In that moment he was undone and he knew there was no going back.
“Don’t start this fire, Desideria. Not unless you intend to see it through.”
She leaned in to nip his chin. “I’m willing to see it through.”
He kissed her quickly, then moved toward the shower so that he could start the water.
She frowned at him. “What are you doing?”
“In the event Fain is right for the first time in his life, I don’t want to offend you with my body odor.”
Laughing, she shook her head. “As you would say, I think I resemble that remark. It’s been a few days for me too.”
“Yes, but you smell a lot better than I do. Believe me, my sisters tutored me well on the fact that men stink more than womeneve me, ont>