“No.” He said it with a heavy dose of wrath.
She smiled and took a deep breath, causing her chest to expand and her breasts to make contact with him. “I don’t think there is much you’re afraid of.”
“You don’t know what you’re trifling with, Shara.”
His warning caused her heart to miss a beat in fear, because she had no clue what she was stirring. She wouldn’t let him know that, however. “I guess it’s time I returned home then.”
She started to turn away only to have him grab her arm and jerk her back against the wall roughly. His nostrils flared as he leaned his face close to hers. “I don’t like being teased,” he said angrily.
“I’m not teasing.” She swallowed and knew she had one chance with Balladyn or all would be lost. There would be no second chances with him. “You’re what a Dark is supposed to be. Not what others pretend to be. You lead and rule with power unlike anything I’ve ever heard of. I had to see you. I never expected to talk to you, much less have you notice me.”
He eyed her skeptically.
Shara rested her hand on one of his biceps and felt it flex beneath her palm. “Say the word, and I’ll return home.”
“I don’t want you to leave.”
She didn’t smile. Balladyn might not have sent her away, but she had a long way to go before she was his.
Kiril’s face flashed in her mind.
Damn, but why couldn’t the Dragon King stay out of her head? He was going to mess up everything, and if she wasn’t careful, he was going to get her killed.
“I’m glad,” Shara said to Balladyn. “Show me more of this fortress you rule. I want to see what you do here. I want to see the power you command with a single look.”
“This is no place for a female of your rank.”
Shara should have known she wouldn’t get close to Balladyn. No matter his power, her father would claim he wasn’t Dark enough to offer for her. All because he had been turned from Light to Dark instead of being born into a Dark family as she had.
She wasn’t sure why it mattered since the Dark began as Light Fae before they turned.
“I should return you to your father immediately,” Balladyn said as he ran a finger along her chin. “But I won’t.”
He stepped away from her and held his arm out to the side, offering for her to walk beside him through the fortress. Shara trembled with excitement. At least she preferred to call it excitement and not dread.
She was acutely aware of how close he stood and how often he brushed against her. He wanted her. He didn’t try to hide it or play coy. It was there for her—for anyone—to see as he walked her through the great hall.
The looks of fury and jealousy from the female Darks made her grin. None had been bold enough for Balladyn. They thought to gain his attention by lounging around. He was a different breed altogether, just as Kiril was.
Damn!
She really was going to have to stop that. No matter what, she was going to make sure she ended up with Balladyn. At least then she wouldn’t have to trap Kiril. Perhaps she could make sure he was gone from Ireland so she never had to worry about him being captured.
They walked from corridor to corridor, up stairways and through towers, and though Balladyn stayed close, he kept a tight rein on his desire. Shara managed to get his attention, but she was going to have to keep it. If she didn’t do something … wild … he was liable to forget her when she left.
She waited until they were walking down the winding steps of yet another tower with Balladyn in the lead before she faked a stumble. Her effort had been done so she could fall against him, but she wasn’t prepared for how quickly he moved.
One moment she was pitching forward, and the next he turned and had his arms around her. Shara found her face even with his. She didn’t give herself time to think on it, just leaned forward and kissed him.
There was a split second when he didn’t respond, and then his arms tightened as he held her and deepened the kiss. He was a skilled kisser, but her body didn’t stir as it had when Kiril kissed her.
Truth be told, it only took Kiril’s green eyes on her to send her blood pounding and need tightening low her in her stomach.
Balladyn, for all his handsomeness and power, stirred … nothing. She continued to kiss him as if she enjoyed it. It was something she would have to get used to no matter who she married. That thought had her sliding her fingers through the thick strands of his black and silver hair. A moan rumbled his chest in response.
It was long minutes later before he ended the kiss and looked at her. “You’re very bold, Shara.”
“Was I wrong to think that’s what you wanted?”
“No,” he said with a pleased smile.
He touched her silver stripe again. Shara moved out of his arms and gave him a stony look. “Is my lack of silver an issue?”
“Did I say it was?”