At the top of the stairs, Kane turns. “Spit it out.”
“What?” My voice is short and clipped. I can’t be bothered to hide my irritation. I’ve been standing on a doorway in the slums of Verstad for hours, and Kane has the audacity to bring me to a brothel. Me. A princess of Ryrn.
"You're not a very good liar, Briar." Kane rolls his eyes, and my anger ignites further. He pushes a door at the end of the hall open and ushers me inside. "I half expected you to stab a dagger in my back."
My breath cuts short, caught in my chest, at his words. Fear strangles me for an instant as I wonder if Aiden told him what happened. But Kane looks unbothered waiting for me to speak. I force myself to brush past him, towards the cozy-looking bed. “I’m tired. Where are the others?”
“Why do you care?” Kane asks.
I glance over my shoulder, surprised by the edge to his voice. Kane’s black eyes are cold and narrow. Suddenly, he closes the distance between us in a single stride. I gasp sharply as his hands clench my shoulders tightly. He forces me back against the bed and I’m too shocked to fight back when he shoves me onto my back. I whimper at the force of his movements, eyes wide with surprise and a hint of fear. He looms over me, one knee propped on the mattress beside my thigh. Our chests are close enough to brush with each breath. Every accidental touch feels like fire.
“I smelt Aiden on you. Why?”
My heart stops. “I don’t know,” I pant, unable to think of a convincing lie. He leans closer, his hot breath wafting over my face. I close my eyes, squeezing them shut, to hide from him. I don’t want him to see how much pleasure is tingling through my body.
Kane leans closer, his lips brushing over the curve of my neck, and I gasp. Heat blooms through me and my core throbs. “Like I said, you’re not a good liar, Briar,” Kane growls, voice rumbling. “Should I be jealous?”
“Should I be?” I shoot back, eyes snapping open.
“What do you mean?” Kane asks, lifting his head to pin me down with his gaze.
I could lose myself in his black eyes. “The woman,” I whisper, hardly daring to breathe when his eyes dart to my chest. “You wanted her.”
Kane snorts. “I’m a good liar.”
“Was it a lie?” I press, suddenly feeling brazen.
“What if it weren’t?” Kane asks. The very air seems to crackle with electricity. His lips are only a fraction of an inch from mine. “How would that make you feel?”
“Unwanted.” The word slips from my mouth before I can stop it. I clamp my lips shut, cheeks flushing bright red. I have no right to say such things, or to even feel such things. I have a duty. But, Gods, I’m failing.
Kane is quiet, his endless eyes boring straight into my soul it feels. Suddenly, Kane presses his lips against mine in a fierce kiss. He steals my breath for an instant. Usually so cold, his lips are feverishly hot. Kane's hands slip from my shoulders to cup my cheeks as his lips move with mine. My heart feels as if it could burst, nerves, and explosive pleasure building inside of me. His tongue runs across my lips, and my body pulses with want. As if he can sense this, he coaxes my lips apart with his tongue. His tongue darts into my mouth, and a moan escapes me.
My body stiffens, shame at the helm. But Kane twists his fingers in my hair, breathing me in the way a drowning man would take his first gulp of clear air, and suddenly nothing else seems to matter. I loop my fingers around his belt as he eases his body onto mine, straddling me. Our heavy, quick breaths echo through the room. Kane drags his tongue over my neck, and I feel the soft tingling of his vampire venom, but it's nothing compared to the last dose he gave me. He must be restraining himself for me. The thought sends a tendril of warmth up my spine. I open my eyes for a moment, just to assure myself that this is reality and not a dream. As if he can feel my gaze on him, his eyes snap open. The darkness of his pupils has melted across the whites of his eyes, but it doesn't scare me. I close my eyes again, inhaling deeply as one of his hands finds my breast. It simply feels right.
I wrap my arms around him, the first time I’ve ever done so when I’m not in distress. It’s almost impossible for me to reach around his broad shoulders. My back arches as his lips trail over my collarbone, towards the neckline of my shirt. A growl vibrates in his chest and my nails dig into his shoulders. Pleasure floods through me and my thighs tighten around him. Kane growls, rolling his hips against mine. My body is aching with desperate need for him, a need I’ve never felt before.
“Kane,” I breathe, eyes fluttering.
At the sound of my voice, he pulls away. Kane darts off of me so quickly he’s gone by the time I open my eyes. He stares coldly at me, eyes raking over my disheveled clothes. I blush, covering myself with the cloak I never had time to take off. Guilt and confusion flicker in his eyes but then he looks away, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Kane’s shoulders relax, and he looks like the dark king he is – without a care in the world because it’s already in his pocket. I sit up quickly, trying to recover my breath. My core throbs once more and I bite my bottom lip, hard enough to
