Page 30 of The Stolen Throne

My cheeks flush. He bends till his breath brushes against my ear. “I want you to scream my name. So if I catch you, I get you.” He pulls away, grinning wickedly. “Do you agree?”

I give a stiff nod.

“Words, Sunshine.”

Taking a deep breath, I say, “Yes.”

“Good,” he growls.

I start to tremble, and I’m no longer sure if I want to win or lose. Though losing does sounds more appealing.

“Now… run and hide.” He backs away from me and crosses his arms to wait.

With a look over my shoulder, I say, “I don’t know where any of the good hiding places are.”

He arches a brow with a smirk. “Then I suppose you better learn fast. You have one minute before I come searching for you. And your time starts, now.”

I let out a shriek and begin running down the hallway. I’m running so fast that I don’t see the dark figure who steps out from around the corner until it’s too late. I slam into a hard chest, squealing when I fall on my ass.

Groaning, I look up to find a wide-eyed Branimir. He holds out a hand and asks, “Are you okay? Why were you running so fast?”

Taking the offered hand, I let him pull me up. Looking behind me, I turn back. “I’m playing a game with Rev. Got to go! Bye!”

I go to pull away, but he doesn’t release my hand. “What game are you playing?”

I tug on my hand, trying to get free. “Hide-and-seek. I only have so much time to hide. I’ve got to go, Mir!”

He smirks as he takes in my flustered state. “Are you trying to win or lose, Darling?”

I blush, and he chuckles as he releases my hand. He points down the hall. “If you want to lose, I recommend hiding in his room. But if you want to win, hide in Dax’s.”

I give him a nod and take off again. I hear him laugh behind me and call out, “Good luck.”

As I run, I debate if I want to win or not. The game with Alair was very rewarding, and I imagine it would be the same with Rev. I did say I wanted to enjoy my time here. Making the decision to lose, I duck into Rev’s room.

I attempt to calm my breathing as I look around. There aren’t many places for me to hide in here. He keeps the bare minimum, which leaves either hiding behind the curtains or under the bed.

Rushing over to the bed, I shimmy under it as best I can. I’ve just managed to scoot all the way under when the door slams open. I cover my mouth to keep from yelping. The floorboards squeak with each step closer he takes; he’s doing it on purpose. He knows how to move silently; he wouldn’t be making a sound unless he wanted to. He knows I’m in here.

“Seems one of my brothers told you where to hide.” There’s another creak as he steps closer. “If I had to guess, it was Mir. He’s the only one who would suggest my room as hiding place.”

I look down when I hear the floor creak right next to my feet. Suddenly, he leans down, and Rev’s eyes meet mine, a wide grin spreading across his face. “Found you.”

With little warning, I’m ripped out from under the bed, and my wide eyes meet his pitch black ones as he straddles me. It feels as if he’s looming over me with how much power radiates from him.

“Now to collect my prize, Sunshine.”

I can’t help but ask, “Why do you call me sunshine?”

His eyes briefly flash to their beautiful chocolate color before being consumed by darkness once more. “I find it hard to stay in the shadows when you are around. It’s hard to hide when you shine so brightly.”

My heart warms at his words, and I smile up at him. “Then, I will make sure to shine.”

He hums before softly pressing his lips to mine and nipping at my bottom lip. He pulls away as I pant for more. “I have wondered what you taste like from the moment I watched Kas devour you.”

My eyes flutter closed as I feel him shift down my body and lift the lower half of my dress up over my stomach. He spreads my legs wide and lifts my ass off the floor. I open my eyes to see my legs thrown over his shoulders and his dark eyes peering at me.

“You aren’t wearing any underwear, Sunshine.”