Page 172 of A Flame of the Phoenix

“Think about it. They wanted you to be unfeeling. Their perfect, ruthless leader. They never would have accepted you falling for someone, because they’ve made you believe that is the ultimate weakness. That you’re incapable of love.”

“You don’t know anything,” she hissed. “You don’t know what it was like down there.”

“You’re right. I don’t. But I know you…I’vefeltyou. Your biggest war will always be within yourself, because you want something you’ve been told your whole life you can’t have. That it will always betray you, and so you try to get there first.”

“I didn’t want anything from you, Ky. Not then, and not now.”

The skin around his eyes flexed. Zaiana was held by him. She didn’t want to be, and there was a threat in her that was screaming to turn away. Because when Kyleer looked at her, he didn’t see what everyone else did. Somehow, he had the ability to dive deeper, as if the vault of depravity and sin and heartbreak didn’t exist to him. He saw everything and never balked.

“When are you going to break free of their manipulation to think for your damned self?”

He might as well have struck her since those words held the impact of a blow to her gut.

“I should have killed you.”

“Probably. Because Gods forbid I actually shine a light on your delusions.”

The key to his cell was thrust into the lock before she even knew what she was doing. His irises flashed with wicked delight when the barrier between them swung open and she marched to him.

Kyleer’s back met the wall, and Zaiana braced her hands against his abdomen, leaning in close.

“I bet you’re running through the many ways you think you could overpower me and escape right now,” she said in a low, seductive murmur.

To her delight, Kyleer’s pulse picked up in speed, not expecting this reaction from her.

“I also bet there’s another voice that wants to stay,” she said, pushing up on her toes, but it wasn’t enough to reach his mouth unless he inched his face closer to meet her. Slowly, his head did angle down, enough that they shared breath.

Zaiana couldn’t deny the closeness affected her. That she too had to silence voices in her mind that wanted to surrender to the enemy.

Just as his irises began to cloud with the same alignment of thought, it winked out with a hiss when her metal guards pressed into the wound on his side. Zaiana pushed off him, slicing into it as she did.

The scent of his blood flooded the air stronger. Zaiana was transfixed by the crimson over the metal on her middle and pointer fingers. The thirst in her throat tightened to pain. So fast she’d never experienced this rage of desire for it before. Especially not from a fae.

“Do it,” he said thickly.

She hadn’t heard him approach, so temptingly close. Zaiana should have gained distance, but she didn’t. Not even when his hand reached around the wrist she held up.

Their stares locked with a heat that battled fire with fire.

Zaiana lost herself, letting him guide her hand to her mouth. Her breathing quickened.

This is so wrong.

Yet the craving roared over all her senses.

The moment the blood touched her tongue, Zaiana exploded with euphoria. Her lips closed around the metal tip of the talon adorning her finger, and she was hardly aware of the arm thatwound around her waist, pulling her against a solid warmth that entangled with the taste of him.

“You are a stunning little monster,” Kyleer said as a quiet gravel. His pupils were so large they’d swallowed most of the green. His thumb traced over her bottom lip, and her hand dropped.

“There are at least seven ways I could kill you right now,” he said.

“Only seven?”

“How many do you have?”

“At least nine, but I can get creative in the moment.”

“I don’t doubt that for a second.”

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