Page 99 of A Flame of the Phoenix

“I do.”

Zaiana’s violence was growing under her skin.

“I’m fine. Let’s just get away from this,” she said, already marching away.

If he wasn’t hers to guard and escort right now, she would have taken to the skies. Instead she gripped Kyleer’s chain and dragged him along with her marching pace. Her mouth wouldn’t stop salivating. Her breathing came in harsh drags, but not even the icy air could numb the itching thirst in her throat.

Finally, the scent of blood drifted away, faint enough for her to start composing herself. Letting go of Kyleer, she cast her sights skyward and counted the stars to distract herself.

“Your control is admirable. That didn’t look easy to resist.”

She didn’t want to talk. Too bad that was Kyleer’s favorite pastime.

He said, “My offer still stands, by the way?—”

Zaiana was still volatile, and the reminder of blood pushed her violence through her hands on Kyleer’s chest. Caught unawares, Kyleer grunted when his back slammed into the closet building.

“Don’t tempt me again. If I sink my teeth into your throat, I won’t stop until there’s nothing left,” she snarled.

“Understood,” he said, but there was still a hint of deviance in his eyes.

As they kept walking, Zaiana admired the beauty of a kingdom bathed in glittering snow, but the temperature left little to be desired. She was accustomed to cold climates and had faced training and trials in the thickest of winters, but she always preferred the heat of bright summer days or the warmth of a fire outdoors where it became a shield, battling the bitter temperature and wrapping her in protective arms.

Childish thoughts.Her mind cast them away.

Icicles hung as if the buildings had wept and their tears had frozen before they could melt against the snow. For the main streets, two narrow stone paths were separated by a river big enough for small boats to pass through. Occasionally, Zaiana lost herself to the rippling water, feeling a certain pull to search deeper, as if creatures beyond her knowledge might lurk below.

“Can you swim?” Kyleer asked after their long walk of silence.

“Yes.”

She didn’t know when it had begun to happen, but she could feel certain emotions from him, and when she stole a glance, she confirmed his hardly suppressed smile.

“Did you know, your jaw tenses and you let one heartbeat pass before you tell a lie?”

“You can’t possibly have picked up on that.”

“I had enough time to think over everything from those months you were my captive.”

“I haven’t thought about you at all.”

There it was again—that smile of infuriating callout.

“I can swim.”

“But if I pushed you into that river, you might not make it to the side?”

She dared him in her cold stare.

“The river isn’t that wide.”

“Ah, so you can swim well enough, but you fear unknown waters with depths that could host?—”

“Stop that.”

“What?”

“Trying to read me as if I’m some damned book.”

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