Page 76 of A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash

His eyes dropped—to her neck, to the soft expanse of golden skin. He wanted—gods, he wanted to sink his teeth into her throat, to taste the heat of her. His lips hovered far too close to hers.

‘Of course she can, princess,’ he said, taunting. He felt the way her stomach clenched, the way her breath hitched as a flush bloomed across her cheeks. ‘Citius, Nisha!’

The wyvern obeyed, diving through the clouds, faster, faster, until the castle became nothing but a speck below them. The land stretched wide beneath them—the forests, the villages, the jagged ridge of the mountains, all shrinking in their wake.

Alina signaled a direction, and Kai steered. They descended, the wind screaming past them as Nisha hurtled towards the earth. Finally, they landed, touching down just miles from the volcanic crater. Kai jumped down first.

‘Relinquo, Nisha.’

The wyvern rumbled, shaking the dust from her wings.

‘And how am I supposed to get down?’Alina remained seated, arms crossed. Kai grinned, arms outstretched.

‘Jump. I’ll catch you, princess.’

She hesitated. ‘What if you miss?’

Kai’s smirk softened, just slightly. ‘I’ll never miss. I promise.’

She jumped.

A shriek. A rush of movement. And then—she was in his arms. Kai held her there, unmoving.

Her flushed cheeks.

Her lips—plump, pink, slightly parted.

His gaze dropped. Would he burn if he kissed her? She was warm, so warm. Sunlight and fire, golden and untouchable. What would it feel like to press his lips to hers? To test the heat of her against the cold of him?

Alina coughed and Kai blinked—snapping back, releasing her far too quickly.

‘Relinquo, Nisha.’

The wyvern shot into the sky.

Kai watched as dragons loomed further ahead.

‘You’re sweating,’ Alina pointed out.

‘I’m a wyverian, princess. We normally live in cold lands. Yours is not precisely a winter wonderland. And the top of a volcano does not help with my condition.’

‘Take some layers off.’

Kai arched an eyebrow at her. ‘You would like that, would you?’

Alina rolled her eyes. ‘Fine, sweat to death.’

‘I’lltake something off if you do, too.’

‘This is not a bet, wyverian. You are the one that looks uncomfortable in this heat. I am a drakonian, this is normal for me.’

Kai cocked his head. ‘So you will just leave me to melt to death? I am your guest in this land, princess. You ought to assist me.’

‘I amnotundressing.’

‘You won’t be undressed if we both do it.’

‘That does not make sense. Erase the smug smile immediately, wyverian. Take your clothes off or don’t. I am not playing your silly childish games.’

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