Page 108 of Kingdom of Tomorrow
Cyrus yawned and settled his face into the hollow of my neck. “You always smell so good.”
“Thank you,” I repeated, all but bursting from my skin. “Pretty please with extra please, elaborate.”
“Well, there are notes of roses, lemons—”
“Not my scent,” I interjected with an involuntary chuckle. “Describe the movie you watched on the Rock.”
“Your laughter makes me happy.”
Warmth spread over the surface of my skin. “Cyrus. Your book. Movie. Me.”
A sigh slipped from him. “You looked at me with such love and trust, and I wanted it to be real so badly. When finally I met you, I wasn’t sure what to think or do.”
Every part of me liquefied. “I think Soal is trying to bring us together. Victors may have mentioned—and this isn’t an admission—that we might, maybe, eventually ... get married.”
“Let’s serve apples and figs at the reception.”
I snorted. So not the reaction I’d expected. All right, interrogation over. I traced my fingertips over his brand. “Get some rest. You lost a lot of blood.”
“That’s okay.” He nuzzled into my hand. “There’s extra in the fridge.”
What! “You keep bags of blood in your refrigerator?”
“You don’t?” Mirth glittered in his sleepy eyes. “The blood is my own, used for infusions after combat. We’ll begin harvesting yours.”
“I know a plot to clone me when I hear it,” I teased, rearranging our positions to more comfortably rest my head on his shoulder. “Does this hurt?”
“No. It’s good. Everything I imagined and more.”
Mmm. His radiating heat wrapped us in a protective bubble, where a sense of connection simmered, sweetened withhisscent. The trials of the past two years faded into mist, easing strain’s vise grip on my muscles and bones.
“Don’t go spying tonight,” he muttered. “The building holds three active counts and countesses, plus the former count of medical, and my father. Cameras are everywhere.”
Interesting. I’d like to meet the former head of medical. And the other aristocracy. They oversaw every aspect of our lives. “We should host a party soon. Invite the neighbors.” I had questions. Somebody knew something about this latest outbreak. What caused it. Who gained.
“Party,” Cyrus echoed, toying with the ends of my hair.
I wasn’t sure I’d ever enjoyed anything more. Other than his kiss. “Don’t stop.” Oh! Two felines peeked out from beneath a chair, only to hide after our gazes collided. I grinned. New side mission: win them over so I could nuzzle those precious faces.
“You did amazing out there,” he said, sounding more awake.
“Your wound is calling you a liar.”
“I understood what was happening with the Rock. I’m talking about before. You didn’t crack.”
Well. “I did do amazing, didn’t I?” Fear had never overwhelmed me. I hadn’t let it. “You did amazing too. You kept us both safe.”
“As a reward, I’d like to hear about your book. What you saw. Don’t want to wait, after all.”
As if I could keep secrets while he continued playing with my hair. “I saw memories plucked from my history. The happiest day of my sister’s life, when I was in awe of her determination to achieve her goals. I was reminded of her desire to study pritis and her belief that they sing to her. Then I relived the time my mother encouraged my agricultural dream followed by the moment I met Shiloh.” I saved the code for tomorrow, when he had a clearer head. Maybe it was a key to help me decipher the marks on the Rock.
“You miss him,” my companion said with a soft undertone I didn’t quite understand.
“Yes. Shiloh made me smile and helped me feel safe.”
Cyrus brushed locks from my temple and focused his ministrations on my nape. “What do I do to you?”
Make me crave.“That’s a confession for another day.”
