Page 88 of Kingdom of Tomorrow
“You need whatever I say you need.” The king pinned me with a hard stare. “If I discover you’ve lied—”
“She falls under my jurisdiction.” Cyrus stepped in front of me, acting as my shield. “I handle her.”
My eyes widened as the two faced off.
“You fall undermyjurisdiction,” the king snapped.
“Do I?” Cyrus said nothing else. He tilted his head, all calm and assurance.
To my shock, the king backed down. “Just ... see to it, or we’ll have this conversation again, and it will end much differently.”
Cyrus turned on his heel and strode off, expecting me to follow. Which I did. “Not another word until we’re alone,” he commanded at low volume.
As if I knew what to say.
We entered the elevator stall.
“You know whatEOSstands for, I’m sure,” I remarked as soon as the door had closed.
“You’re due for guard duty at the pritis mines,” he said, as if I hadn’t spoken. “I’d rather you stay with me. Stay, and I’ll share one of my interactions with Soal.”
My heart fluttered at his husky tone, and oh, the temptation. But I couldn’t shake a portion of Mr. Victors’s speech.Pritis stones die but shouldn’t. There’s no such thing as coincidences.
“I won’t neglect my duties.” I hoped my easy tone masked my frothing determination to peek inside the mines. “And I won’t stick my teammates with extra work because I fail to do my portion.” Excellent reasons. Very true and totally buyable.
He inhaled sharply, then nodded stiffly and poked at a panel of lights. The elevator shuddered into motion. “Victors told you more than you admitted to my father,” he stated, matter of fact.
Everything inside me seemed to stop. I looked straight ahead and admitted nothing.
“It’s okay. Don’t share the details with me until you’re ready.” He interwove our fingers, then brought my knuckles to his mouth for a kiss, leaving me breathless. “But maybe do me a favor and get ready in a hurry.”
My defenses threatened to crack.So soon?“How did I understand his words when others couldn’t?”
A muscle jumped in Cyrus’s jaw. “You weren’t given an aidem shot. If you had, Victors would’ve been forced to speak in a way we could all understand.”
“My file says I received the shot.” I remembered Dr. Korey and the medic discussing it. “I don’t understand how the aidem prevents me from detecting the use of a foreign language.” Or whyCuredwould ever desire to suppress such an ability.
Cyrus’s gaze captured mine. With his free hand, he brushed a lock of hair from my cheek. Ambrosia scented my next inhalation, and I shivered inside. “Why don’t I tell you what I’d say to you if we were a couple.”
I licked my lips and clasped his wrist to push him away ... or hold him close. He’d turned up the heat again, taking his pursuit of me a notch higher. I wasn’t immune.
I held him close.
Maybe I’d misconstrued his reasons for doing this. Maybe it had nothing to do with capturing Ember and everything to do with hisfeelings for me. Or even keeping me tied toCured. But no matter the reason, encouraging him was anything but wise.
“Yes, please,” I rasped like the fool I was. “Tell me.”
He cupped my cheek, branding my skin with his searing heat. “I would tell you I wasn’t supposed to like you. Then you showed up wearing your pink running clothes, broadcasting all kinds of vulnerabilities. Afraid but determined. Unwaveringly loyal yet guarded. Serious while being exceptionally fun to tease. It wasn’t long before staying away became the problem.”
I wanted to look anywhere else. Needed to. But I couldn’t. He’d trapped me in a web of yearning. It was okay, though, because right now we were only pretending.
“If I trusted you completely,” I said with a wispy catch of breath, leaning deeper into his personal space. “I would press myself against you, like this. I might even play with your hair and tell you things I shouldn’t.”
“Show me. Give me examples,” he commanded, nuzzling the tip of his nose against mine and releasing my hand.
Stomach fluttering, I glided my nails up his arm and caressed his jawline. His brand. I traced my thumb over the raised tissue, fascinated by the intricate webbing. As soon as I realized what I was doing, I tried to pull away, but he clasped my wrists and returned my hands to his face, then snaked his arms around my waist and locked me in place.
“Continue.” Another command.
