Page 98 of Kingdom of Tomorrow
“I thought we discussed the fact that your face hides nothing, Pink.”
“Bad face,” I pouted.
“Beautiful face,” he corrected, kissing my brow.
Shivers cascaded over me in warm waves, freeing Mr. Victors’s prediction from its mental prison. Future wife of Cyrus Dolion.
Nope, not going there today.“Are you planning to overwork me as hard as yesterday?”
“Probably harder.” He took my glass, finished off what remained, and herded me through the suite. “There’s something we need to discuss first.”
“Agreed. Soal. Astan. The war of gods. Pritis. I’m ready when you are.”
He tsked. “You think you’ve won my trust so easily?”
“Maybe I could win it if you finally shared your secrets, giving me a chance to prove myself trustworthy.” We exited into the hallway.
He snorted. “That’s an excellent manipulation tactic. So good I could’ve taught it to you myself.”
“Thank you.” I curtsied, earning the world’s most endearing, rusty chuckle.
We approached the elevator, and the doors opened automatically. In the stall, he bumped my shoulder with his own. “What I intended to tell you is this. We’re not leaving anything behind here.” Peering down at me, he arched a brow. “Do you understand?”
I thought I did, and relief washed through me. He’d managed to retrieve the transmitter undetected. “Thank you.”
“For you, anything.”
Things inside me bloomed with his praise. A sudden curiosity directed me to a different track, topic-wise. “Dr. Korey doesn’t seem like your type. Or even like someone you once admired.”
“Pondering my love life, I see. Perhaps even a wee bit jealous.” As I sputtered out a denial, he let a lock of my hair pass between his fingers. “Back then, I didn’t even know my type.”
“Let me rephrase. Dr. Korey doesn’t seem like anyone’s type. She’s too ...” What was a good word to describe her and not get written up for insubordination? “Haughty.”
“She is. But she took care of me when I was injured. Or I thought she did.” He rubbed his brand. “It was a confusing time. Thankfully, I wised up to her desire for power. The more she’s given, the more she craves.”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed.” Whatever she’d done must have been bad, considering the way he treated her. “I’m guessing the relationship occurred after your first fight with John Victors.”
“Correct.” He made a distracted sound in the back of his throat. “I was trapped in the darkness without my gear, and a horde of feeders surrounded me. Victors showed up and helped me fight them. When we killed the last, we turned on each other.”
I tensed at the thought of Cyrus in so much danger. How close he’d come to dying.
He said no more, and I didn’t press. The elevator stopped, the doors opening. We strode into a private hall.
“This is where we part, Pink.” Giving my chin a gentle chuck, he said, “Join your teammates, and I’ll see you on the other side.”
“Sir, yes, sir.” I didn’t know why, but I felt lighter on my feet than I had in years. No, not true. I did know why. The kiss. His embrace. He’d helped me drain a thousand pounds of boiling frustration. I smiled as I gavehischin a chuck. “Stop being cute. It’s beneath you.”
He barked out a laugh. I pivoted on my heel and sashayed through a door, satisfaction accompanying me inside the transport room. How I enjoyed making him happy.
Clusters of soldiers formed a line in front of the three rifts. I claimed the spot at the end of the far right, behind Juniper. We didn’t speak as Cyrus marched in and a guard hightailed it to his side. They went through a rift first, one after the other, and the rest of us made our way forward. When my turn arrived, I approached without hesitation.
Pain hit the second I stepped inside the gloom, just as it always hit, but I noticed it less this go-round. Then I was standing in light, Cyrus directly in front of me.
“You good?” he asked, expectant.
“Yes. You?”
“I am, thank you.” He flashed a warm smile before stalking off and calling, “Get to decontamination. We have a busy day ahead.”
