Page 67 of The King is Dead
My grip tightened on her. “I will die before I’ll let him get his hands on you—him, or any other male.”
“You’ll die just to stop yourself having to take the crown,” she muttered in return, and even though I knew she meant it as a joke, I heard the unspoken question in her heart.
“Yilan… I will not say that every choice I make is the right one. But this one is, and I know it: I will stand at your side, at the throne, or in the way of the Angel of Death himself if it ensures you are safe. You are a part of me. And I would rather be imprisoned on a throne with you, than free without you. I’m sorry that I took so long to admit that.”
I met her half-hopeful, half-skeptical gaze with an earnest one of my own, but tipped her chin and pulled her in.
“Do you need me to prove it to you, Love?”
Her eyes widened a hair, heat flashing in them. “I might… benefit from some… evidence,” she said breathlessly.
“The Queen’s wish is my command,” I rumbled, rolling her onto her back and covering her as I plunged hands into her hair and held her into my kiss.
23. Death Himself
~ MELEK ~
Sometime later, as my heart returned to its normal beat, we lay together in silence. The bond thrummed in my chest, pulsing with what could only be described as joy. It hummed between us, swells of warmth and intimacy bouncing back and forth from my heart to hers, gathering, returning, leaving another spark…
It was breathtaking. And addictive.
I could feel it feeding a whole new rush of desire for her, which was dangerous. The temptation would be to simply bury myself in her for the whole night and day and night, forget the outside world and wallow in my mate. And given what I felt emanating from her in the bond, she wouldn’t be hard to convince.
The words I’d spoken to her hadn’t been empty.I will stand at your side, at the throne, or in the way of the Angel of Death himself if it ensures you are safe. You are a part of me. And I would rather be imprisoned on a throne with you, than free without you…
The thought of anything without her made me growl and hold her tighter.
Yilan squirmed in my grip. “What is it, what’s wrong? What made you tense?”
“Death himself,” I muttered.
Yilan tensed, but I stroked her hair, my eyes darting to that window behind her as visions of the Fallen who had visited, crouching on its sill, laying claim to her, swam in my head.
I’d never seen Lucifer, the Fallen Archangel before, the male said to have the blackest soul in all Creation. The one who led the Great Rebellion, and who stood in opposition to God Himself. But I’d seen his hand at work. And when our eyes had locked in the moonlight, something in me had quavered.
I knew it was him, though I couldn’t have said how.
“I still don’t understand what he would want with me specifically—unless it’s just to take me fromyou,” Yilan said grimly.
“I don’t know, but I will not breathe easily. We have to resist him, Yilan.”
“Of course!”
“No, I meant—”
“I know what you meant, and I’m offended that you think I might be taken in—”
“You don’t understand… The Fallen have been here since the dawn of time. They know our natures, our weaknesses, the things that tempt us… You can givenogap in your defenses. Not a whisper of agreement. Lucifer is immortal. Wise. Cunning. Intelligent in ways we can’t even fathom. Youmustresist him and anything he brings.”
“What part of that monster do you think I’d agree with?” she said, incredulous, rolling towards me to meet my eyes, her expression horrified and a little angry. “How could you think I wouldn’t resist? You think Iwantto breed with that… that creature?”
“No, of course not. But…Damn.We need Jannus. He knows so much more about them than I do.”
Jannus. Leading the Nephilim in battle. Growing support. He’d never spoken of ambition for the crown. Was it because I was gone? Had my best friend’s heart been turned by power? Could it be that the Fallen were interfering with him as well? Did he think I had killed Gault? And if not… Did he move forward with a plan to restore me, or kill me?
I pushed the dark thought away to focus on Yilan who was staring worriedly at me.
“There’s nothing we can do with the Fallen except resist. That is truly key. There’s no humanity in them. Youmustrefute anythingthey offer or suggest, even a simple piece of information or insight. Perhaps especially that. Oppose their manipulations and lies, otherwise you’ll be sucked in until everything they say soundsright. I’ve seen it, Yilan—with smarter people than us. Do not underestimate the Fallen, particularly Lucifer. They don’t call him the Father of Lies for nothing. He will play on your weakness, tempt you, seduce you, and if that doesn’t work, he’ll kill you.”
