Page 11 of Fire Kissed
“Y—yyyessss,” Serpan whispers on quivering lips.
He shoves harshly away from the man. “Get the fuck out of my sight,” Torben says before taking my hand in his and leading me casually away from the Queen’s slithering pet.
After several staggering steps, I peer back just once, but we’re alone again.
Torben smooths out his glorious beard like it’s really been ruffled during that strange scuffle. I can’t take my eyes off of him.
What’s mine is mine.
Emotions flood my cheeks until a shiver of that reckless confusion races up my arms.
“You didn’t have to do that for me,” I whisper.
He doesn’t have to pretend for me. He doesn’t have to risk getting in trouble for me.
“Didn’t do it for you, Princess.” He looks quickly down a side hall but keeps going to an unknown destination.
I try to understand his words, but I can’t.
“If you didn’t do it for me, why did you do it?”
He stops dead in his tracks when we turn a corner, only to stand before an open balcony with no railing. The arching door leads out to a platform that overlooks the endless night. It’s a flat, dense, inky skyline. Not one single star shines bright. It’s a very fitting look of the night sky in the midst of Hell. Why would there be any stars in a place that has no hope?
Somewhere out there is a Hellhound guarding this castle. And my sweet Hell cat as well.
And to think, at one time, I wanted to save that hellish dog.
Now I’m as much of a prisoner as he is.
“I did it because you’ll never be like me. I’ll make sure of that. I did it for you as much as I did it for me.”
At the sound of his rumbling voice, I realize I’m still holding his hand. Less than a few inches of space separate us, and I can’t help but turn toward him as a gust of cold wind flits in between us.
“I thought you were the Queen’s lover.”
Tension lines between his brow. “I am.”
My head rears back, and I’m reconsidering every ounce of compassion I ever felt for this barbaric asshole.
“Oh.” I pull my hand from his, and I know we’re literally standing at the edge of Hell here, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to leap to my death looking like a fool for holding his fucking hand. “So she’s your lover. And she beats you. And tortures your friends. Sounds like a peach. You’re so lucky to have her.”
Wow, is my petty showing. Fuck it. Let it walk around nude, flipping the bird and being the salty bitch I know she is.
“She... she captured me, Rhys. I’m... whatever she says I am: Her lover. Her pet. Her victim. She owns me.” The depths of his eyes hold a dark place I can finally see clearly now. The pain there will never be let out. It’ll always reside hidden beneath every brooding, harsh look he portrays; all that anger just to hide the pain underneath. “My soul is not my own,” he whispers. “I’ve learned to accept that.”
My friend, Petty, melts into a puddle, and my heart’s left to mop up my trembling emotions as I stare up at this beautifully haunted man.
The roughness of his palm meets my fingertips as I pull his hand into mine and step closer and closer, until I’m arching up against his chest. My lashes close, my lips press to his cheek, and I feel the heavy breath that releases in his lungs. It fans across my neck with the weight of a big hand holding onto the small of my back tightly. He crushes me against him, and I can’t help but fling my arms around his shoulders and let him wrap himself up in the comfort of my body.
I know what it’s like to just want to be held, to have the entire world pushing down on you, and all you want is to have someone protect your fragile body with theirs for just a little while.
We stand like that in silence for a long moment, his hard chest melding against mine. The shirt he gave me has ridden up high, and I note just how dangerously close my bare hips are to his. What would it be like to finally give in to the confusing relationship we have? I could easily kick off from the ground right now and wrap my long legs around his lean hips.
My guilty face lowers into the crook of his neck as I realize I’ve tainted something pure. He needs a friend.
I need one too.
And right now is not the time for dirty thoughts to rush into innocent moments like this.
