Page 102 of Promise of Darkness
Water is everywhere.
“When do we leave?”
“At first light. I’ll wake you at dawn,” he promises, turning toward the door. “Be ready.”
He’s halfway through when I can’t bear it anymore. This odd sense of tension looms between us, and I don’t know how to break it.
“Wait.”
He pauses there, glancing back. “Yes?”
My heart starts racing. “I owe you a kiss.”
“I thought you needed time.”
I don’t think time’s going to make any difference to the mess of confusion in my head, but maybe this will.
I close the distance between us and, pressing a hand to his chest, stretch up on my toes. “Are you declining my offer?”
Thiago’s eyelids hood his eyes, his breath whispering over my mouth. “Never.”
“Thank you.” I whisper the words against his lips. “For listening to me about thisleanabh an dàn.”
And then I lean into the kiss.
His mouth softens beneath mine, dangerously carnal in its allure.
It’s a different kiss than the one we shared when I nearly set the bed on fire. This one is soft with longing, and I can feel the anger in him softening, all his harsh edges easing as he leans into me.
The heat of his mouth is becoming familiar. More so when his hand slides down my spine and cups my ass aggressively. The action grinds me against him, and I break the kiss with a gasp.
It’s more than I expected.
And the look in his eyes says he’d like to throw me over his shoulder and slam me down on the bed if he could.
Or against a wall, where I could wrap my legs around his hips.
Or maybe those are just my thoughts, tempted by the solid heat of this male and the promise in his eyes.Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous.
This time, there’s a smile on his lips when he sees the effect he has on me.
“Sweet dreams, Princess,” he says, lifting my hand to his mouth and brushing a kiss there, his eyes shining with feral intensity.
He’s picturing it too.
I know it.
I curl my hand into a fist. Thalia suggested I simply enjoy what he’s offering, but some part of me can’t help feeling as though, if I make that decision, I’ll send the pair of us hurtling to a final, desperate conclusion.
25
The next day, Thiago leads me to the chambers that house the Hallow. It’s in the second-tallest tower of the palace, overlooking the sprawl of city below.
I peer through the arched windows, hungry for the sight of his city. Golden Ceres is known as the City of the Dawn, and with its rough-hewn sandstone, golden banners, and gleaming blue rooves, it looks it. The sea glistens in the distance, and gulls wheel through the air. It teems with life, a stark contrast to Valerian.
“This is the political center of Evernight,” the prince muses, resting a hand on the arch at my side, his body caging me in the open window. “Though I often feel more at home in Valerian despite the snows and the wraiths.”
“You feel like you belong in your City of the Dead?” It’s a strange confession to make.
