Page 138 of Eternal Ruin
He couldn’t help it then—Susenyos pressed a finger to her mouth. At first, it was to stop her from calling him human, but he didn’t pull back. She stuttered a breath. He studied her soft features, trying to unravel his thoughts.
“When you nearly went over that hole, I thought that was the last time I’d see you alive,” he confessed, his body stiffening again with the memory of Arin’s claws. “Not many things terrify me, but your death does, yené Kidan. It has power over me in a way nothing else does.”
Susenyos rarely felt his vampire heart pound, but it did now. Slowly and out of rhythm, like it was remembering how terrifying it was to care for a human being constantly under death’s scythe.
Kidan’s eyes creased. At first, he thought it was tears, but it was relief. Like she’d wanted to hear this for a very long time.
“I thought saving my life was a cost you couldn’t afford,” Kidan said, voice serious, but her eyes were dancing, reflecting the sun.
“No,” Susenyos said seriously. “Your life isn’t a cost or a burden. You’re my companion. That means it’s not only my duty but an honor to live by your side and protect you. And I’m sorry it took me so long to realize it.”
This time, her pupils expanded, filling with light. Susenyos brushed her braids away with his free hand, cupping her face. Her cheeks were blazing against his palm.
Kidan’s eyes dropped to his chest and slid to the side, a sign of her mind ticking away. A dangerous mind he wanted to glimpse into.
“What are you thinking?” he whispered, sounding already lost in her presence.
Her pupils focused on him again, a dark fire replacing the previous sparkle. “I’ll get you everything you want. The artifact. The location of the Nefrasi. Just trust me one more time, please.”
The determination to her voice made him… believe her for some reason. He knew how deadly she was when she wanted something, though. Yet he wasn’t thinking clearly.
He was fighting himself from askingAnd you? What do I have to do to get you?
Her chest rose and fell against his own, and he tried not to think about how soft she felt even through the layers of clothes. Her pupils dilated, expanding larger than he’d ever seen them, letting more light in to see all of him. She stared at his mouth and lifted her eyes in question.
“If I kiss you, I won’t be able to stop,” he confessed. “But I don’t think I have the strength to resist anymore.”
She smiled slowly, the curve of her mouth as attractive as any holy blade. He wanted to be cut by it and lick every drop of blood she offered him.
He was fighting his last restraint.
She breathed roughly, sharing the same air as him. “Then don’t.”
It was no use. She had no idea what was about to happen, and Susenyos tried to explain. Pressing his forehead against hers.
“Biting the tongue… releases memories of pleasure. If I bite your tongue, I won’t be able to stop.”
Her eyes widened.
The brook swam around their ankles, the stillness of the scenery lit by a small ray of sun.
This was why he wouldn’t kiss her during Cossia Day. Not because he didn’t wish to feel her lips on his but because he couldn’t.
But all she said was, “Kiss me still.”
With his last wavering will, he removed the silver nail in his mouth with his tongue, spat it out like a bullet. The licked silver rushed to find its targets—Taj and Iniko, guided by his blood, his will.
“Why did you—” she began.
“So I can feel you properly.” Susenyos brushed his lips against hers and his body whimpered. “But also so they can stop us if I can’t. God, I hope they stop us.”
Then he kissed her.
47.
SUSENYOS
Their mouths parted at the same time, pressing together in a small, tender gasp. They froze on the precipice of torturous lust. He wanted to stay like this forever, stretch this moment until every bone and muscle tremored. They breathed heavily, quickly, out of rhythm. Kidan made a sound and began to slide down but his arm wrapped around her waist, holding her up. Susenyos sped to the nearest tree and gently rested her back against it.
