Page 136 of The Kingdom's Reckoning
So instead of saying anything at all, she bent down. Slowly and carefully, she ran her hand up his chest and neck. Her fingers curled into the ink-black hair at the base of his head. Time seemed to stand still, as if the world was waiting to see what she would do next. If she would let herself fall.
"I have waited years to have you, Kalisandre. I could wait longerif I needed to."
"But?" she prodded.
His hands tightened on her thighs, his thumbs brushing up and down tenderly, setting her core aflame. "But nothing. Take whatever time you need, little mouse."
She felt his chest rise as he inhaled a deep breath. She waited for the exhale, but it didn’t come, as if he was waiting for her, giving her the power and the choice. Giving hertime.
But Kallie didn’t need time. Not anymore.
"I think I’m tired of waiting," Kallie said. Then, without giving him a chance to respond, she eliminated the rest of the space between them and kissed him.
His lips were soft and molded to hers immediately. Chills spread down her neck and over her spine as he gripped her thighs more firmly. Yet his kiss remained tender, sweet, and full of unspoken words and promises. She dug her fingers further into his hair. She gently tugged him closer, deepening the kiss.
This, this was what she wanted. What she needed. Not simply because of the closeness or the physicality of it all, but the security. The understanding and trust Graeson offered her.
For years, Kallie had thought freedom meant independence. She hadn’t wanted to tie her life to another. But because of herfear of being caged, she lost sight of the beauty of the fall, the weightlessness.
She was done fighting the fall. She was done fightinghim.
A golden warmth ignited at every point of contact—where their lips brushed, where her hand gripped his neck, where his thumb grazed the patch of skin at her hip. It spread like an inferno, traveling through her veins, to her core. Every limb buzzed with an intoxicating energy that set her body aflame.
Kallie gasped and pulled back. She stared at Graeson, awestruck. His eyes were as bright as the full moon as he blinked up at her with a similar expression.
Her lips parted, but there were no words to describe the feeling that consumed her.
"You feel that too, right?" he asked, voice trembling as if he believed he was imagining it all.
Unable to speak, Kallie nodded. A honeyed-warmth ran through her bloodstream, and her limbs trembled. Every nerve was on fire, and she wanted to drown in the flames. She had never experienced anything similar, yet she knew immediately what it was. The soul bond was snapping into place, wrapping around them and weaving their souls together.
"Are you…are you sure?" Graeson asked, brows knitting together.
She laid her palm on the side of his face and swiped her finger across his cheek. "As far as I know, this isn’t something you can take back once it’s done."
"I mean no, but if it was by accident, if you’re not ready, we’ll find a way. We’ll?—"
"Graeson," Kallie said, her smile widening. "I’m yours. I’m done fighting."
"I do not wish to own you, Kalisandre," Graeson said.
"I know." And she did know that, but she also knew her soul was irrevocably entwined with his, soul bond or not.
Graeson smiled back at her, and the emotion in his gaze did something to her.
One of his hands skated up to her hips as his other palmed the back of her head. Before he could pull her closer, she pressed a hand against his chest. "Wait."
"What is it, little mouse?" His pupils dilated, and a muscle in his jaw ticked as if he was hanging by a thread.
His slipping control only made her smile even wider.
"Promise me one thing," she said, drawing circles across his chest with a finger.
"For you?" he breathed out. "Anything."
She could have sworn a stream of smoke escaped his mouth. His grip on her waist tightened, his muscles straining, as he waited for her. She had a passing thought that he would wait forever if she asked him.
The thread connecting their souls hummed.
