Chapter Sixteen #2
My lips curved. The moment his eyes caught the moonlight and his mouth tugged into a crooked smile, something warm bloomed low in my belly.
“We need to talk, though,” he said. “And I doubt that’ll happen if you stay dressed like that.”
I glanced down. The silk clung dangerously close to baring my breasts.
With a sigh, he swung his legs off the bed and pushed to his feet. He moved to the window, scanning the skies—always cautious—then crossed the room to a small dresser.
“You said you love me.”
His voice cut through the hush. I sat up straight. The playfulness, the teasing edge had vanished. What remained wasn’t regal or commanding, but it carried weight. Not authority. Something more raw. He leaned against the drawers, a twitch beneath his eye.
“That hasn’t changed,” I said, words tentative, testing the waters.
“I left Radaan with clear intentions. Your father knows exactly why I came.” His jaw flexed, hands tightening at his sides. “But I need to know what you want.”
His stare never wavered. It felt like he expected me to shatter. To back away. As if bracing for rejection.
“Before you answer,” he added, raising a finger when I parted my lips, “remember a few things. I’m twice your age. I’ll die before you.”
“Kallias!”
“You’ll get your turn.” He lifted a brow, hand raised to silence me. “But let me speak first. Understand?”
I leaned back and crossed my arms, raising a brow of my own in challenge.
He grunted, half-pleased. “I’ve been married. As much as I wish I could erase that part of my life, Elohios knows you deserve more than someone’s leftovers.”
I drummed my fingers against my arm, letting him go on about all the ways he thought he fell short.
“Tallon will never accept us. I could exile him to the Valley Beneath, but even then, the people might still resist you. And with him stirring unrest, this won’t be easy.
“I say all this to make sure you understand the gravity of what I’m going to ask. You’re not just a young woman in love with a boy, but a princess who had an affair with a king. I’m asking you if you want to be my queen.”
Sorrow wrapped around my chest, constricting painfully. He thought he had so little to offer, and that hurt.
“My turn?” I asked, voice sharper than intended.
He nodded once, rolled his shoulders, arms folding again as if bracing for a blow. A line creased his brow. I wished Eldeiade still lived, just so I could claw her eyes out for what she did to him.
“Then I shall answer you as a princess destined to one day rule.” My tone was flat, the confidence and authority my mother had schooled into me straightening my spine. “As a ruler, I will not run and hide from conflict. Let Tallon throw his fits—I won’t tolerate him any longer.”
I rose, prowling toward him.
“As a queen, I expect my future husband to face dragonfire for me. If enemies scorched the gates, I want him beside me. I would walk into his kingdom and earn his people’s love. Honor his name.”
He flinched—barely—when I stopped in front of him.
“And to be blunt, I wish I’d met your late wife. Just once. Long enough to slap her for the damage she did.”
At that, his brow tightened. But I wasn’t finished.
“Your age doesn’t scare me. It suits you. Makes you sharper, steadier. And you’ve proven you can command a court. I won’t have to wait for you to grow into the role. You’re loyal, and your people know it.”
I reached for the button at his waistband and gave it a gentle tug.
“And now you ask if I want to be your queen?” I scoffed, voice softening. “I’d be honored if you’d choose me.”
A flicker of pleasure danced in his eyes, and the lines on his brow began to fade.
My touch brushed along something sticky.
I lowered my gaze and rubbed the dark smear between my fingers. “Abyss, you never saw a healer?” The question bit through my teeth.
“Between being torched by a dragon and your father rifling through my head, no—not much time.” He exhaled hard and dragged his palms down the bare V of skin above his waistband. Blood smeared across his abdomen with a grunt.
“Kallias.” Guilt coiled tight in my throat as I reached for the buckles of his jacket. “I’m sorry.”
His fingers lifted my chin, drawing my eyes up. The forgiveness in his face hollowed my chest. I had ordered Kalepsi to flame him. I had delivered the command that nearly killed him. Every wound and scar—my doing. My passion. My recklessness.
“Any regrets?” he asked, brushing a thumb across my lips—rough, calloused, tender.
My vision blurred. The sting behind my nose returned as his words from long ago wrapped around me like smoke.
“Many, but you are not one of them.”
The corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. Gentle. Steady. He nodded. I turned to his leathers, fumbling at the silver clasps. His hand found my waist—solid, silent, anchoring me. He understood I needed to do something, to help somehow.
He had suffered. Fought. Bled. All for me. A slow heat built behind my ribs, fierce and hollow, demanding I prove myself worthy of it.
The last buckle near his throat gave way. I slipped the silk-lined leather from his shoulders.
“Kallias,” I hissed. Crimson spread across his tunic, dark and blooming. Bandages beneath clung wet and useless.
“The jacket kept pressure on it.”
“You’re in my house, drenched in blood,” I snapped, shoving the fabric down his arms. “Are you trying to rouse the beasts’ bloodlust?”
He rolled his shoulders free with a grunt, muscles shifting under taut skin.
“No one else on this island bleeds?” He asked, tugging the tunic over his head with a wince.
“They know better than to lie in it.” I scowled at him. “If you’re close to me, then you risk the dragons’ attention. Keep it clean and dry.”
He glanced down as I peeled the wrappings loose. “Stitches?”
The wound traced a jagged path from his upper chest to the far rib. Not deep—but the day’s strain had broken the scab and set it bleeding again. I leaned in, arm stretching behind him to dampen a cloth. The scent of salt, blood, and sweat clung to his skin.
“You might not need them, but the healers know best.” I exhaled. “Father should have sent for one.”
“He seems content to let me suffer.” His laugh rasped low in his throat.
The gash had burned edges where the dragon’s fire had sealed it, ugly and raw. It would scar deep—proud, unforgiving. A reminder etched in flesh. I dabbed it clean, relieved to see the bleeding had slowed.
“He’s notorious for holding a grudge.” I nudged him aside, rummaging for new bandages. “Negotiations start tomorrow?”
“I wasn’t told.”
“Hold this.” I pressed gauze to the wound and handed him the fresh wrap. He pinned the cloth in place. “When talks begin, you’ve got leverage. We lost our trade route with the Innaki. No word from them yet, but war isn’t off the table.”
I circled behind him, winding the bandage snug around his ribs.
“An island willing to challenge the wrath of dragons? Have they hatched any?”
“No. Dragons won’t settle on Innaku.” I cinched the wrap and tied it off. “No, there was an incident and Tsunami ate the crown prince.”
His brows shot up. Eyes wide. “They pick humans off as they please? Should I warn my crew?”
“If they stay respectful, they’re safe.” I stepped back, brushing hair from my face. “Tsunami’s riderless. She answers to no one. That’s the risk when people step foot on Draconis’ shores—you’re at their mercy.”
“This prince must have done something worthy of their wrath. I’d assume being neighbors, they would know better.”
I bit my lip. Adoni had known better. Foolish. Possessive. I saw it now—in the way he lingered too close, how he claimed my title with his tongue as if it were his. It had all been there. I just hadn’t wanted to acknowledge it.
“What is it?” His voice tugged at my gaze. His brows dipped in a hard frown as he searched my face. “What did he do?”
Why did I hesitate? Perhaps I feared he’d see weakness. Or was it shame? Adoni assumed I’d welcome a prince just because I once chased a king.
“Nienna, tell me.” His hands slipped to my waist, anchoring me as though he sensed the urge to run.
“He moved against the royal family.”
Kallias blinked. His eyes sharpened. “He attacked you?”
“He grew up with me.” I dropped my gaze, fingers fussing with the edge of his bandage. “I should’ve noticed the signs. Ronan warned me, but after Tallon, I can’t exactly trust his judgment.”
He pulled back slightly, scanning me with fresh concern.
“You’re well?”
“Only my pride’s bruised.” A bitter laugh scraped free as I shrugged. “He assumed I’d be easy. Thought I would fall for his future crown. As if that’s what I was after in Radaan.”
Kallias drew a long breath, his chest rising under my touch. His jaw clenched. “Then it’s my fault. You were after a title—but my advances made them think you were greedy. Gods, I’m sorry.”
“Your advances?” I smirked, lifting my face. “If I recall, I was doing the chasing.”
His head dipped. “I knew what it was. What we were becoming. And I let it happen.”
I grabbed the damp cloth off the dresser and swiped it low over his open trousers. “Do you know what’s happening now?” My voice lilted with challenge.
His eyes fluttered shut as I cleaned the bare skin exposed by his undone buttons.
“We’re going to do this right,” he muttered. “Not until we’re married. I’m not sure how long negotiations with your father will take. If I were him, I’d watch me like a hawk.”
He hissed when my hand dipped too far. His grip clamped around my wrist, firm and fast.
“He will count your cycle, and at the first missed bleeding—he’d toss me into the sea.”
“Maybe I’ll hurry him along.”
“Elohios be praised, it can’t happen fast enough.” His jaw tightened. “Now, your mother’s no fool. She’s probably watching your hall. Go, Nienna.”
“Let me stay,” I whispered. “Just a while.”
Moonlight caught the silver at his temples as he smiled. “We have a lifetime ahead of us. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Would I ever grow tired of him being right?
Mother would know I’d gone to him. Ronan might already be lurking in the halls. If Father found out, he’d send Argos into a rage. Still, I didn’t care. I hated the idea of returning to my rooms. I wanted him. Now.
I sighed and leaned in, brushing my chest against his as I tipped my chin to offer my lips. “At least kiss me good night.”
“You’ll be the death of me.” He groaned, hand rising to cradle the back of my head. His fingers tensed in my hair. I gasped, and he let go, his eye twitching.
“Just one kiss,” he said.
I nodded, teeth scraping my bottom lip. His gaze lingered there, hunger searing his expression, then he leaned in.
His scruff prickled across my skin, his lips warm but unmoving. I smiled into the stillness, letting my mouth part just enough.
With a sharp, breathy sigh, he tasted me, slow and tentative.
I clutched onto him, yanking him flush against me. My tongue flicked against his, coaxing him. He groaned, answering with a fierce plunge that pulled a gasp from my throat. Heat unfurled low in my belly, the kiss dragging out the ache between us.
His fingers tangled in my hair as he backed me into the dresser, his hips pinning mine. We kissed like a battle—urgent, wild, with each retreat followed by a fiercer return. He tasted of cinnamon, hot and spiced.
One hand darted down to my rear, sliding over my curves before continuing down to grab my thigh in a rough grip. His fingers flexed along my leg before they flew open and he tore his mouth from mine.
“Nienna, go,” he rasped against my throat, blocking my path.
I stood there, knees shaking, breath ragged. Sea beneath, I needed him to move, to throw me against the dresser and take me. My body ached for him, the way lungs burn for air.
But he wasn’t ready. Neither of us were.
Honor ran thick in his blood. A kiss could be survived. More might break what we’d built.
With a tortured whimper, I drifted sideways, spine brushing cool wood. I slipped from beneath him. His palms planted firm on either side of the dresser. His head hung low, shoulders tense, shaking with restraint.
“One day,” he growled, eyes squeezed shut, “you won’t get away so easily.”
My heart surged. A thrill bloomed in my chest.
To bring a man like Kallias to the brink—to know he had to hold himself back. That power stole the breath from my lungs.
I wanted to test his control. Push him further. See where he’d break.
But tonight, I’d show mercy.
With a grin, I darted into the darkness.