CHAPTER 33
ZEPHYR
Ten days ago
I’D ALWAYS LOVED KObrANT NIGHTS.
Whether in the many deserts of the mainland, the snow-veiled mountains of the North, or the warm-breezed islands of the South, the sheer number of constellations scattered across the sky never failed to quiet my mind. Under that vast, eternal expanse, I always felt so . . . small.
Surely the problems that burdened me relentlessly dulled into insignificance when placed beside the grand scale of the universe.
I basked in the silence, in the peace. Behind me, the luxurious bed beckoned, but something kept me rooted to the balcony. I understood what when she appeared. A Goddess of darkness and ice, come to steal the stars’ thunder.
Centurion Davina Lachlan emerged from the lower floor like a wraith conjured from a fever dream.
Both barely more than an illusion and every man’s dream.
I forgot how to breathe when I saw what she was wearing.
Almost-sheer black fabric clung to her chest, hugging her waist and hips before falling just below her knees, hiding nothing of her shape.
Leagues-long legs of creamy skin bathed by the timid light of the waning moon.
Hair falling down her back in a wild cascade of fiery curls before she pulled the loose hood of the dress up to cover most of it.
And her backside . . . Good Gods—her ass.
The fabric stretched over its roundness, hiding nothing. And it was the kind of thing sculptors would lose their fucking minds trying to recreate.
My trousers tightened with the familiar ache of want, and my fingers itched with the maddening urge to touch her. To caress every inch of her porcelain skin. To gather her into my arms and kiss her senseless.
That almost-taste back in Kamea hadn’t even begun to scratch the surface.
I feared I would never again know enough, after meeting Davina Lachlan.
As I watched her sneaking about, walking around the edge of the pool with her back pressed to the house’s external wall, anticipation zipped through me like lightning.
What are you up to, my dear Lachlan?
A smile tingled the corner of my lips as I threw a T-shirt on, then rushed to follow her.
Davina moved down the streets of Kamar like she’d done so hundreds of times, the only sign of her lack of knowledge of the area in the way her attention seemed to linger in the more elaborate treehouses and hanging bridges.
I bet there was nothing of the sort in her precious Republic.
The more open taverns and bars she breezed past with no more than a second glance, the more my curiosity grew. What was she looking for in a city she didn’t know, in the middle of the night?
Every trace of amusement vanished when I turned the corner a few seconds behind her, only to spot Davina Lachlan entering the one place I really, really, really didn’t want her in. What were the godsdamned odds of her finding it within her first hours in the city?
Throwing caution to the wind, I bolted after her. I threw myself down the familiar steps, uncaring that the flickering lantern was hardly enough to see by, taking two at a time. But by the time the den opened up in front of me, Davina was lost to the crowd.
Fuckfuck—fuck.
Ignoring the surprised glances painted on familiar faces, I walked past the quieter area of the den and closed in on the crowd gathered around the pit.
More than a few people turned to ogle me, and I cursed when a feminine voice called my name loud enough to be heard over the loud cheers of the crowd.
I could only hope Davina hadn’t heard it.
Ignoring them all, my sole focus was finding her before she got herself into something she might not come out from.
Come on, come on.
My attention fell on two people discussing in agitated tones in the far end of the room.
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
Such was my luck. Hopefully Davina was too distracted by the violence and sex impregnating every ounce of air to realize—
I didn’t even get the chance to finish the thought before my eyes finally landed on her . . . as she walked decisively towards the two men, not an iota of fear in her.
Of fucking course.
I bolted again, practically running as I tried to dodge the bodies of the latecomers joining the spectacle in the pit and the ones that were only just giving in into their lust alike.
I’d often found myself among the latter group through the years, but I only had eyes for one woman tonight.
And while lack of desire for her was not an issue, it was a very different emotion currently fueling my every step.
I’d been right all along and Centurion Davina Lachlan was going to become a fucking spear in my side unless I did something to stop her.
Earning disgruntled protests, I pushed aside two men who’d been too lost in each other to notice me, but I didn’t have the time to care.
She was almost there.
Electricity zapped through me the moment my body collided against Davina’s, less than a dozen feet away from her targets.
My hands tingled as I captured her wrists before she could reach for her gun, hit me—or worse.
Her whole body tensed, ready to fight as I pressed her up against the wall, using my larger frame to keep her trapped.
I spoke into her ear before she had the chance to move. “Care to explain what the fuck you’re doing all alone in the darkest, most dangerous place of this island, Lachlan?”
Some of the fight left her as soon as she registered my voice. Some, but not all. I pulled back only enough to see her face, not surprised to find it lined with incredulity and outrage in equal parts.
“Have you followed me?”
“What do you think?” I increased the pressure around her wrists in silent warning. “When the centurion I’m meant to be looking after sneaks out of her room in the middle of the night, am I supposed to just let her?” No need to point out looking after her wasn’t all I was doing.
She bared her teeth, all that fury only making the sharpness of her features more acute. “You’re certainly not supposed to follow me like I’m a sapdamned criminal.”
“No, but I needed to follow you like you’re a reckless menace that doesn’t know what she’s dealing with,” I shot back. “And it’s a good thing I did.” My chin jerked towards the wall where the two men were still discussing. “What the fuck were you thinking?”
Her jaw grinds. “I was trying to get clues that don’t come from you or Kwabena.” A beam of red light made her eyes blaze. “This is an underground space. Why wasn’t it on your list of Kamar’s catacombs?”
“Because it’s not the kind of place a filthy rich seventy-year-old doctor can get into and make it out in one piece.”
“It could be, if he was gifting the people here sap.”
“Not even then, Lachlan. People here would cut your neck just to try to get money from your clothes. Body parts. Worse.”
Her grimace was there and gone. “And how do you know this, pray tell?”
My jaw tightened. “It doesn’t matter. What was your plan, exactly? Walk up and ask if they know of Sircelen nicely?”
“No, I was going to do so with a gun aimed at one of their heads and the threat of handing them over to the Kobrant authorities if they showed any trace of allegiance to Kaelthorn’s cell.”
“Without knowing how many here might be their allies.” I snorted. “Great plan.”
“I didn’t ask for your approval.” She surged forwards in an attempt to shake me off, but I held on, so instead of freeing herself, all she accomplished was to push her front harder against mine.
Heat gathered in my groin.
Despite the low red-and-purple light, now that she was closer, I could see she wasn’t as unfazed as she pretended to be, either.
Color painted her cheeks, and her breathing came in sharp, shallow bursts, chest rising and falling in a distracting rhythm.
Her hands twitched in my grasp, like she wanted to reach for me as much as I wanted her.
Of course, fearless, defiant Davina Lachlan would never succumb to such a mundane urge.
My pants stretched tighter. Good Gods, the things I would do to her. With her.
The picture of her fury fading under breathlessness, eyes wide and lips parted, etched itself into my very soul.
I could feel my heartbeat thundering against my ribs and every point where I still held her.
I should have said something, come up with some blunt, undefendable reason why it’d been beyond reckless of her to come here.
Instead, I stood there, selfishly enjoying the hitch in her breath at our proximity, punctuated by the rise and fall of her chest pressing against mine.
It was dangerous—so, so dangerous—to be this utterly undone by her.
And yet I couldn’t seem to stop. No burying of my interest kept it hidden long enough.
All it took was a glimpse of her unwavering, quiet strength, of her smart mouth, and this dark hunger surged like a beam of firelight through murky water.
She seemed as trapped by the wire binding us together as I was, every trace of fight leaving her breathtaking features as the last time our mouths had been this close replayed in both of our minds.
She proved to have greater willpower—or sheer stubbornness—as she conjured that angry frown on her face. “Let go of me.”
“Will you return to the house with me willingly?”
Her jaw clenched with an audible grind. “Yes.”
My options were trusting her or throwing her over my shoulder, which would draw even more unwanted attention to us. Reluctantly, I loosened my grip on her wrists, letting go completely as I took a step back.
Without uttering a word, I waved my arm towards the entrance, urging her to lead the way. She did, thunder in her wake, and after throwing a warning glare over my shoulder to the few gazes trailing us, I followed.
We walked back to the house in silence most of the way. The skies opened in a tropical downpour, drenching us within minutes, yet neither of us commented on it or made to hide from the rain. The beach was already in sight when Davina finally braved the tension between us.