Chapter Thirty-One – Mira #2
It seemed like all the emotions that had consumed me lately were poured into that kiss.
My teeth bit against his lips, and when he shifted so that he was leaning over me, I felt a jolt of adrenaline-filled heat.
My hands tangled in his hair as I tilted my head back to receive his kisses, but all too soon he was pulling away, smiling faintly at whatever expression was on my face.
He traced my swollen lips with his thumb. ‘Leave Kalure,’ he told me again. ‘Let my brother and sister fight amongst themselves, and let yourself be free.’
‘I can’t,’ I said, staring up into Cassius’s piercing gaze. ‘I can’t just walk away.’
Cassius watched me for a long time. He was so close that I could see every speck of blue and silver in his eyes, and though I had been this close to him before, this felt different. He felt different.
‘I know,’ he said finally, his voice soft. ‘I know you can’t.’
I frowned at him. ‘That’s it? You’re not going to try to change my mind?’
‘What would be the point?’ Cassius asked with a half-smile, pulling back from me and standing. ‘You’ve already decided. Besides, you’re not the kind of person to turn away from a challenge. It’s my second favourite thing about you.’
I knew I shouldn’t ask. Asking meant that he had drawn me in, but–
‘What’s the first?’
Cassius didn’t answer immediately. ‘I wanted my father’s throne for all the wrong reasons.
’ He leant back against the wall of the tree house.
‘I realised that when you made a deal with me for your country’s independence.
You’re a true queen, Mira – the kind of ruler who actually puts her people first.’ He paused, then said quietly, ‘It’s an admirable quality. I just hope it doesn’t get you killed.’
‘That makes two of us,’ I muttered. We said nothing for a while, and I suspected we were both consumed with thoughts of what tomorrow would bring. But I didn’t want to think about tomorrow.
Possessed by a boldness born from recklessness, I allowed myself to truly take in Cassius – the proud lines of his body, the honed muscles of his arms visible even through his red tunic, the chiselled perfection of his face.
Right now, after a day filled with death and suffering . . . I needed to feel alive again.
Rising to my feet, I approached Cassius. He went very still, and I knew his gaze was focused on mine.
I lifted his palm to the light, my eyes on the dirt encrusted beneath his nails. I recalled seeing him digging graves alongside Conall for hours. Recalled the begrudging respect in the way the shifters had looked at him.
Something fundamental had shifted in that moment, but I was only realising it now.
Slowly and deliberately, I kissed each of his fingers.
‘Mira.’ Cassius’s voice was cautioning.
I looked up at him with a teasing smile. ‘Yes?’
‘I know where this is heading.’ His body was very still – carefully still, as if it was taking considerable willpower to resist the invitation in my face. ‘But it isn’t the right time. Not when you’re so exhausted, and definitely not when you’re conflicted over another man.’
‘Sometimes I hate how perceptive you are.’ I pressed my body against his, delighting in his soft, almost imperceptible groan. Brushing a strand of golden-blond hair from his too-perfect face, I whispered, ‘But Aric isn’t the one I’m thinking about right now.’
Then I reached up and brought his lips down to mine.
I kissed him like he had kissed me outside the banquet hall – all force and fire. He huffed out a soft laugh as my hands roamed across his back, needing him even closer. Needing to feel the hardness of his body against mine.
Cassius lifted my hips, allowing my thighs to wrap around his waist as he pushed open the door of the tree house.
His lips were firm and yet soft as they danced with mine, and I yielded to them, our tongues moving in tentative tandem.
But when I met his eyes again, the charged intensity behind his stare made it difficult to breathe.
I felt as if I could lose myself in those eyes – as if I could lose myself in him .
This time, he kissed me slowly and thoroughly, stoking a slow-burning fire in my chest.
‘I told you what I want from you, Mira,’ Cassius murmured against my lips. His teeth grazed the sensitive skin of my neck, sending shockwaves through my body. ‘I want all of you. And I won’t settle for anything less.’
Before I fully understood what he was saying, strong arms lay me down on a soft pile of furs–
And released me.
My eyes flashed open, staring at Cassius in stunned disbelief.
He didn’t so much as glance my way, changing out of his dirt-encrusted tunic with easy nonchalance while I lay there, breathless and aching.
From everything I had heard about his exploits in the Ravalian Court, I hadn’t expected him to turn down physical intimacy.
And yet here he was, stopping me from taking things too far.
‘And what if I don’t want to give you all of me?’ I snapped back, folding my arms across my chest like a shield. ‘What if all I want from you is a distraction?’
‘Then this won’t happen again,’ Cassius said, pulling on his trousers. As he did, I couldn’t help but admire the contours of his muscles, remembering the feeling of his body against mine.
‘Fine,’ I said coldly as he climbed underneath the pile of furs. His warm hands took hold of my waist, drawing me close so that I was settled comfortably between his legs, my head resting against his chest.
Amusement entered his voice. ‘Are you mad?’
‘Why would I be mad?’
Cassius just shook his head like he didn’t believe me. He even had the nerve to smile as he brushed a chaste kiss against my forehead–
As if he had won a game I hadn’t realised we were playing.