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Maybe I could distract him.

I flicked my eyes to the wall behind him, pretending I’d spotted something. He smiled.

“Nice try,” he said. “That won’t work on me.”

“The storm has stopped,” I tried.

He laughed and shook his head. “I can smell your lies.”

I huffed out a breath, frowning. “If I rush at you like this, you’ll just knock me away again.”

“Correct.” Brows arched, he cocked his head. “So, what will your move be, Tessa? Say you get inside the castle without being spotted. You find Oberon in his throne room, and none of his advisors or guards are around. It’s just you and him, but he sees you coming. How will you attack?”

I mulled over his words. The truth was, that was the worst possible outcome, other than being caught. If King Oberon saw me coming, it wouldn’t work. Sighing, I dropped the dagger to my side.

“At that point, I’ve already lost,” I admitted.

“And that outcome is a real possibility.” He advanced a step toward me, his eyes churning with something I didn’t understand. “You need to be prepared for the possibility he’ll see you coming and that you’ll be forced to fight him head-on. If you don’t, and you admit defeat, he’ll capture you. So, what will it be, Tessa? Give it your best shot.”

My heart raced as Kalen stared me down, challenging me to this fight. What did he expect me to do? Every time I’d run straight in for the killing blow, he’d blocked me without a second thought. Which meant…I couldn’t race toward him. I sucked in a breath. That was why he kept asking me what I’d do. Because the obvious move was not the answer.

Heart thundering, I dropped the dagger to my side and slowly walked toward him. He stood his ground, cocking his head in curiosity. I smiled as I stopped just an inch away from him, our bodies separated by a small gap of air.

“Hello,” I said to him, tipping back my head to gaze up at him with a timid smile.

“What are you doing, Tessa?” he murmured.

“Just saying hello.” I lifted a finger to his chest and tiptoed it across his bare skin. He stiffened against me, shooting a thrill down the length of my body. “You looked lonely over here by yourself.”

A slow smile spread across his face. “This is an interesting approach.”

“Are you going to stop me?” I whispered back.

“Depends on what you plan to do with that dagger in your hand.”

My breath caught in my throat as he leaned toward me. Before I could talk myself out of it, I flipped the dagger and jammed it into his side.

Only the fucking thing didn’t hit its mark. He grabbed my hand just before the blade hit. My feet twisted beneath me. Stumbling, I fell, and he came with me. My back hit the floor. Kalen caught himself just in time, bracing his forearms on either side of my head. A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest, and my entire body burned from the warmth of him.

“Hello,” he murmured, grabbing my arms and raising them above my head. He put his weight behind him, trapping me there.

His hard, muscular body pressed against me. My heart pounded so hard I could barely think. The scent of him enveloped me, drowning all my thoughts under an avalanche of mist and snow. That strange need roared back to life again, clenching my core. His eyes locked on mine, and for a moment, the world stopped. I swore it was as if he stared right into the very depths of me. He saw all my anger. All my rage. And he didn’t flinch away.

I arched my back, lifting my hips to brush against where he straddled me. Surprise sparked through me at the hardness I found there. Kalen nearly purred, and his hands tightened around my wrists.

“What are you doing?” he murmured.

I tried to ignore the fire in his eyes and the tension pounding between us. Sucking in a breath, I wriggled against him one more time.

A low growl rumbled from his throat, and his eyes went dark.

His grip on me loosened just enough for me to free my hands. Still wriggling, I wrapped my arms around his massive chest and then threw all my weight to the right. Our bodies flipped over. I grabbed his wrists and pinned him down.

Delight whipped through me when he laughed.

“Impressive. You’re even stronger than you look.” He shifted beneath me, the length of him still hard between my thighs. “But you willnotbe using this move against Oberon.”

“Oh, is that so?” I whispered, my heart racing. “Why not?”