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‘Two cats, then,’ I amended. ‘That way they might stand a chance. We could call them Chicken and Egg and teach them to chew on the shoes of people we dislike. And—’

‘I’mnotgoing to name my cats Chicken and Egg,’ he interrupted, chest shaking against me. ‘I’m not that eager to get rid of my frightening reputation yet.’

I snorted. ‘We could name them after your bloody philosophers.’

‘That I can approve of.’ He kissed my temple. ‘Can’t wait to hear you shout at Alyra that she should leave Irythion Thenes and Likothea the Younger alone. She’ll probably try to kill them for those names alone.’

Tears were welling in my eyes now, andstillI could not stop laughing, snotty sniffles and sticky cheeks be damned. The billowing relief was almost too much for my body to contain. I felt like I might have floated off if he hadn't been holding me, the lack of roots to keep me in place suddenly a liberation rather than a deficiency – curiosity rather than uncertainty, excitement rather than apprehension.

Damn him and his demon eyes; he’d managed it again.

‘I love you,’ I blubbered, clutching my arms around his waist as I looked up again. ‘I love you so, so much.’

He kissed me in response.

It said everything words never could, that kiss – a question, a promise. The war might be in his blood and bones, the language of his lips told me, and the gods knew it would take him time to unravel them again …

But I was in his heart.

And his heart would never falter.

I melted into that kiss with all I had, the room fading around me, his soft, sensual lips the only touch anchoring me to reality. Our tongues found each other, exchanged the meekest touch, and pulled back again – probing, testing, exploring. He tasted of starless nights. He tasted of danger and heady pleasures to come.

Clasping my hands around his shoulders, I came up on my toes and kissed him harder.

He hummed a murmur of approval against my mouth, rough hands circling my waist, locking me closer against him. I slid my hands through his hair, savouring the silky strands between my fingers, and brushed a thumb along the rim of his pointed ear – another moan, and shivers of anticipation rushed down my spine, pooling hot and hungry at the core of me.

I was no longer thinking about cats and malicious bargains.

Really, I was no longer thinking about anything.

How had we slipped past this threshold so easily, past this point of no return? I didn’t know. No longer cared, either. His mouth trailed down into the hollow of my neck, kissing and nibbling, and I arched into his rock-hard body, craving oblivion as much as pleasure, craving the illusion of a place to belong. With a low growl, he wrapped his arms around me and lifted me. His lips never abandoned my skin even as he strode towards thebed and lowered me into the messy blankets, hands plucking at my dress, at my rings, at the gold in my hair; I closed my eyes and surrendered with an eagerness bordering on the desperate, hooking my legs around his hips, kissing every bit of skin I could reach—

A bang burst through the symphony of our ragged breaths.

Knuckles. I froze in the sheets as the realisation rose, a slow and supremely unwelcome understanding – those wereknucklestapping against our door, cautious yet pressing, a rhythm reminiscent of sleepless nights.

For the bloody gods’ sakes.

Notagain.

Creon had stilled kneeling over me, one hand on my thigh and the other on the collar of my dress, wearing the look of a male at war with his own baser instincts. His eyes never left me as he drew in a strained breath and yelled, ‘What is it?’

His tone had just an edge of a threat to it – as if that sentence was waiting to be finished with an ominousand you’d better make it worth my while.I lifted a hand and ran my fingertips down his temple, his jaw, the lightly pulsing vein in his throat, begging,prayingthat whoever was standing at the door would take the hint and decide to go bother literally anyone else instead.

They did not.

‘Oh, thank the gods, you’re here.’ Lyn, sounding on the brink of tears. ‘Is Em with you?’

Gods damn all of this.

The horny, obstinate brat in me was tempted for a moment to shout that no, I definitely wasn’t anywhere to be found, and I wouldn’t be for the next two hours either. Didn’t the world owe me half a minute of peace after days of frantic preparation, after bloody battles and near-death and the looming loss of the one person I needed more than anyone else?

Then I remembered where I’d just come from. What I’d just done, what I’d been planning to hide from her, and all arousal sizzled out like a bonfire in a spring downpour, as misplaced as jollity at a funeral.

‘I’m here,’ I yelled, closing my eyes. Under my fingertips, Creon was too tense – good sense battling overwhelming desire, duty battling lust. ‘What happened? Please don’t say we started another accidental battle.’

‘Oh, no.’ Her chuckle sounded watery despite being muffled by the thick layer of wood between us. ‘Just … Tared said you seemed upset. Is there anything I can do for you?’