Page 250 of Cursed Evermore

I straightened and deepened my gaze, then lifted a lock of her hair to my nose. I inhaled the fruity scent and smiled. “I like your hair. It's the color of temptation.”

“Because it's red?” She pretended to pout.

“Yes. It screams,fuck me.” I gave her a ruthless, unapologetic grin.

“I wasn't aware that my hair was so tempting.”

“Now you know.”

She pressed her hand to my chest and held it there for a moment as if she were memorizing the rhythm of my heartbeat. “I like here.” She nodded, playing along.

“What's there to like, Ziyka?”

“Three things: I like feeling your heart beating, your skin, and I like this tattoo even though I don't know the meaning of it.”

Her fingers brushed the ink just above my heart. A dark, swirling design made of interlocking curves and sharp arcs, like smoke caught mid-whirl.

“It's the mark of a Lord Commander who's won more than ten wars.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “More than ten?”

“Yes, Ziyka.”

Her face fell, her fingers stilling against the tattoo. “It's hard to imagine you in one war, let alone more than ten. War is so… dangerous.”

I didn't want to see worry clouding her beautiful face, not when she was with me, so I thought of something to distract her.“Don't worry. Remember, I have these.” I unleashed my wings, and just as I'd hoped, fascination bloomed across her features.

She smiled and reached out to touch the leathery edge of my right wing. “I love these. A lot.”

“Do you now?”

“I do.”

She moved around me so she could get a better look and ran her fingers over them. I loved having her hands on me and all her attention focused solely on me.

To captivate her further, I turned my wings into smoke then reformed them. She gasped. When I looked at her over my shoulder, she was beaming from ear to ear. That look on her face was something I never wanted to forget.

“I'm sorry. I don't mean to be so intrigued. I can't help myself.” She chuckled.

“I'm not complaining.”

“I just can't get over how they just appear when you want them to be there, and they're attached to your back. They don't even tear through your clothes or your skin.”

“It's just how it works. The clothes thing, though, that’s magic. Fae wings can be threaded through any matter. A little trick of elemental manipulation.”

“It's so fascinating.”

I put my wings away, then cocked my head, holding her gaze. “Are there any other parts of me that fascinate you, my Lady?”

Her cheeks warmed, and she gave me a nervous smile. “Yes. There are many more parts.”

“For the love of the Gods, I certainly hope it's not my brain or my teeth.” I smirked. “I'm hoping for something a little more indecent.”

She giggled. “I love your teeth, but there's somethingindecentthat I like more.”

“Come here and show me what you like.”

She moved toward the wall and stood before me. But her eyes didn't meet mine.