Page 156 of The Queen’s Shadow

She shrugged before looking down into her knees again.

“Last I saw you were almost dead before Kieran took me away. It wasn’t a stretch to believe that they had won.”

I snorted. “I’m honestly a little offended you think someone as badass as me could be taken out by a fucking wind instrument.”

She glanced at me, confused. “A wind instrument?” She asked. I grinned at her.

“Yeah, especially a flute. It’s the most pussy instrument in the entire orchestra. The only thing worse is the triangle.”

I could have sworn the corner of her mouth twitched, and my heart soared at the sight of it. To my delight, she played along.

“Which instruments should I be worried about, then?” She asked, and I shrugged and pretended to think about it.

“If The Siren were to ever get her hands on a magickal electric guitar I suppose there might be some cause for concern. I would still beat her ass with it though.”

Kasha rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“You’re an idiot.” She said, though I could tell she was trying not to smile.

“A ridiculously good-looking idiot.” I winked at her, and finally she gave me the smile I had been working so hard to earn.

“I’ve seen better looking idiots.” She replied and I barked out a laugh.

“Oh yeah? Point them out, I’ll make sure you never see them again.” I made it sound like I was joking, but the jealous, possessive part of me wasn’t. I would kill any and all males that took her attention away from me. That was a promise she likely wasn’t ready to hear, but it was one I would be keeping, just the same.

She gave me a dark smile, before the humor drained from her face again, and she suddenly looked exhausted.

“I’m tired.” She admitted and I nodded.

“Okay, let’s get you back to bed.” I hopped out of the pit and held a hand out to her. She stared at my outstretched arm and for a moment I didn’t think she was going to accept my help. Finally, she reached out and slid her hand into mine. As soon as her fingers touched my palm an electric shock exploded down my arm and shot straight for my heart. She gasped and her eyes found mine, and I knew she had felt it too.

It was like we were meant to be touching each other. It felt like she was the missing piece to the puzzle of my soul that I hadn’t known was missing.

I pulled her out of the pit, and she stumbled, but I caught her and steadied her on her feet. She was nearly wrapped in my arms, and it felt like she was burning right through the restructium. My heart was pounding, and every fiber of my being was screaming: ‘Closer! Claim her! Mine!’

She shuddered in the circle of my arms, and we stood frozen for a moment, staring at each other, before she finally took a step away.

My arms ached to pull her back, and my skin felt raw with the absence of her touch.

Fuck.

I swallowed back the overwhelming urge to grab her, and cleared my throat, stepping away from her instead.

This was fucking shit. I had never wanted someone so much in my life, and there had never been a less appropriate time for me to be fighting off a raging hard on. This female was going to be the death of me. I knew it in my soul.

I gestured in the general direction of the East Wing. “Let’s go,” I said, my voice still rough from the few seconds of contact. “I’ll walk you back to your room.”

“You don’t have to.” She whispered and I felt my face harden.

“Yeah, I do.” I said firmly, and she sighed, but allowed me to follow her out of the common room.

We walked in silence through the moss-covered hallways and around the thundering waterfall that fell through the open ceiling in the center of the East Wing. The scent of cold water and wet stone mixed with Kasha’s catnip and freshly cut grass, made me shiver with pleasure. I was once again struck with a feeling of happiness that she was here, and that she was safe. I couldn’t undo what had been done, but I could make sure it didn’t happen again.

Watching her take in the surroundings of her home and walk through a space that I knew she felt safe in made me so impossibly happy, I nearly smiled.

We came to her room and stopped at her door. She looked up at me, clearly feeling awkward and shy, which was so different from the Kasha I knew that it made me feel off balance.

“Well… thanks, I guess.” She mumbled as she pushed open the door. I flopped down on the floor across from her room and smirked up at her.