Lord of the Night

Chapter 31: The Second Cuff

Rain pattered the ceiling above and streaked the windows like tears down a cheek. The embers on the horizon smeared to tiny orange blobs, and the room darkened, lit only by several hanging lanterns. The dim light sharpened his cheekbones, flickered across his shiny black hair, and painted his face in harsh black and white, but his lips and eyes looked soft and inviting, and his surrender still echoed through the room.

Do what you want with me, Remgar.

I wanted to kiss him...but I didn't want it to be like this.

"Well?" he said. "Are you going to kiss me, or not?"

On the surface, the question was brazen and bitter, but I heard the thread of vulnerability that ran beneath it. And when I took two steps toward him, he stumbled back, much like how he had jerked away from my advance back at the base. His shoulder blades thumped against a pillar.

I stopped several feet from him, the cuff burning a hole in my pocket. "Isalio...do you actually want me to kiss you?"

It was a ridiculous question, really. I was about to hand him over to someone who would likely hurt him even worse than Marqan would have. Danif didn't want Isalio's secrets—he wanted his soul. And yet, Isalio's answer to my question still seemed of utmost importance. No matter how much I wanted to save my father, there was still a line I would not cross. If Isalio didn't actually want to kiss me, I couldn't do this.

He huffed a disparaging laugh, though its effects were diminished by his wide eyes and his back pressed against the pillar. "I already gave you permission."

"That doesn't answer my question."

He peeled his shoulders off the wall, regaining enough composure for a proper scoff, though his eyes fixed on some window behind me. He was drawing comfort from the sight of the sky so near us, I realized, the same way I had drawn comfort from the earth beneath my feet. This place was his refuge—and I was about to rip that away from him.

"I don't think you should be worried about me. It's you who doesn't..." His eyes met mine for only a second before darting away again, and his throat convulsed in a wet swallow. "You don't have to do this, you know. Whatever it is you want, you can just tell me. You don't have to pretend to...to want this."

First Guardian, why did he have to sound so vulnerable? The lantern light accentuated his sharp features and drew his eyelashes longer, like soft black feathers. My chest squeezed tighter, making me both want the kiss more and dread it more.

"I want it," I said.

He shook his head. "I don't understand why."

My eyes found his lips, though I forced myself to remain perfectly still. "Because despite everything, I'm extremely attracted to you. Because I think you're beautiful."

It wasn't a flirt, and it wasn't even a lie—it was a breathless admission that startled me as much as it did him. His lungs emptied a bit too quickly and took a bit too long to refill. His eyes glued to me, pupils larger than they had been moments earlier.

"Alright." This time, his voice was shaky. "Then yes, Remgar. Yes, I want you to kiss me."

I closed the space between us slowly, giving him time to move away. Instead, he leaned an inch closer. His face turned up toward mine, and mine down toward his, so our breath intermingled. When my lips brushed his, his eyes fluttered closed. My own eyes fell shut as I leaned in for another taste. His lips were warm and soft, permissive but not quite responsive, yielding too completely.

I pulled back a little to gauge his feelings. His eyes were closed a little too tightly, and his shoulders remained a bit tense.

With a frown, I lifted my hand to smooth one of his eyebrows. He expelled a soft breath, but a cord of energy still tightened his body.