A Ride of Peril(28)

He smiled, and my heart melted. It was always a beautiful sight with his perfect white teeth framed by his firm lips. He scratched the back of his head, his gaze wandering up and down my figure.

"I must apologize, Vita. I've not been myself since yesterday," he sighed. "I'm still … recovering from your kiss."

"Oh?" I stilled and felt my cheeks catch fire.

"I never expected you to do that."

"Oh." My brows gathered into a frown, and I felt an inkling of concern clouding my judgment. Had I done something wrong? Had I been too forward?

"It's just that … " He sighed again, struggling to express himself. "How do I say this? You surprised me. I wanted you to come forward. I wanted you to come to me. I still want you to come to me, but I didn't expect you'd be so brave. You stunned me, Vita, and that is not an easy feat to accomplish."

Bijarki noticed my pause and moved toward me.

My breath hitched.

"Don't do that," he said.

"Do what?"

"Don't close yourself off, Vita. I find you incredibly attractive as you are, but when you take the lead the way you did yesterday, you blow me away completely."

He closed the distance between us, and I felt my temperature spike, heatwaves rippling through me as he stood in front of me. I looked up, taking in all his features, my gaze lingering on his lips.

"Take control again, Vita," he urged me.

I blinked several times before I decided to do just that. I pulled him down by the collar of his shirt and caught his lips in mine.


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A familiar lightheadedness instantly took over, along with electric tingling in my extremities. He unleashed his incubus nature, drawing me in and setting me on fire. Everything I felt was amplified to infinity, and I feared I would die from all the bliss he poured into me. My knees weakened, and my legs nearly gave out, as I lost myself in his kiss.

He sensed my physical weakness and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me tight against his hard body and deeper into the kiss. I moaned softly, welcoming the feel of his muscles engulfing me. He tightened his grip, and I felt his fingers stroking my sides.

Bijarki pulled his head back long enough to look at me. Lust swirled in his eyes, and he whispered in my ear. "The only reason why I'm not holding myself back anymore is because I want you to feel everything that I feel, everything that I am." He caressed my earlobe with his lips. "If you can handle me without my restraints, Vita, I can give you pure, unadulterated happiness."

I felt his heart thundering against mine. His hands found the hem of my linen shirt. As he kissed me again, sparks ignited my entire body. My skin rippled as he traced imaginary lines up my back. He pressed his fingertips into my skin and gently kneaded his way down.

I arched my back. I could hardly take it anymore. I gripped his shirt so hard it almost tore. He held me close and gazed deeply into my eyes, visibly delighted by my reaction. He smiled, his eyes dark and filled with silver fire.

"Your reaction to me is perfectly natural, Vita, and utterly delicious," he whispered and covered my mouth with his again, taking me on another trip around the galaxy.

When he finally pulled himself back again, putting a few inches of hot, humid air between our incandescent bodies, we stared at each other. My lips pulsed from the memory of our kiss. Our breath came ragged as we slowly regained our senses.

A smile formed on his lips, and his eyes flickered with desire.

"I promise I will come back in one piece, Vita," he said, his husky voice sending more shivers down my spine. "With you in my life, I have every reason to stay alive and destroy anyone or anything that stands between us."

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers brushing my jaw before his hand retreated to his side.

I took a deep breath and gave him a weak smile, nearly shattered by the amount of energy I'd burned in his arms. I loved every minute of it, and I needed more of him. It was the only certainty I had in that moment.

"You'll have to excuse me now. I must pack a bag for the trip." He nodded curtly, took his pouches of poisonous herbs, and left the greenhouse.

I just stood there, leaning against the table. It took me several minutes to recover. I was unable to wipe off the smile that had settled on my face. I bit my lower lip, and I could still taste Bijarki. 





Serena





After lunch we gathered in the reception area downstairs. Bijarki, Anjani, and Jovi were ready to leave for the River Pyros, each with a satchel and a minimum of two weapons, including the large hunting knives we'd found in the attic. Draven and Hansa were waiting for me, along with the rest of our group.