Page 53 of The Never List
“Please,” I beg. “Kal, please come with me.”
He slams home, again and again—
I clench around him, my orgasm ripping through me in a cascade of tiny explosions from the crown of my head to the tips of my toes. Kal follows my release with his own as I cling to him. I feel like I’m floating by the time I catch my breath enough to open my eyes and really look at him—
“Kal!” I tighten my grip on his body, noticing the good five feet between us and the bed.
“Sorry about that,” he says, laughing softly as we lower safely back to the mattress. “That happens when I get…distracted.”
I can’t stop the laugh that comes from my lips. “Youcanfly,” I say. I knew that, but it’s another thing entirely to experience it.
He nods, trailing his nose along the length of my jaw, kissing down my neck. “I’ll take you sometime,” he says. “If you’re up for it.”
“You should already know,” I say, arching my neck, giving him better access. “I’m up foranything.” I blink out of my lusty, blissful haze with a jolt of apprehension.
Because that wasn’t a lie or part of any game we’re playing. I just gave him insight intome—nothing to do with being the best potential I can be. Even the way we just fucked was all me, and that…that terrifies me. Because if I get too comfortable here, if I lose sight of the role I’m meant to play, I may lose my life in the end.
But even as Kal continues to kiss every inch of my skin, I can’t help but think,At least it’ll be fun on the way down.
17
Rylee
“So, tell me more about the Legend side of your life,” I prompt Kal as we walk along the Riverwalk in the Ruby Aire.
It’s been three incredible weeks here…something I never expected. Kal has been a gracious host, showing me his city and introducing me to his people, contradicting everything I’ve ever heard about the prince before.
He’s kind and generous, but I haven’t seen the side I’ve heard rumors about. And as our time runs short, I finally work up the courage to ask. I feel like I have to know this side of him before I have any chance of asking for his help finding Erin, no matter how generous he may seem.
Kal pauses in the middle of the bridge, leaning his forearms over the stone railing, glancing out at the winding river below. It’s midday, and we just finished a fantastic lunch at another wonderful restaurant Kal introduced me to. The foot traffic is low—there’s no one else on the bridge right now but us.
He glances away from the river and at me, where I’ve come to lean next to him. “What do you want to know?”
I shake my head. “Can I be honest with you?”
“After the past three weeks together, I thought you’dknow by now that I prefer it that way,” he says, and the slightest pang of guilt hits my chest. I’ve mostly been myself these past few weeks, but I’ve hidden those pieces of myself that could get me killed. I probably shouldn’t have phrased the question like that, but the more I’ve gotten to know him, the more comfortable I’ve grown and the less of a filter I’ve had on my mouth.
“I’m having a hard time reconciling the Kal I’ve seen these past few weeks, the one I’ve grown to know on many levels”—my cheeks flush at the way his blue eyes darken at that insinuation; we’ve been intimate many times, each better than the last, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think we matched on every level in that regard—“with the stories I’ve read in the royal post or have been told by the enforcers. They don’t really align.”
“My friends and I stopped reading the royal post years ago,” Kal says. “Why don’t you enlighten me on some of those stories you’ve heard about the Legends of Chaos?”
A dozen stories come to mind, most of them overheard or deliberately spread throughout the Ashlands by the kings’ enforcers, but I’m apprehensive about sharing them if he doesn’t already know.
“You won’t offend me,” he says, clearly noticing my hesitance. “I promise you, Rylee. You’re safe with me. Hit me with it.”
I shrug, trying to not give weight to the rumors I’ve heard. “There are so many,” I say. “I heard one not too long ago that some nobility decided to steal from one of the Legends’ establishments. Someone from the lower cities. The stories didn’t say why or what he stole, but they did emphasize how the Legends dealt with the man.”
“And how was that?” Kal asks, nothing but intrigue in his eyes.
“They said the Mind slipped into the noble’s thoughts, finding proof of his crime. That the Player laughed as the Nightmare dangled him over the roof of one of the tallest buildings in the city, ensuring he manipulated his emotions to feel the most genuine terror, all while the Dreamer stripped him of his titles and wealth, so no future dreams could come true.”
Kal’s lips part slightly, and I swear there’s a hint of pain in his eyes. “What else?” he asks, an edge to his voice. “What else do the rumors say about us?”
“I shouldn’t have asked,” I whisper, a weight on my chest.
“I want you to ask.” He shifts his body to face me. “I never want you to be afraid to ask me anything. I’m just suddenly hit with curiosity. What else could they possibly be writing about us in the royal post?”
I swallow hard. “They say that the Dreamer is one whostealsdreams—denying out-of-status marriages, denying wealth stipends to those in your cities who are not as wealthy as the others. They say that the Player finds pleasure in placing bets on whether or not criminals in his cities can hold their breath long enough as he controls water around their heads. They say the Mind will alter your very reality, making you believe you’re falling from the highest mountaintop or drowning in the darkest seas, all while choking the life out of you with those bands of energy he can control. They say the Nightmare laughs while he manipulates your emotions, making sure there’s so much terror running through your veins, you loose your bowels. That the Legends sometimesdo all of these things…in the name of entertainment.”
