Page 160 of A Kingdom of Wild and Power
‘And why not?’ His smile widened, infuriatingly at ease.
Dawn felt herself fidget beneath that stare. ‘Because—’
‘Because?’ He arched a brow, mock innocence painted across his face.
‘You snore.’
Kai choked on a breath. ‘I do not snore.’
‘You do. I didn’t want to tell you, but—’ Her words faltered because Kai had stepped closer.
The chamber was already small; now it felt suffocating. The faint scent of dragon smoke and sun-warmed leather clung to him. His knuckles rose, brushing softly against her cheek. Not teasing this time, not playful.
Reverent.
The touch was so gentle it stole the breath from her lungs.
For a fleeting moment, the noise of the arena, the looming fight, the weight of everything ahead, dissolved. There was only the warmth of his skin against hers.
And the terrifying possibility of what that meant.
‘Make the glamour go,’ he whispered, and this time there was no teasing in his tone. Only quiet insistence.
‘I can’t.’ Dawn glanced towards the door, nerves tightening beneath her ribs. ‘What if someone sees me?’
‘The door is closed.’
‘But not locked.’
Without breaking eye contact, Kai stepped back and slid the bolt into place. The sound echoedfar too loudly in the small chamber.
‘There,’ he said softly. ‘Safe.’
‘You’re insufferable.’
‘And you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.’
‘Let’s not start this again, Kai.’
‘Oh, so it’s Kai now?’ His dark eyes glimmered. ‘Not commander?’
Dawn rolled her eyes, though her pulse had begun to betray her. ‘Tell me why you want the glamour gone. I’ll only have to put it back on the moment we leave this room.’
His mouth curved faintly. ‘We could stay in here forever.’
Her breath caught, traitorous thing that it was. For a heartbeat, the world outside and the upcoming fight, seemed impossibly far away. But she would not let Kai Blackburn have that effect on her. So instead she stepped closer and pressed a slow, deliberate kiss to the underside of his chin.
‘And what would you suggest we do in here, commander?’
The satisfaction that bloomed within her at the sight of him freezing, his shoulders stiffening, his eyes widening and his breath faltering, was delicious.
Dawn lifted her hands.
Green smoke coiled between her fingers like living ivy. It curled up her arms, dissolved the borrowed flesh, stripped away the lie.
The wyverian form vanished.
In its place, her true self emerged.
