Page 161 of A Kingdom of Wild and Power
Dark skin. White hair spilling loose around her shoulders. Inked runes trailing across her fingers and winding up her arms in intricate, ancient patterns. And though she could not see them, she knew her eyes now burnt their rightful purple.
Silence fell between them.
Kai inhaledsharply.
Not in disgust. Not in horror.
In awe.
Dawn felt something shift inside her chest at the sound. Something fragile. Dangerous.
And she couldn’t help but smile.
‘You are so beautiful,’ he whispered, reaching for her as though she were something precious, something he feared might vanish.
Dawn stepped back until the cool stone pressed against her spine. ‘I’m not.’
His jaw tightened, eyes darkening. ‘Don’t say that.’
‘Let’s not start this again.’
‘Fine,’ he replied lightly, though mischief sparked to life in his eyes. Dawn recognised that look instantly. ‘If you don’t believe me, Dawn… let me demonstrate.’
Her breath faltered. ‘Demonstrate how?’
He did not answer with words. Instead, Kai lowered himself to his knees before her.
For a heartbeat she simply stared, stunned, her thoughts scattering like startled birds.
‘What in the nine hells are you—’ But her protest dissolved into a gasp.
He lifted the hem of her long skirt with reverence rather than haste, his fingers careful, almost ceremonial. Then his lips brushed against her calf.
The touch was slow. Deliberate.
Dawn’s pulse thundered in her ears.
Heat surged through her at the sight of him there, proud Kai Blackburn kneeling at her feet, pressing kisses to her skin as though it were sacred scripture.
Her fingers twitched at her sides, unsure whether to shovehim away or tangle into his dark hair.
‘Kai…’ she breathed, her voice unsteady despite herself.
His mouth trailed higher, unhurried, worshipful. Not demanding. Not claiming.
Proving.
Each kiss felt like a quiet rebellion against every cruel word she had ever been fed about herself. And for the first time in a long while, Dawn did not feel monstrous.
She felt wanted.
He continued his slow ascent, pressing kisses along her leg, unhurried and deliberate, until he reached the place that had begun to throb from anticipation alone.
Dawn’s breath trembled as she slid her fingers into his dark hair. A moment later, bolder now, she grasped his black twisted horns and tugged. The sound he made was low, pleased, and when he lifted his gaze to hers, there was no mistaking the satisfaction there.
He liked that she was taking control.
‘Do you want me to stop?’ he questioned, his mouth hovering, his breath warm against her skin.
