Page 66 of Heir of Broken Souls

“What a pity.” I throw myself upon the four-poster bed, then rise up on my elbows and drawl, “You think I’m extraordinary?”

Knox strides toward me, eating up the distance. He slowly crawls over me, forcing my head back against the plush bed. The heat in his gaze pins me to the spot.

“I think you’re exquisite.” Heat blossoms across my cheeks as Knox lowers himself, his lips a hair’s breadth away from mine, his hot breath fanning across my skin. “As divine as they come.”

My gasp is a sharp inhale of air before Knox plants his soft lips against mine, turning my body into liquid beneath him. The kiss is slow, steady, but nothing short of devouring. Stars explode behind my eyelids, my golden tendrils shaping into tiny hearts around my head as Knox consumes my every nerve.

Pounding against the door, followed by the call of Knox’s name, has him ripping away from my lips with an agonized groan. He drops his forehead into the crook of my neck. “Gods… Just one moment. That’s all I want. Just one brief moment of uninterrupted time with you.”

“Knox!” Lenox booms.

I ignore him, stroking my fingers though his hair. “That time will come,” I whisper gently, sending soothing energy down our bridge.

His shoulders loosen, but not entirely. “Not soon enough,” he mutters with a growl as Lenox continues pounding against the door.

“Knox!”

Within the blink of an eye, Knox is beside the door, throwing it open. “What,” he hisses.

Lenox bristles at the tone, until his amber eyes dart behind Knox to my form on the bed. Shockingly, he grimaces, his cheeks blooming with a red tint. “My apologies. Naia is growing fussy. She wishes to leave but we can’t take off?—”

“Without at least three hands on deck,” he finishes for Lenox. Breathing in deeply, Knox gives himself a moment, then glances over his shoulder at me. “This isn’t over.”

I slide off the bed, slinking to his side. Knox follows my every move. “I wouldn’t dream of it,” I purr.

At the heat in his eyes, Lenox points over his shoulder. “I’ll be…up top when you’re ready.”

Knox’s smirk is feline as Lenox hightails it out of the corridor. “Was it something I said?”

“I believe your eyes spoke for you. They’re practically alight with fire.”

“They always are when they’re on you.”

I click my tongue at him, then roll my eyes as the grunts and groans above deck grow louder. “Go on before they begin spreading rumors of why you’re late.”

Knox leans back against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest. “What if we simply made their speculations true? Then it wouldn’t be a rumor.”

My chuckle fills the hallway, along with the stomping of boots.

“Don’t make me drag you upstairs,” Axel deadpans.

“You wouldn’t do such a thing.”

“Right now, I either have you or the pod to contest with, and quite frankly the mermaids terrify me more than your temporary wrath.”

Knox pushes off the wall with a click of his tongue. “Gods, they’re going to be a pain in my ass.” Before he gets too far, Knox lowers his mouth to the shell of my ear, his hot breath sending chills down my arms. “We’ll finish this later tonight.”

“Mm-hmm,” I murmur, noting how Axel practically sneers my way in disgust.

It takes everything within me to hold in my scoff, to not let Knox know how Axel is looking at me. It’s one thing to joke around about his fear of the mermaid’s power over Knox’s but it’s another entirely to disrespect his mate, and something tells me the dirty look the once second just gave me would make Knox light him on fire.

One thing is for certain, I need to apologize to Axel.

Once they’re gone, Harlow steps out of the room parallel to mine with a flourish. Her head swivels to the right as Elysia exits the one adjacent to her. Groaning, she slams her door shut. “Of course, the only room left was squished between the mated Faes,” she grumbles. “I’m never going to sleep.”

Elysia’s eyes widen. “I will be partaking in no such activities. The only reason Axel is in my room is because Knox still has him assigned as my sordid guard dog.”

“You say that now, but I’ve heard about the mating bond. It’s impossible to ignore.”