Ignites him.
My cheeks heat, thunder rumbling as I consume the vision of Kaan Vaegor stretched across the long seater.
Naked.
More lightning, and I see the fluffy throw draped across his groin, covering that part of his body but leaving his scars and his fierce, formidable stature on bold display.
Creators.
He’s so big his legs hang off the end, feet flat on the ground, legs partially spread.
Another thump of thunder, and I swallow thickly, gaze dragging up to where he has a pillow beneath his head that’s tipped to the side, both arms tucked beneath it …
I shake my head, admiring.
I had a lot of time to think while I was sitting in his sleep space, bound in his scent, biding moments until I was certain he’d be asleep. Realized he’s shown me kindness when I’ve shown him none. Certainly done nothing to deserve his.
And the way he looked at me while I laughed …
I release a slow, silent breath, taking in the relaxed slant of his face. Peaceful.
Serene.
My fingers itch, but not with the need to kill. Not the feeling I get when I think about the male I’m about to hunt.
They itch with the need to touch. To trace the sturdy lines of his eyebrows, then his nose—ever so slightly crooked. As though somebody punched him one time and he didn’t bother to set it completely straight.
The urge to tangle with his thick beard and tug at the strands, then drag across the broad expanse of his shoulders, smoothing across his bouldered chest. To trace the dips between his abdominals, down the slick black trail of hair that leads beneath that blanket—
My cheeks flush with another spread of heat.
Of all the things I’ve seen in my life, he’s one of the most magnificent. I can admit that to myself now that we’re parting.
Another reason why I need to go.
Perhaps he’s a good male. A good, honorable king. I don’t have the heart to peel back the layers and find out. I’m broken in ways he’ll never understand, condemned to a lonely existence I’ve found peace with.
So no, I don’t want to kill him. Not anymore.
I simply want to be free of him.
I spear my gaze at the door and ease off the final few steps, tiptoeing past the seater. My hand is just settling around the doorknob when my mind tills up the haunting echo of his previous words. Ones I’d barely absorbed when he’d said them, because I was so caught up on other things.
The only exit is down the stairs and out the back door. That’s if you can creep past me quietly enough, since I’ll be sleeping on the seater. If you succeed, I’ll enjoy hunting you down, so be my fucking guest.
A shiver rakes through me as I digest the conviction in his tone, crippled by the distinct impression that not even a moonfall would prevent him from finding me …
Gaze cast over my shoulder, my heart misses a beat.
Another.
Shit. I have to kill him. If I don’t, I’ll never be rid of him. He’ll haunt me. Truly haunt me—just as he promised.
This weird feeling gouges at my throat. Like a claw reaching up through layers of flesh, muscle, and sinew, fisting my trachea, tightening its grip.
Choking me.
I realize with a start that it’s hesitation.
Again.
I don’t know what to do with this. I’ve never dealt with it before this male came along. I kill. That’s what I do. Somebody needs taking out, I fucking do it.
This decision should be easy. He’s in the way. Get him out of the way.
Why is it not easy?
I squeeze my eyes shut, pitching myself back to the moment I discovered he’s one of the three Vaegor kings. To the rage I felt, bolstered by the knowledge of all the terrible things he’s rumored to have done.
Monstrous things. Heinous things that are unforgivable.
The world will be a better place with one less tyrannical Vaegor brother.
Yes. That’s it.
That’s the hook.
I snap my mouth around the thought’s sharp point as I slip inside myself, stripping back the sprouting emotions I feel for Kaan until I’m left with a bare skeleton I leave lying on my internal shore—bundling all my budding curiosity and tentative appreciation and tying it to a stone. With stout determination, I creep across my lake, shards of silver light spearing up from beneath the ice like something bright and bold is soaring through the water.
Following me.
I shiver, plonk the stone down a carved hole and into the dark expanse, then brush off my hands.
There.
Good riddance.
The huge, luminous presence darts forward in a whip of motion, appearing to chase the stone like a predator hunting its prey, its glow fading into the depths with a billowing swish that sends icy water gushing up the hole and sloshing around my feet.