The Silver Siren (Iron Butterfly, #3)(28)

I gripped the knife tighter in my hand, noticing the slight change of shadow as the window shutter opened from the outside. I watched as it was slowly closed all the way and then heard him latch it from the inside. I turned silently to lie on my back.

The room was now in complete darkness, but I could see perfectly. Kael was moving closer to me, and I smiled maliciously.

My hand shot out with the knife toward his chest, but he caught it easily. With two swift moves, he disarmed me and pinned my hands behind above my head. My knife lay useless across the floor. I was trapped under his body.

“You know there is such a thing as a door,” I whispered. “You should try it sometime.”

“I like the challenge,” was his reply back. My heart beat louder in my chest but I froze, refusing to move. The same way he could always find me, I was able to tell whenever he was near, especially if we’d been apart for any long periods of time. Stupid headache.

“I think you’re losing your touch in your old age, Kael.” I looked down at the knife that was on the floor. “Not as silent as you used to be.”

“Maybe I wouldn’t have to keep sneaking in windows and houses if you would just stay in one place instead of running off,” he squeezed my wrists firmly in a gentle warning, and rolled onto his back next to me on the bed sinking comfortably into my pillow.

“Well, I had worn out my welcome in your village, and I was tired of being constantly tossed into sheds and deep holes.”

“None of them seemed like much of a challenge for you. Why balk at a few tests?”

“Tests! Tests. Torture.”

“So you went through a bit of the Initiation, although it was altered because you were an outsider. But you passed all of them and earned quite a bit of respect. When I left, the Sanctuary was in upheaval with all the diverse opinions. Let’s just say, Thalia, I don’t think the clan will ever be the same.”

“I, uh, didn’t mean to upset everyone.”

“Didn’t you though?” he spoke softly. “You seem to have a habit of coming in like a storm and leaving a path of destruction and confusion in your wake.”

I pulled at the blanket to cover me but it was now stuck under Kael’s heavy body. “I don’t.” I yanked on the blanket again.

Kael conceded a foot by turning over and releasing more of it. He handed me the pillow and put his hands above his head.

“You do, but I take it back. It’s not really everyone that you affect that way. It’s just me.” He turned his head and I was caught up in both his deep stormy eyes and his confession. I could see the pain, the hurt. It was like a two-edged knife, and we kept using it to hurt each other in our anger.

“I’m sorry, Kael.” The pain and the guilt I had thought buried rose to the surface all over again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was you that night. I lost control and you paid the price. Please you must believe me.” Small tears fell down my cheeks, and I fought against every one of them.

Kael pulled me into his arms, my head on his chest. He didn’t chastise me for crying, and I couldn’t have stopped myself if I tried.

“Shh,” he said, his heart beating a steady rhythm. “Do you hear it? It beats for you, Thalia. It beats because of you.”

I was afraid to move, afraid to wake up from whatever dream we were in. “I still can’t believe you’re alive,” I whispered.

“You’re my reason for living now. In fact, I don’t think my heart truly started to beat until I met you.”

I lifted my head off of his chest, but his right hand slid to my waist keeping me pressed close to his side. His grip was firm. He wasn’t going to let me go.

“You have to be careful. I can’t control my power lately, and I might kill you again.”

“You won’t.” His voice turned husky as he leaned forward.

I held my breath, waiting to see what he would do.

Gently, he pushed me back against the bed and sat up. My mouth went dry and my heart raced. Kael crawled over me and, being very careful to not touch me anywhere else, placed his head on my chest, over my heart—

Which was at this moment racing frantically. I was afraid to move.

Kael spoke softly as he listened to the rhythm. “As long as your heart beats, so does mine. I kind of like that. It’s the ultimate bond between us.”

“You didn’t use too. You hated it. Hated the loss of your freedom. I remember how angry you were—“

Kael chuckled and silenced my argument with a deep kiss that left me breathless and excited. His lips were soft and warm, but his kiss was intense. Demanding. Possessive. Heat coursed through my body. My heart raced faster than a hummingbird. I was falling off a cliff and, like all the other times before, I knew Kael would save me. And with that kiss he did. It felt more than good, it felt right. And I knew that I couldn’t kill him with a kiss.

He pulled away, breaking the kiss, and I groaned in disappointment. Kael breathed out softly, “What can I say? You’ve started to grow on me.” His eyes said he meant those words.

“What? Like a wart?” I whispered, and tried to hold back the laughter that swelled in me. I was elated that he kissed me, not in challenge to anger or to get back at Joss. Kael kissed me because he truly desired me. That thought both exhilarated me and made me nervous. Was I betraying Joss? Was I leading on two men? My mood shifted from top-of-the-mountain-exuberant bliss to bottom-of-a-rotten-barrel-of-fish depressed.