A Dawn of Onyx (The Sacred Stones, #1)(66)

Kane was either ignoring me or couldn’t hear my protests over the music and revelry. We exited the grand room through a hidden corridor, flew down tight stone steps, and slipped inside the nearby wine cellar.

Kane closed the heavy stone door behind him, shutting out the noise of the banquet and drowning us in silence. My ears felt like they were full of cotton.

The small space was musty and dry. Filled to the brim with barrels of wine, there was little room for both him and me. Kane’s impressive height didn’t help. I felt small, both in stature and behavior.

“Bleeding Stones, Kane. This is ridiculous.”

“You really do have a mouth like a sailor,” he laughed, leaning against the door.

“Don’t think about my mouth.”

His eyes turned from playful to deadly in a heartbeat. “How I wish I could stop, bird.”

I snorted. “You’re incorrigible.”

“And you’re jealous.” His smile was like a wolf’s.

“That’s ridiculous. You disgust me. I’m—” I paused, trying to gather myself. What was I? “I’m sorry I interrupted you and the princess. That was rude.” I crossed my arms, and then quickly uncrossed them so as not to appear defensive.

His eyes gave nothing away. “We are at war. I am trying to solidify an ally. You think I’m just playing around? Do I strike you as a huge fan of banquets?”

I pressed my lips into a line. “Who knew political warfare could look so intimate?”

The corner of Kane’s mouth turned up. “Aw, bird. Did you burn with rage at the thought of me with another woman?”

“Don’t be silly. By all means, have at it. She’s just a little young for you, don’t you think?”

Kane actually looked offended. “How old do you think I am?”

“Never mind. It doesn’t matter.” I tried to push past him, but he blocked my path.

“Well, I should hope not. You have a man behind bars a few feet beneath us who believes you to be his wife.”

“Of course, Halden. Thank you for sparing him.”

“Of course,” he mimicked, a gleam in his eyes. “I’m not such a cruel king after all.”

“I really should get back. Mari will be—”

A shock wave radiated through my body, throwing me into Kane with brutal force. My chin snapped against his sternum and searing pain bloomed in my jaw. Kane wrapped his arms around me, cradling my body to his as the force knocked us to the floor.

Wine sloshed as barrels fell on each other, breaking apart. The faint roar of screaming echoed from the great hall above us, and I squeezed my eyes shut. The ground continued to shake.

“I’ve got you,” Kane grunted, as wine barrels tipped off the shelves and landed on his back. Every muscle in my body was tight as a coil as I prayed for the shuddering to end.

Stop, stop, stop.

When the aftershocks subsided, Kane’s face was inches from mine, the length of his body pressing down on me. It was overwhelming to feel him everywhere—muscular torso pressed to my breasts, our thighs intertwined, his corded arms protecting my head. And a strong hand still cradling my neck gently—ever so gently. Much, much too gently. At the first hitch of my breath, he disentangled from me with lightning speed.

My heart still pounding from the shock, I assessed the damage.

The wine cellar was decimated.

Dust and debris cluttered the shelves and floor, and we were both soaked in dark red. Kane’s eyes lit with horror as he searched my body.

“Are you hurt?”

“No, it’s just wine,” I said. But I brought my hand to my mouth and felt where I had bitten through my lip in our collision.

He cradled my jaw with a gentleness that nearly made me pant. Using his thumb, he carefully pulled my lower lip down to inspect the wound. I felt my whole body flush from the intimacy of the touch.

“Ouch. Sorry, bird. Have some of this, it’ll keep it clean.” His thumb released my lip, and he reached for an unbroken bottle, dusted off the dirt, and handed it to me. I took a slow sip, holding his gaze.

He exhaled a shaky breath as he watched me drink deeply from the bottle and set it down beside me.

“What was that?” I asked, massaging my jaw.

But it hit me a moment too late. Halden’s explosion. It had been much bigger than he had let on, whatever it was he did.

If anyone had been hurt because of this, I—

“Perhaps an earthquake.” Kane stood up and pushed through the debris to reach the door. “Stay here. I’ll send Barney for you.”

Before I could argue he pushed at the door. But it didn’t budge. My stomach sank in an instant.

“Kane.”

My chest began to shudder. He pushed again, hard, using his whole frame. The muscles on his back rippled under his shirt, the cords in his neck bulged.

“Kane.”

My palms were sweating. Heart racing. Kane let go, pushed the hair out of his face, and cracked his knuckles. Once more he heaved forward, but nothing happened.

“Kane!”

“What?” He swiveled. I was on my hands and knees, heaving for air. He rushed to me and placed a calming hand on my back. “Fuck. You’re all right, little bird. Trust me. You can’t die from fear alone. There’s plenty of air in here.”