Page 80 of A Shard of Ice

He shakes his head, his eyes still unfocused. “I dreamed of him…of Kyran after he died. It’s a dream I’ve had a few times. Actually, it’s a memory that’s become twisted.”

I wait for him to continue. Wait for him to sort it out inside his head.

“In my dream, Kyran is dead, but he doesn’t look dead, though I know he is. He’s lying on a white marble slab in a coffin made from glass.”

“Did that actually happen?”

He nods, his mind far away. “Snow wanted to be able to see him. I think she must have been preserving him with magic because even his skin coloring looked normal. His eyes were open and looked exactly the same as they had in life, only they were unseeing. His heart was quite still…he was dead.”

“That’s horrible, Damon. I’m so sorry.”

“It was hard to see him like that. So real, looking so alive and yet gone.” He breathes deeply. “In my dream, he wakes up from the dead and starts screaming. He’s deranged. He starts pounding on the glass coffin. The glass starts to shatter, and then…I wake up. You woke me this time. It’s…it’s…”

“Awful and terrible and something you should not have to endure.”

“I had the dream in the salt mines a time or two, only I didn’t realize that Kyran was my brother. I woke up feeling sad, bereft, and angry beyond belief, with no idea why since I thought it was just a nightmare.”

“I’m so sorry.” I put my arms around him, trying to comfort him.

Damon hugs me back, burying his head in my shoulder. “You smell nice, Ky. Like flowers in the desert.”

I smile. “I smell clean, for once. That’s all it is.”

“You always smell like flowers.”

I giggle softly. “Yes, and sometimes they’re growing in a compost heap.”

He doesn’t laugh back. He rubs his hand up and down my back and then pulls away, looking into my eyes.

His jaw is tight, and his eyes are blazing. “You should go back to bed now.”

“Yes, I should.” I cup his jaw. “I don’t want to.”

His face falls. “We can’t, Ky…I can’t…”

“You can’t be with me. You have a responsibility…a destiny. I get that, but we can have one night, Damon.” I lean up, the tips of my breasts brushing against his chest. Only my thin smock is between us. I take his lips and kiss him, my breath mingling with his. His hands come around my waist, pulling me closer. Damon deepens the kiss, and it becomes more urgent and desperate. Our bodies mold together as if they were made for each other.

He pulls back. “Just one night.”

I make a noise of agreement and then have to hold back a squeal when he stands, taking me with him.

“Are you sure?” he says as he lays me on the bed, crouching over me so that our faces are barely an inch apart.

“Yes.” Our lips come together in another searing kiss that has my toes curling and a moan building in my throat.

Damon grips my smock, pulling it up and up, then lifting it over my head. His eyes stay on mine.

He finally looks down, his gaze roaming my body. “I dreamed of this moment.” He gently traces the curve of my breast with just the tip of his finger and then traces down my tummy, stopping just short of the hair between my legs.

I don’t feel in the least bit shy. I feel revered. I feel worshipped and I love it.

“You’re a vision, Ky. You’re more beautiful than I ever could have imagined.” His gaze is back on my face like he’s taking me in, trying to memorize my features.

I grip the back of his head, and our mouths crash together all over again. I run my hands over his muscled back. I open my legs, feeling his cock through his braies. It’s hard and pressing against my slit.

“Thesha gave me some black root,” I say as we come apart; my voice sounds desperate.

His eyes are hazy with lust. He narrows them in confusion.

---