Page 96 of A Kingdom of Destruction

“Who are you most excited to see at the wedding?” she pressed. “I haven’t met any of your friends. Will they stand with you as your best men?”

“You haven’t met them because they don’t exist. Cillian is too busy playing at monarch to actually maintain any relationships he may have had over the decades,” Roran put in.

Aven chuckled. “Once again, you’re butting in on a conversation you weren’t asked to be a part of. I speak to Cillian alone.”

Another snide under-the-breath remark from Roran, and this one was easier to ignore.

“I have a few mates I still talk to from the early years of education. They’ve struck out on their own to manage parts of Mourningvale.”

Roran shifted to balance his elbows on his knees and set them both with a high-browed look. “All lords and dukes and such.”

She wasn’t going to tell him again to stay out of the conversation, although she desperately wanted to do so. An argument may be a great distraction, but she didn’t want to have a blowup in front of her future father-in-law. Reeling it in, Aven bit down on her tongue, her hands twisted in her lap.

She jumped, a little surprised when Cillian reached over to cover her hands with one of his. “Why the questions?” he wanted to know. “Are you in need of a distraction?”

“Always,” Roran breathed out.

Aven turned to Cillian and willed her focus to narrow until her vision encompassed him and only him. He would be her closest confidant once they exchanged vows. Hell, he filled that space already.

She’d asked about his friends? She had none back at home unless one counted General Hunter. Her sisters were less companions and more family. She didn’t tell them her precious thoughts, only gave them glimpses of her inner world. Here? She had Nora, although her lady’s maid was less a confidant and more another set of eyes watching her and no doubt reporting back to Cillian.

“Then allow me to provide one for you,” Cillian said, his voice low and smooth as he reached up to cradle her face.

Her breath hitched as his thumb brushed her cheekbone, the touch so gentle it sent a shiver racing down her spine. She let herself fall into him, turning fully as he leaned in. The moment his lips met hers, her chest tightened—not with unease, but with something far hotter, something she couldn’t contain.

His kiss was achingly deliberate, soft at first, coaxing, but grew bolder with every passing second. His hand slid from hercheek to the back of her neck, tilting her head just enough to deepen the kiss.

There were feelings here, she knew. Shedidfeel something behind the kiss. It wasn’t the same type one might exchange with a friend or experiment. Not like a first time or a potential suitor where there was no chemistry.

She could very well love Cillian, given time.

Except—

No, she wouldn’t think abouthim.

She gripped Cillian’s forearms, her fingers curling into the muscle as a low hum of pleasure escaped her throat, a sound she hadn’t meant to release but couldn’t stop. Aven felt heat build, not just in the press of his lips but in the way his hand slid upward, his thumb grazing the sensitive edge of her ear. Her heart raced, her blood pounding with a sweet ache she hadn’t expected. The kiss wasn’t just something she could feel—itconsumedher. And she wanted more.

But then, there was Roran.

She didn’t have to look to know he was watching. He sat just within her peripheral vision, but he might as well have been right beside her. She couldn’t ignore the weight of his gaze, heavy and smoldering, like a flame licking at her skin.

Her resolve to ignore him cracked. She knew she shouldn’t, but she glanced toward him, catching the faintest hint of movement. Roran leaned forward slightly, his jaw tight, his lips parted. Then she heard it—a low sound from his throat. A groan.

Her pulse stuttered, and a surge of heat—entirely different from the one Cillian ignited—rushed through her. Where Cillian’s touch was warmth and comfort, the mere thought of Roran’s gaze was wildfire and chaos.

No.

She forced her focus back to Cillian, to the solid reality of him, but the memory of Roran’s molten stare burned into her like a brand.

Aven tilted her head further, deepening the kiss as if to drown out everything else, as if that alone could erase the unwanted awareness crawling up her spine. Cillian responded with a quiet growl of his own, his other hand sliding to her waist, pulling her closer, his grip firm but not demanding. Their bodies touched now, and the heat between them threatened to burn away the tension she hadn’t realized she carried.

But it wasn’t enough.

She couldn’t shake Roran. His presence pressed against the edges of her awareness, impossible to ignore, making her body hum with forbidden energy.

This wasn’t how she was supposed to feel.

She focused her attention where it belonged.

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