Page 23 of Kiss of Magic

She started to form another spell but now he was moving and she was too slow. The fist came out of nowhere, connecting cleanly with her chin. If she’d thought perhaps he was a gentleman, that he wouldn’t hit a woman, she was badly mistaken.

She folded up and he caught her as she fell.

Eleven

Arjhan

Kam stared at the seal. The soft chanting of the witches filled the air, hypnotic in its cadence, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of dread. The seal was definitely cracked,

It had barely been visible yesterday. But now, as delicate as a strand of hair, a black line swept from one side of the seal to the other.

He left the room and found Ren waiting for him.

“The evacuation plans are progressing,” she told him. “Our main problem is food supply. We still haven’t fully replenished the grain stores, and if the seal fails we won’t be able to waste any of it by feeding livestock.”

Ren looked briefly in the direction of the stables. She knew she wouldn’t be able to protect her beloved horses if the demons got loose. The most she could do was set them free and hope they could escape the carnage.

“Shade and Salaq say their territories have enough rations for a week or two,” said Kam. “We’ll work on getting more to them.”

“How long do you think we have?”

“I don’t know. Maybe a few days? It’s going to take at least that to get everyone out of Arjhan.”

“There aren’t enough sanctuaries for them all,” Ren said quietly. “How are we to decide who lives and who dies?”

Kam rubbed his face tiredly.

“I honestly don’t know.”

She heard the desolation in his voice and put her arms around him. He buried his face in the curve of her neck, taking comfort from her scent, the softness of her skin.

“I don’t know what I’m doing, Ren.” His voice was muffled. “I’ve gone round in circles, looking at every angle. But no matter what we do, the outcome will be the same. If the demons get out, thousands are going to die.”

Ren pressed her lips to his head.

“But because of your planning, your preparation, thousands will alsolive. You said it yourself. Nush’aldaam isn’t the same place it was five millennia ago. We’re not the same people.”

Kam raised his head and gave a faint smile.

“You’re saying the demons will get a surprise?”

“I’m saying they’ll have a gods-damned fight on their hands.”

Her gaze was unwavering and Kam felt a rush of love for his Empress. He gathered her close and kissed her, the sweetness of her lips calming his fears. She deepened the kiss, leaning against him and teasing his tongue with her own.

Maybe it was the impending disaster, maybe it was a reaction to the threat of death, but suddenly she found she wanted him. Wanted him desperately.

She took his hand and slid it onto her breast, inhaling as his thumb unerringly found her nipple. It tautened under his touch.

“We don’t have time for this,” he murmured as he kissed her throat.

“We always have time for love,” she said fiercely. “The demons won’t take that from us.”

She tangled her hands into his hair and brought his mouth to her collarbone, arching as he trailed downwards. He curved his hand around her bottom and pulled her hard against his body. Gods, he would never tire of her. He lifted his head and flashed a grin.

“In that case, my queen, I suggest we take this back to the bedchamber. We really can’t afford to distract the wiccans.”

She took his hand and they turned in the direction of their private quarters. A soldier stepped in front of them.

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