Page 10 of Shadow's Edge

I leaned over his back, guiding his hands, and adjusting his stance. It was a simple enough task—except that when my chest pressed against his back, a sharp exhale left both of us at the same time.

Fucking distractions were always dangerous.

JAGGER

It had been a long day of training, and the Ghosts had tested us on everything. We had started with shooting drills, then moved to hand-to-hand combat. Not a single Knight had been able to look away from Kyle as she took on the other Ghosts to show us some useful moves. Her movements were precise and fluid—every strike calculated, every dodge seamless. Not one of the guys had managed to take her down.

Then, we paired off. I ended up against a guy named Match, and the bastard was solid. I held my own, but by the time we called it a night around eight o’clock, I could already feel bruises forming on top of bruises.

Still, I was proud. Smug, even. And judging by the way Preacher looked, he felt the same. The Ghosts weren’t moving as smoothly anymore either. We had held our ground, and that counted for something.

Now, I had one thing left to do—catch Kyle alone.

“Kyle,” I called, following her up the stairs. She turned at the top, raising a single brow as she watched me approach. She didn’t say a word, just waited, like she knew what I wanted.

Not elaborating, I caught her wrist and pulled her toward her room.

“You know,” she drawled, amused, “Icanwalk in the right direction without help.”

“We need to talk.”

She opened the door and stepped inside. I followed, not giving her a chance to shut me out. The second I kicked the door closed, I caught her wrist again, spinning her so that her back hit the wood.

The sharpthunkof her rifle hitting the door echoed in the room.

I hadintendedto talk to her about something. Anything. But being this close, I was done pretending.

“What are you?—”

I didn’t let her finish. I slammed my lips onto hers, rougher than I’d meant to, but I had no control left. The need to taste her, to claim her, had taken over every rational thought in my head.

She could have broken my neck in seconds if she wanted to, but it seemed like that was the last thing on her mind. Instead, she melted against me, her hands sliding around my back, fingers gripping tight. My tongue traced the seam of her lips, pressing insistently, urging her to let me in. The second she did, I didn’t hold back, sweeping inside, groaning as her taste hit me.

This—this had to be what heaven felt like.

My hand moved, slow but firm, trailing down her side before slipping under her shirt. Her skin was warm, soft, and fuck if I wasn’t already addicted. Just as my fingers grazed the edge of her ribs, a sharp knock on the door shattered the moment.

We jerked apart, breathing heavily, staring at each other like neither of us could believe what had just happened.

“We need to talk,” I rasped, brushing my nose against hers, unwilling to pull away completely. Her breath hit my lips in short, shallow pants, and she nodded, eyes dark and unreadable. The knock came again, louder this time, pulling us back to reality.

Swiping my thumb across her lower lip, I stole one last kiss, soft and slow, something Ineverdid. Hell, kissing had never been an option for me but with her, I wanted more.

“We’ll talk later.”

Kyle swallowed hard and stepped back, straightening her shirt as she turned toward the door. I forced myself to take a deep breath, reigning in the frustration that came with ending that kiss too soon.

The second the door swung open, Duke stood there, arms crossed, an eyebrow arched as he took us in. There was amusement in his eyes and a hint of a smirk tugging at his lips.

“Well, now, it seems I have shit timing,” he mused, shifting his gaze to Kyle. “Hunter just pulled up, so you better put that away.” He nodded at the rifle still slung across her back, a forgotten detail in the heat of the moment.

Kyle exhaled, giving me one last glance before nodding.

“Go do it, baby,” I murmured, giving her a gentle push. “Then we’ll go see who this is.”

She locked the rifle away and turned to me in the safe Preacher had brought up earlier, expression unreadable. “I know who Hunter is. He’s my backup.”

Herbackup? The way she said it, like it was nothing, had me biting back a smirk.

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