Page 60 of River & Crown
"I'd be less of a man if I allowed her to make an irrational decision without knowing the full extent of the consequences."
Since entering the room, her focus had been on Ghost. When he moved to glance at me, I caught the subtle flexion of her finger on the trigger. Then he settled, and she released an anxious breath before frowning in my direction. A blood-orange flare pulsed from her shoulders like heat waves rippling off a stove.Reckless. Dumb.
"Put it down. He's not going to hurt her. If he wanted to, he would have done so already," I flatly stated.
"Am I supposed to just forget how you described our deaths and believe you?"
Her grip didn't waver. Neither did the color surrounding her. It spewed sparks of red, thick and erratic, like she was moments from pulling the trigger, just to prove I wasn't the only killer in the room.
"Ghost, banha li."
His head shot up with a low groan. Ghost jumped off the bed and hurried to my side. Grim nudged him with his nose, clearly annoyed, but his tail betrayed him, wagging with quiet relief.
"Thank you," she huffed.
I nodded, then eased over toward the bed Kysre was in. I wanted to see the woman who silently commanded my friend to come to her. Ghost never took off without my command, yet today, he did at the mention of a stranger's name. He found her, leaped onto her bed, and then clung to her side protectively. It all made little sense.
Until I sawherdrenched in a light that lacked purity and innocence. The beauty in front of me wasn't an angel. She was something more. Smoldering rays of violet poured off her in waves, robbing me of my ability to breathe. My pulse stuttered as I roamed over her. She was slightly bruised on her arm, tainting her beautiful cocoa complexion.
Low groans slipped between her cracked lips. The violet hue that surrounded her didn't dim because she was in pain. It burned brighter. A color I'd never seen on anyone before scorched endlessly around Kysre. Dark and warm, like a burgundy wine threaded through violet, evoking an emotion I hadn't experienced before.Desire. An endless hunger between hearts, Desire brought my hand to hers.
Kysre stirred beneath my touch, her lashes fluttering as her eyes opened slowly, almost as if it hurt. Her gaze met mine, stealing my breath once again. The violet aura surrounding her blazed into a color that again lacked innocence. The hues I saw when looking at people told me a lot without having to hear a person speak. The gold around Kysre was beautiful... too fucking beautiful that trusting it would be my downfall. The shimmer was soft, delicate, even, but heavy with intent. Kysre wasn't what her eyes tried to force me to believe. Gold was known to have crowned tyrants, tempted saints, and clung to those who were willing to bleed for it. Kysre was ruin-wrapped in radiance.
No one truly understood my perception of color in terms of emotions, aura, and moral ground. I used to hate how different I was. I wanted to see the world the same way everyone else did.Now, I pitied those who didn't see what I did. Had Kysre's glow been visible to other men, the male population would quickly become an endangered species. I didn't know a thing about her other than the colors that illuminated her complexion.
Wanting to be closer, I leaned down, our faces less than an inch away from each other. Saying her name guaranteed our lips to touch, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Too much too soon might scare her. Then again, maybe not. Not once since I invaded her space had Kysre moved away. Her eyes locked onto mine, silently challenging me. To what, I didn't know, but I was up for the competition.
"I've experienced a lot of things in the form of colors," I spoke low enough for only her to hear. Nothing I planned to say needed to go beyond the two of us. "Anger, grief, fear, and hunger are a few. What I haven't experienced is what you're showing me now." With every word, my lips grazed hers. A chill swept me, and I couldn't help but chuckle to myself. Kysre had no idea how intoxicated I was by her.
"That is?" she whispered and smirked, almost like she was calling my bluff.
Is she intrigued?
My entire being screamed to walk away, and that whatever this was between us, the colors I saw weren't safe. Drowning myself in gold laced with violet and burgundy would drive me insane, yet I couldn't help myself. I needed to explore the mind, body, and soul of the beauty lying beneath me. I was willing to lose it all to keep Kysre close. Bringing my lips to hers, I kissed her softly,
"I am yours."
Without waiting for a response, I backed away from the bed and around Kyree, who was standing too close for my liking.
"I'll be in touch," I told Crown. He nodded, and I signaled for Ghost and Grim to follow. We made it out of the hospital with no issues and climbed into the Suburban I had waiting for me.
"Home." The driver nodded, then drove off.
Sitting back, I closed my eyes, reliving the kiss with Kysre a few times. It was subtle. No sparks flared when our lips touched, but I wasn't looking for them to. Sparks flying and hearts stopping were regular people shit. What Kysre showed me in colors was enough. Smirking to myself, I pulled my phone out to text Emersyn.
Me:
The cleaning company isn't needed.
Emersyn:
You sure?
Me:
Yes, but guess what?
Emersyn:
