Page 75 of Crown of Iron
The buildings on either side of us give way to a courtyard, and in the center stands a stunning water fountain. A nude couple carved of marble embrace one another as water calmly flows over their bodies. Both figures are curvy and angular, masculine and feminine, allowing onlookers to create their own story about the lovers. At their feet, floating candles adorn the pooling water, and couples sensually dance around them to the music a quartet plays on strings.
“Will you dance with me, Kyron?”
He stiffens and clears his throat. “I've never danced before.”
“Is that a no?” I ask.
He studies the dancing bodies and slides his hand around mine. “I don't think I'm capable of denying you anything, Raelle.”
With a bright smile, I lead him out to the courtyard and place his hands on my waist. “Just sway your body to the music and mine will follow.” I curl my fingers into the silky hair at the nape of his neck, and he moves his hips, stepping to the side and then back. As his confidence builds, he moves his hand to the small of my back and pulls me closer. I study his face, memorizing every detail from his deep eyes to his strong nose and his perfect mouth. My lips tingle and I rub them together, trying to satisfy the urge to press them to his. His fingers dip lower down my back until they rest on the swell of my ass. There’s no longer any room between our hips as they move together.
Perhaps, I should put a respectable amount of space between us. There is bound to be someone around who recognizes me. But as I watch a strand of his hair fall over his forehead, I can’t find it in me to care about anything else. I brush it back in place, letting my fingertips linger. “You implied before that your life isn't perfect, but you are, Kyron LeFur. To me, you are absolutely perfect.”
The words flow out of my mouth like the water sliding down the marble bodies in the center of the fountain. I don't feel ashamed of my confession. In fact, it feels right to tell him how I feel.
He drops his forehead to mine and whispers, “Thank you.”
I rest my cheek to his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart and taking slow breaths to subside the ache in mine. If only I could always shower him with compliments and assure him that he is valued and wanted, because he is.
Rational thought says I'm investing too much too soon, but my heartfirmly disagrees. I want to memorize the planes of his body and the taste of his lips. I'm desperate to learn more about him and share my secrets.
Wrapped in each other's arms, our bodies swaying to the music, I realize I would recklessly give him everything, and nothing can make me regret it.
The back door the staff uses for the palace's deliveries creaks open, and Kyron and I cringe before tiptoeing through the dark kitchen to the dining room. The last thing we need is someone reporting to the king how we stumbled in together hours before dawn.
We enter the main banquet hall, and Kyron motions for me to follow his lead. Pressing our backs to the wall, we skirt the outer perimeter and move toward the entryway. He places a finger to his lips and cranes his head around the corner. When the surrounding rooms appear silent, he moves into the wide hallway and heads for the foyer. We reach the front of the palace and creep up the first step of the imperial staircase.
The steady beat of boots on the polished floor echoes from the drawing room, and we sprint to the first landing. I break one way, heading for the visitor's quarters, and Kyron moves toward the stairs leading to the royal bedrooms.
“No, no,” I whisper, grabbing the back of his jacket. “There are too many guards stationed that way.”
Kyron stumbles back and I stifle a giggle with my hand. Fighting a laugh of his own, he grabs my wrist and pulls me up the last flight of stairs.
“You could have warned me of your plan ahead of time,” he says, eyeing the doors we pass.
“I didn't expect this to be a covert operation. I thought I was just walking with you to your room.”
We turn at the end of the corridor, and two soft voices carry from the other end. Kyron frantically searches the hallway and pulls me behind the thick, long drapes. He pushes me back until my spine flattens to the window and the front of his body aligns with mine. His forearm rests above my head and he closes the distance between our faces, whispering, “Communicationis key to any operation, princess. If you would have told me you wanted to go to my room, I would have happily obliged.”
“Who's there? Show yourself,” says a guard.
Kyron stiffens, and I tangle my fingers with his. “Shadows,” I command.
The dark clouds slide over my palm and down my arm. I pull, willing his gift to change to the surrounding colors. Greer once described the way I can use Kyron's shadows to cloak like a strange ripple in the atmosphere. Not perfect, but good enough to hide from the unsuspecting eye.
The guards stomp toward the window and pull back the curtains. I peek over Kyron's shoulder as they look around, turning in a circle. The confusion on their faces is priceless, and I press my mouth to Kyron's chest to keep from laughing.
“I swear I heard?—”
“You have to stop drinking before duty,” the other guard says, releasing the drapes. He marches away, mumbling his disapproval, and his partner's hurried footsteps trail after him.
Kyron chuckles. “Remind me why you waited until now to camouflage us?”
I shrug and step under his arm, releasing his gift from my hold. “Where’s the fun in that?”
He falls in step next to me, and we walk to the door at the end of the hallway. Leaning on the doorframe, he looks at his boots. “Tonight was the first time I've done something outside of Basecamp that was normal.” He looks up at me, his hair threatening to fall into his eyes. “I didn't expectwife huntingto be so much fun.”
I smile and match his stance on the other side of the doorway. “I had fun too. It's one of those nights I wish would never end.”
