Page 35 of Veiled Fate
“If only it were that easy,” he whispered.
“Itis,” I said. “You just have to do it.”
He didn’t respond.
“Tell me the truth. What else did you do? Is Clive’s family part of this too? Did you make them move to town and force him to be my friend because they’ve been your agents all along?”
“What? No,” he said, frowning. “We recruited Clive a couple of years ago. It was sheer coincidence. Nothing more. Noteverythingis part of some plan.”
“And your feelings for me?” I asked. “You’re sure those were real?”
“Very sure,” he said stiffly. “I wish they weren’t, but they are.”
“Why would you wish that?”
“Because if I hadn’t felt that way, then I wouldn’t have hurt you as badly as I did. I never wanted to hurt you.” Pain wrinkled his face and forehead as he closed his eyes.
“Oh, Kiel.”
I lifted my good arm, grabbing his chin and, to both our surprise, pulling him down to kiss me one last time.
Chapter Seventeen
The hungry growl lodged in the back of his throat as our lips touched only heightened my enjoyment. Despite the gaping hole in my stomach, I still felt the butterflies from his kiss. Fingers curled around the back of my head, pushing through my newly shortened, dark hair and pulling me in tight. I moaned softly into his mouth, the flip-flopping in my belly intensifying.
Taking control, he plunged his tongue into my mouth, soft, warm, and electric. Our lips closed together, and nervous energy shot from my stomach into my mouth.
There was a flash of green. With a wild yelp, Kiel was tossed back across the room, crashing hard to the floor and banging his head against the stone wall.
“Kiel!” I shouted, reaching out for him automatically as if I could be of any help from the bed.
He grabbed at his mouth to check for any wounds while his eyebrows slowly receded from his hairline to return to their normal place.
“What the heck was that? Are you okay?”
“Why are you asking me?” Kiel licked his lips gently, but there were no outward signs of damage. “You’re the one who did it.”
“I did?”
“You shocked me,” he said calmly, getting to his feet. “With your mouth.”
“I saw the flash,” I said, settling back onto the bed, pulling the blanket up on either side of me once I was sure he was okay. “But how?”
There was no response. Rolling my head to the side, I caught him staring wide-eyed again. I lifted my eyebrows.
“Are you okay?” I repeated, fighting back a spike of worry that maybe he’d hit his head harder than I’d thought. He had a remarkably thick skull, but still …
“I’m fine,” he said, pointing. “How are you?”
I followed his gaze down to my arm and a wound healing in real time as we watched, the skin slowly stitching itself back together, leaving little more than a red welt.
Hurriedly, I flung the blankets off, more concerned about getting a look at my stomach than the fact I was naked underneath. It, too, was closing.
“I don’t get it,” I said, glancing at Kiel. “What’s going on with me?”
“I’m not sure,” he admitted, coming close and crouching at my side to examine my stomach, his fingers gently probing at my flesh. “I can see flashes of green in the center, though.”
“I saw that, too,” I said. “When I first awoke after being stabbed.”
