Page 282 of Alchemised
His eyes flickered, and he let go.
She went still.
The fear and anger that he’d inspired a year earlier had all but disappeared. The danger was still there, cast in sharper relief now that she had seen how lethal he was. Yet somehow knowing it made her less frightened. Now she knew how much he was holding back. Despite everything he’d achieved, this was Kaine Ferron using restraint.
“This was a mistake,” she said. “I shouldn’t have come here.”
His throat dipped as he looked away.
“Don’t worry,” he said quietly. “This won’t complicate anything for you. You wanted someone to be with, and I was available. I know it didn’t mean anything.”
Helena’s breath caught, and she swallowed. He wasn’t just someone. To her, he was—
That was the mistake of it, what she was so scared of.
Before she could even begin to invent a lie, something must have shown in her face. Her eyes always betrayed her.
Because his expression was withdrawn, and then, in an instant, triumph flashed across his face and he reached for her again. Hunger and heat splintered the air like lightning.
Before she could bolt, he pulled her back to him and his lips found hers, and all her fears and guilt and resolution became lost to her. All she could think of was how much she wanted to be there, being touched by him. He was fire, and she was already consumed.
“You’re mine,” he said against her lips, his fingers sliding along her throat, tangling in her hair, holding her fast as he dragged her nearer.
It was not like the previous night. It wasn’t comfort. It was claiming.
His mouth was hot on her lips, his teeth nipping possessively along her jaw and her throat, over her shoulders. She tangled her fingers in his hair, arching into his touch. She tried not to cry from how desperately she wanted him, and how grateful she was that she didn’t have to ask. He pulled her closer, arms entwined around her as he aligned himself and sank into her with a sharp thrust, his breath burning along her neck.
He was exacting. Determined to prove to her that this was where she belonged, to ensure that she could never deny what he made her feel.
She could feel his resonance along her nerves. He made no effort to hide the way he attuned himself to her, overwhelming her with sensation and pleasure all at once.
In the moment his control slipped and his expression was laid bare again, there was no more heartbreak; he was possessive and triumphant.
He pulled her close, crushing her to his chest. “You’re mine. You swore yourself to me. Now and after the war. I’m going to take care of you. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you. You don’t have to be lonely. Because you’re mine.”
Helena knew she should go, but she had lost herself there.
She was locked in the dangerous embrace of Kaine Ferron, and it felt like home.
She slept in his arms, nearly dead to the world, waking only briefly when his fingers trailed along her shoulder. She looked up, found him watching her, his eyes dark.
She arched into his touch and dropped a kiss over his heart. He picked up her hand, and she felt his resonance in her fingers as she fell asleep.
When she woke again, it was nearly evening, and the mountains had turned purple with dusk, gilded a burnished red as Sol began his descent.
Kaine was dressed, but he was just sitting beside her, watching her sleep, her fingers laced in his, as if there was nothing else to do.
“How are you here?” she asked, dazed with exhaustion. She somehow felt more tired than she ever had before, as if her body had finally remembered how to sleep and now intended to recover all the years of deprivation.
He raised an eyebrow. “I live here. Did you think my primary residence was the Outpost panic room?”
She shook her head, rolling onto her back. Her hands didn’t hurt at all anymore. “No, but how are you able to spend a whole day in bed with me? Aren’t you a general or something? Don’t you have meetings, or crimes to commit?”
Rather than answer, he leaned over her until she was stretched out beneath him. His longer arms pinned her hands above her head, and he kissed her.
“I’m off duty,” he finally said when she was breathless. “A concept I fear no one has ever acquainted you with.”
She rolled her eyes. “But why do you live here? I thought old families had property.”
