Page 33 of The Lost Princess

“I—”

He dropped to his knees, practically scraping his face on the ground in front of me. His hands grasped my calves, digging harshly into the muscles there. “Please,pleasetell me I did not assault you while I was not myself.”

I blanched at the tears in his eyes, immediately remorseful for my words. I hadn’t meant to upset him. I hadn’t meant to imply he’d hurt me.

“Nasi, I—”

“If I have forced you into something you did not consent to, I will throw myself from this mountain!” he cried, his hands sliding down my legs to tightly grasp my ankles.

Overwhelmed, I rested my arms on his back, trying to run soothing circles around his wing joints to calm him.

“That would leave me in a bit of a bind if you threw yourself over the edge,” I grumbled good-naturedly. “I’d be stuck here with … what did you call them? ‘Wings weaker than a draklings?’ ”

Nasi’s shoulders twitched.

I sighed and patted him on the back. “Nasi. You didn’t assault me. Well, you did, but only in the most delicious of ways. Wait, that’s not what I meant.”

Heat flooded my face, but I had to make him understand. I dropped to the ground next to him, a tumble of wings and limbs as I had no idea what to do with everything. His wings flared over my own, gently pushing them downwards and encouraging them to tuck against my shoulders.

The brush of his wing tips against mine was tantalizingly erotic. I shivered, and closed my eyes. Opened them.

“Look,” I began, putting my hand on his cheek. “You did the best you could considering the situation. You rescued me, removed the chains, and gave me a good time to boot.”

I flashed my fangs at him in a grin. His dark eyes were filled with such agony that I felt a physical ache in my heart.

I leaned in close, taking his face gently in my hands. I touched my forehead to his. “Nasi, you didn’t hurt me. When I got uncomfortable and nervous, you stopped. Immediately.”

I found his clawed hands and carefully tangled them with mine. I rather liked how the white of my scales meshed with his gold.

“I promise,” I stressed.

The pain in his eyes lessened, and he dropped his head to mine, breathing out.

Nasi was different from the other men at court. I knew the only thing kept them from me was the threat of my father cleaving their heads from their body. With Nasi, I was the one in charge. I got to call the shots.

For all I’d wanted to have more of his kisses, I realized that Nasi wouldn’t push himself on me now that he was in his own mind. I would have to take the first step. I would have to show him that I wanted his kisses. Assuming he wanted them as well, of course.

I decided to take the risk. I tilted his chin up with one hand, and his gaze immediately found mine. A hopeful question lingered in his eyes.

My lips found his, and my tongue darted into his mouth.

For one perfect, sweet moment, he kissed me back. His breath caught in his chest, and his arms tightened around me. His lips met mine and tangled sweetly—not as roughly as he had when he was feral, but desperate enough to make my toes curl.

Then he abruptly pulled away. “It is late. We should rest.”

He gestured toward the fur piles, and I was too stunned to argue. Was he just trying to get me to lay down so we could continue? The very thought had me hot and bothered all over again.

I laid down in the furs, propping myself up on my elbows. Eagerly, I waited for Nasi to join me. Usually he slept next to me, allowing me to bury my head against his chest if I got cold.

“Go ahead and rest your wings. I’m going to get you more clothes now that it’s dark.” Nasi had already turned away from me, so he missed the look of disappointment on my face as he leaped out of the cave mouth and disappeared into the night.

I watched him go, pouting.

I was pretty sure he liked kissing me if that split second had been anything to go by. So why had he pulled away? Perhaps he didn’t want me like I had thought.

In the semi-darkness, I threw another log on the fire before settling back down into the furs. I wasn’t used to pitch darkness, so preferred to keep a few logs burning. Thus far, Nasi had humored me.

Shame welled in my gut. He must not want me. The realization was strange after being chased and kept away from the court men my entire life. I’d always been told I was beautiful and desirable which was, I figured, due to my coloring, my fair hair, and of course the way my skin glimmered.

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