Page 88 of A Kingdom of Shadows

"Couldn't resist listening to your snoring."

I roll my eyes. "I don't snore."

He raises a customary mocking brow.

I lift mine in return with a level of defiance. "You hog the entire bed. You're a right nuisance of a dragon."

His chuckle is a seductive hoarse sound, fresh in the morning. I want to bask in it all day. "And a dragon—" Despite the humor lacing his tone, lust darkens the edges of his eyes "—You thoroughly enjoyed sleeping with last night."

Heat spikes in my blood, my cheeks warming up at just the memory of him inside me. I send him a playful glare before attempting to slap his shoulder, but he snatches my wrist, causing me to squeal as he rolls me over and pins my hands above.

I laugh.

His eyes flare with admiration, our bodies heating up at the skin-to-skin contact.

"Are you hurting?" he asks, his voice soft, almost protective.

I shake my head.

"Good," he murmurs, his gaze sliding down my top half as he drops his mouth by my ear. "Because next time, I won't be so gentle."

His words are an erotic touch. Smooth, addicting, the perfect mix.

I don't want him to be gentle. I want him to unequivocally ruin me forever.

"Is that a promise?" I say with a slight gasp as he kisses below my ear, trailing toward the base of my throat.

"A warning," he whispers, and my back arches as his teeth graze my skin.

Before he goes any lower, he stops, lifts his head, and dangles an earring over my face.

My earring.

Sun-shaped golden ones I wore last night.

"Thief." My voice holds a teasing tone.

He laughs as his mouth covers mine and gives me a lingering kiss. My eyes stay closed for a few seconds longer as he gets up from the bed, leaving me with the disappointment of wishing he could have stayed in bed. Though watching him waltz to his dresser is a view I do not mind. The ripples of muscle along his back, the firm tight—

"You're not very subtle when you stare, are you, Goldie?"

Ugh.

He still has his back turned as I roll my eyes and push myself off the bed. I saunter up to him, letting my fingers trace his arm before he turns with a piece of brown rope and the gold coin he always carries in his other hand.

"I hope you're not going to try and strangle me with that because then I would have to find a way to hurt you even in death."

His chuckle is a soft note throughout the room when he sees the severity on my face. "This—" he drawls as flames release from his index finger, aiming it toward the top part of the coin. It's not long before he's melted a hole through it and loops the coin through the string. "Is for you."

Confusion and hesitation wring a knot inside my stomach.

Is he giving me a gift?

His hand is stretched out to me with the newly made necklace in his palm. A smirk lifts the corner of his lips as he says, "My hand won't bite Goldie—well, not unless you provoke it, of course."

My hesitation turns into something strange hearing those words.

I stare at the coin, then slowly gaze up at Darius's. My heart sizzles and burns at the boyish smile on his face. I must be frozen still because he comes around and places the coin around my neck. Its coolness shoots shivers up my spine and takes me out of my hypnotic state as he ties a knot, letting his hand linger on my back, branding me with the heat of his palm.

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