AMIRA
The noise of the chair legs scraping against the floor woke me up with a start.
It was dark. No light filtered through my blindfold, whatsoever. The screeching of the chair was followed by cursing said in a hushed but familiar voice.
“Kyllen?” I sat up.
“Close your eyes, Amira.”
“They are closed.” My heart slowed down from the wild race that the sudden awakening had sent it on.
He climbed onto my “nest.” His hands on each side of my head, he found the blindfold.
“Good girl,” he murmured. “Did you put that chair there?”
“Yes. There’s no lock.”
“Smart.” He kissed the tip of my nose.
“What happened, Kyllen? Why are you here?”
“Oh. That’s a very good question.” He found the end of the top sheet and climbed under the cover with me. “You see, after the dinner, I went to the room they gave me. Had a bath, got undressed. Then, I lay in the nest and wondered, ‘What by the Garden of the Cursed am I doing here? Alone? When my little human is just next door, and there are no chains or crates keeping me away from her?’ So, I got up, sent the guard I’d placed at your door away, and came here.” He scooted closer and shifted a bit, making himself comfortable. “And I’m glad I did. It seems, they gave you a much comfier nest than mine. I feel much better here.”
I smiled. “I like having you here.”
“That is very fortunate, my dear, because I think I’ll be staying here from now on.”
I didn’t mind that one bit, leaning into the now familiar warmth of his body.
“How was the dinner?”
He took a moment before replying. “Interesting.”
“Tell me.”
“No,” he said. “I need to think about it first, before I can talk about it.”
He could be overwhelmed too, maybe not as much as I was, but it couldn’t be easy to skip centuries on a timeline.
“You must be tired,” I said.
He’d gotten less sleep than I had. Since we woke up in the hotel in London, he hadn’t even had a nap.
“I’m simply exhausted,” he admitted.
“Let’s go to sleep, then.” I curled against his chest, only to shrink back again. “Oh, You’re naked.” There was no thick comforter between us this time.
“So? That’s how I always sleep.” He skimmed my hip with his hand. “You, on the other hand…” He rose on his elbow. “By the power of Great Serpent… Amira, what are you wearing?”
He yanked the sheet off me. I rolled to my back to grab it, but it was too late. He’d already exposed me down to my knees.
I had no idea how much coverage the fabric of the nightshirt provided. Judging by the charged silence from him, it wasn’t much. The night must be not as dark as it seemed to me with the blindfold on. He saw…something.
“Gods take me…” he groaned. “What is this garment? It’s barely there and leaves you so delightfully bare.”
“A maid brought it.” I gave up fishing for the sheet and used my arms and hands to try to cover myself. “She said it was a nightshirt.”
“Great Serpent, bless the maid.” He leaned down and kissed the hand I’d placed over my left breast.
Incredibly, being exposed to him like this didn’t make me feel helpless or ashamed. On the contrary, the appreciation in his voice and the reverence in his touch made me feel powerful.
“Oh, let me touch you, Amira. Please. I need this tonight.” He kissed my collarbone, then my neck, making his way up to my lips. His senties trembled around my head and shoulders, their touch tender, like a brush of rose petals against my skin.
A teasing flicker of heat sparked deep inside my belly, needy and tantalizing.
“Kyllen…” I breathed against his lips as he covered my mouth with light, tender kisses.
“Yesss? My sweet, sweet girl,” he hissed softly, shifting his hips closer to mine.
One of his senties skimmed my collarbone and slid down between my breasts. The other nudged its diamond-shaped head under my hand on my breast. When I let my hand fall away, the sentie promptly slid lower, under my shirt. The thin, slithering tongue flicked against my nipple, then the small mouth closed over the hardened bud. Its firm, tiny nibbles sent a shudder of pleasure through my body. Heat tingled between my legs.