Perhaps now was the time to address the obvious.
“Shifters murdered my parents,” she said. “Demons altered the face of this planet. I don’t care that I can’t use Lisette’s blow dryer. What I care about is people. Like Michael and…Jinx.”
He nodded. “I’m not being accusatory. I’m being humble. I have many, many regrets, Jade.”
Searching his mesmerizing eyes, she found he was being earnest. “What kind of regrets?”
“I never wanted to be king. I never wanted the war. I
never wanted to almost obliterate the human race.”
“But the war was executed by your command.”
“Yes. Though that doesn’t mean I was ever in agreement with the politics. Or the mass destruction.”
She covered her mouth with her hand. Shook her head. Finally, her hand fell away and she said, “The pacts you make for demon-human peace—you…” Her brow furrowed as she fought for the right words. “You don’t despise us?”
He looked taken aback. “No. Never. Similar to most wars throughout history, it was ultimately about power. The shift from human rule to demon in this case. It should never have gone as far as it did, but that happens in battle.”
A tear formed in her eye and sat precariously on the rim. “You really did feel bad about Jinx, didn’t you?”
He nodded.
She sighed. The fat drop rolled down her cheek. “I wanted to believe you cared enough to be remorseful on behalf of your alliance.”
“I did,” he said with sincerity in his voice. “I do. But, Jade. I am still king. That doesn’t mean I don’t feel anything, but it does mean…I have obligations. Responsibilities. A position of authority to uphold. All of these things might challenge my personal convictions, but the overarching issue is that I made a commitment to my species. I might not have done it wholeheartedly, but I did do it willingly.”
And here she’d thought her existence was a convoluted one. Her fingertips glided along his temple and down to his jaw. “You’ve let me be so glib about what it’s like to be a demon or a king. Why?”
His fingers twined with hers and he kissed them again. “You are anything but glib. You’re as entangled in this insidious situation as I am. I just have more control than you do. Though…no more at stake than you.”
Something inside her shifted upon hearing those words from this man. She said, “I’ve questioned my place in the village. My own authority, actually—because, obviously, I possess some. People have always looked to me for guidance in times of uncertainty or when they’re unsure of the slayers’ direction. But I’m not their leader. Nor do I want to be.”
Davian’s soft lips pressed to her forehead. Then he said, “This is an absurdly asinine and selfish thing for me to say, because I have no right where you’re concerned, but I don’t want you to be, either. The slayers are in mortal danger every day of their lives because of renegade demons like the fire wraith that attacked you. I can’t even conceive of you being in such a position on a regular basis. It’s difficult enough with this one instance.”
His head dipped further and his mouth covered hers. He kissed her heatedly. As though the thought of anything dire happening to her compelled him to express how deeply moved he was by her.
Jade wrapped her arms around his neck. She knew the trouble she invited into her life by giving into her desire for him, but it was too overwhelming and vital a feeling for her to walk away from.
His kisses in real life were even more engaging, more hypnotic than in the fantasy they’d shared. His tongue tangled with hers in an erotic dance. One of his arms circled her waist, hauling her up against his hunky body, sealing them together. His other hand cupped the back of her head as his tongue delved deeper.
Jade felt the effects of his passion all the way to her toes—and particularly in the most sensitive parts of her body. An ache in her pussy pulsed in time with her raging heartbeats. Her nipples tightened and her chest rose and fell quickly.
As with her pain, she acutely felt pleasure—which she wanted to give in to. To bask in. To drown in.
When they finally came up for air, she was light of head and unsteady on her feet.
Davian let out a sexy sound. “I won’t be sticking to any convictions about you with kisses like that.”
“I’d told myself long ago kisses like that didn’t exist.”
“Clearly, you were wrong.”
“Clearly.” She smiled, delirium seeping through her veins.
“I want to see you, Jade. All of you. I want you naked and wet for me.”
Excitement over his words chased away the modicum of self-consciousness that had skittered through her earlier.