Page 21 of Obsidian Throne

“Are irresistibly…” I pressed a kiss against her jawbone.

“Insanely…” I kissed closer to the spot below her ear, the one I knew would elicit a gasp from her.

Sure enough, it did.

“Beautiful,” I whispered in her ear.

I expected her to make a cheeky remark in response, but when I backed away to look at her face, her eyes were wide, and she swallowed.

This meant more to her than she had let on. For all her jokes and her confidence, it mattered to her. I gave her another piece of the puzzle, something to solidify the truth of my words in her mind.

“Why do you think I came over to talk to you that first day?” I raised an eyebrow.

Her lips parted in surprise. “I...never really thought about it, since you wound up being such an arseling.”

That was fair enough, but only because I had put together that she was from Lochlann once I saw her green eyes and suspected a scheme.

Before that, though, I had seen the profile of a pert nose, soft lips, and her stubborn chin. I had seen a girl standing unflinchingly in a sea of men who towered over her while she followed every blow of a fairly brutal fight.

And I had been drawn to her by an invisible string that I never could quite seem to sever.

Whatever she saw in my expression made her lean her head down for a slow, purposeful kiss that left no doubt of her intentions.

“You know, for all your jokes about my stamina, you certainly do seem to be testing it now,” I murmured against her lips.

I was only half-joking, but I certainly wasn’t complaining. I felt it, too, this constant, compelling need to consume and be consumed by one another.

Rowan smiled against my mouth, her teeth nipping at my bottom lip just long enough to drive me insane.

“Well, if it’s too much for you…” She pulled away with a dramatic sigh, and I tugged her back toward me firmly.

Maybe this ominous feeling was valid, and maybe we were hurtling toward something that would tear all of this apart. But I had her now, and I damned sure wasn’t going to waste a minute of that.

CHAPTER TWELVE

ROWAN

Eventually, I did get around to inspectingourroom. A thrill went through me at the thought.

Our bed sat in the circular portion of the room, poised to be cordoned off by a set of thick drapes hanging from the ceiling. The rest of the room was an elegant sitting area, with a small breakfast table off to the side and two expansive doors leading to a wide balcony.

Boris’ bowls were on the floor in the corner, though the cat himself had not yet made an appearance. There were two lavish privies and two bathing chambers, each with an enormous bronze tub.

A large set of double doors led to Evander’s study, already filled with his massive desk and several shelves of books.

Instead of armoires, there were spacious closets. Mine was already filled with dresses, some that I had brought with me, and others that had been made here.

And the box, of course, sitting on a low shelf. Taisiya must have brought it in, though I had instructed her not to open it.

Everything else was neatly unpacked, so it stood out in stark contrast. I stared at it, the same awareness prickling along my spine.

Evander studied my features, following my gaze.

“What is that?” His tone was almost too neutral.

“Something Rayan gave me,” I told him. “Something he said not to open until I knew I needed it.”

“How will you know if you need it if you don’t know what it is?” He said the words quietly, like he sensed the foreboding as well as I did.