She listened. She kept her eyes on him while he knew every instinct in her was telling her to dart away. He knew the pain that the question could drag up, and a large piece of him was absolutely expecting her not to be able to handle her own response to it. She did, though. She listened, cooperated with one of the most difficult questions someone in her position could be asked.
Kalt had been afraid of her answer, possibly more than she was. He gave her a black and white, not allowing grey to weasel its way into the equation. If she wanted it, he would disappear. If not, he would stay. There was no in between, and he would keep his word. If she wanted it... Gods, what did she want? He needed to be there for her. He needed her to say she didn’t want to be alone because he needed to be able to help her, help to keep her head above water, out of the dark. If she said to go...
There was lingering silence between them, a silence that drowned out the storm completely, and he could hear his heart thundering in his ears. He saw the tears well in her eyes and had the urge to wipe them away, to hold her and tell her to forget the question, that they could enjoy here and now. But that wasn’t possible. He needed an answer. She needed an answer, the answer that she had been denying herself any time she was asked anything similar. And then...
Warmth flooded his body, and his eyes flickered closed, feeling her lips against his. He breathed slowly, feeling her, tasting her, holding onto that moment like it was his last in the world. He felt the fuzzy vibrations from her magic traveling between them, whether in reaction to the storm or the kiss, he didn’t know, didn’t care.
As she drew away from him, Kalt opened his eyes, seeing hers remaining shut. He couldn’t tell what was going through her mind at that moment. Hells, he couldn’t even tell what was going through his mind at that moment. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip, savoring the taste of her mixed with the sweet wine. Two years suddenly disappeared completely. It was suddenly as though they were facing the world together again in Northwind. Nothing that happened in the past two years held even the slightest bit of power over him then and there.
’Stay.’ It was a plea, a quiet begging, asking him not to leave her.
There wasn’t a fucking thing that could steal him away from that rafter with her in the middle of the thunderstorm. Not a single fucking thing.
He flickered a small smile to her, his hand reaching up to her face, fingers burying themselves mostly in her hair while his thumb gently stroked over her cheek. Kalt leaned forward then, claiming her lips as she had his. He breathed her in deeply, an addiction he had been without for two years suddenly rushing back. And he surrendered himself to it completely, willingly, his entire being was hers to command if she wanted it. I’m yours.
Against his own better judgment, he forced himself to part their lips, not moving away from her. Kalt touched his forehead to hers, his hand still buried in her raven locks, as his crystalline eyes met her fire-blue. ”I’m not going anywhere,” he whispered, flashing her a crooked smile.
Ashetta
kalt
give into the night.
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