34. Kryll

KRYLL

In a sea of hundreds of people, the beauty dressed in a soft yellow, with her hair braided in a crown around her head, holds me captive. I can't breathe when I'm watching her from across the room; having her hand in mine as we run down the hallway, giddy and crazy, is a level of euphoria I'm certain I've never experienced before.

Knowing there are combat boots on her feet, daggers at her thighs, and a destructive gem nestled into her flesh only reminds me of the strength she harnesses. She's not your typical woman, and she's far from what you envision a princess to be.

She's irrevocably Adrianna Reagan. No one else in this world has a chance of standing beside her. She outshines the damn sun. A fact I would be able to confirm if the moon wasn't shimmering in the night sky right now.

Her heat is undeniable, her fire ablaze for all to see, and I can't seem to bring myself to care if I get burned at her hands.

Our steps slow as we approach the exit, coming to a complete halt when we realize the media is still camped outside. I bet I can guess who they're waiting for.

Her.

The princess.

The way she addressed them earlier was awe-inspiring. She slaughtered them with her words while remaining all prim and proper, giving them no room to degrade or shame her in any way.

H.O.T.

She refused to hide under my arm or behind Raiden's back, and as much as I would have been happy for her to stay there, the fact that she stepped forward, unguarded, was the moment of no return.

My dick liked it. I liked it. My animal liked it.

Rubbing my lips together, I consider our options. "Are you up for some motion sickness?" I offer, pulling her deep green eyes to mine, and she nods.

"Please."

I don't wait for her to change her mind before I tug her against my chest, lifting her an inch off the floor before I take off. I move so fast that the media doesn't get a chance to acknowledge our existence. The world blurs around us. I rush as quickly as I can, considering my options as I near the fountain along the usual pathway, but before I can regret my decision, I hurry on past.

It's only an extra ten seconds—seconds I'm sure she'd rather not have to deal with—but I hope it will be worth it.

Coming to a stop, she clings to the lapels of my blazer, her eyes taking a second to focus on mine, and I can't deny that she's a little paler than she was a few moments ago.

"Thank you," she breathes, smoothing her hands down my blazer before taking a step back. Reluctantly, I let her go.

"You're welcome," I rasp, watching as she slowly spins on the spot, attempting to take in her new surroundings.

"Where are we?"

I press my finger to my lips as her gaze turns to me. "Shh, it's a secret."

She sighs, a sense of contentment seeping from her. "It's a very pretty secret."

I hum in agreement. "It's where my animal likes to be," I admit, revealing a piece of myself that I don't share with anyone else, but it feels necessary with her, like I'm compelled in some way. I just can't pinpoint why, or I don't want to accept the reality of it, either way, I'm not delving into it right now.

Moving to stand beside her, I follow her line of sight. The dark cave glows with trinkets that line the walls, illuminated by the moon that peers through the opening at the top. There's a king bed tucked in the far corner, but otherwise, everything else caters to my creature.

Thick, warm blankets are scattered all over the floor, but it's the view the opening offers that brings me back here time and time again. The City of Harrows glimmers in the distance, the kingdom's skyline gothic from this vantage point, with the castle glistening in the background. If you focus, you can also see the edge of Evermore to the left and the town tower of Foley Hill to the right.

"Do you like your creature?" she asks, peering up at me with a sense of inquisition that vibrates through my bones, leaving me eager to lay everything out for her to sift through.

"Yes." One word. That's all I can manage as I stare into her shimmering emerald eyes.

"Am I going to have to tiptoe around asking what you are? Or, more specifically, am I likely to get an answer, or would you prefer not to share?"

Her words hang in the air, leaving me speechless as my mind reels a mile a minute. "It's not a secret," I rasp, scratching at the back of my neck.

"But…"

How can she read me so well? Clearing my throat, I turn to look out at the kingdom beneath us. "I don't know. I guess I just naturally like to keep things to myself."

"That sounds exactly like something a shifter would say," she muses, pulling my gaze back to her as she grins.

"Exactly."

"I'm going to have to start observing your every move so I can try and piece it together," she decides, eyes lighting up with excitement as the challenge settles between us.

Turning to face her, my hands instinctively move to her waist. She tenses beneath my touch, but not in a way that screams she doesn't like it, more that she doesn't want to admit she wants it. Just like me.

"Is that so?"

"Uh-huh."

"What have you got so far?" I ask, inching closer, and her hands drift to my chest.

"You must be able to fly."

"How so?"

"You got us all the way up here for one, and for two, you crashed through my window." She gives me a pointed look to accompany her facts, and I grin.

"That I did. Anything else?"

Her fingers reach for my neck, trailing over the black markings that grace my skin. My teeth grind together as I try not to react to her touch like my creature desires. I can't stop my eyelids falling to half-mast as her fingers dip below the collar of my shirt.

"I feel like your tattoos represent something. I just can't piece together what exactly," she admits, stirring my cock to life with the simple fact that she's even thought about it.

"That's correct," I reply hoarsely, and she grins from ear to ear. It feels like the first time I have had a chance to see her carefree and calm.

"Check me out. Two for two."

"Any guesses?" I ask, adjusting us so we're flush with one another, our chests touching with every breath, and she shakes her head.

"No. I don't want to make a fool out of myself until I'm certain."

Fuck, she's too fucking beautiful. "Do you want a hint?" I offer, dragging my thumb over her cheek, just as I did earlier on the dance floor, relishing the softness of her skin against my touch.

"That's cheating," she breathes, jaw slightly slack as she looks up at me with the most mesmerizing glint I've ever seen.

"I can't wrap my head around you," I admit, watching as her eyelashes flicker, subdued as she practically sways in my hold.

"Then don't."

I take the invitation without a moment's consideration. Crushing my lips to hers, our mouths mold to one another's. She's tantalizing, running her tongue over the seam of my lips, sending a shudder through my limbs as I cling to her more tightly.

Delving past her lips, her tongue slides along mine, practically bringing me to my knees, but my creature rises beneath the surface, rushing us across the room. Her back slams against the wall harder than I would like, but she doesn't react. If anything, she arches against me, needy for more.

My cock throbs, my creature snarling in my ears, but the desire is muted by the fear and panic, forcing me to jerk back a step. Then another. And another. Until I'm almost across the room.

"Shit, I'm sorry," I ramble, raking my fingers through my hair, tugging at the ends, desperately needing control to come back to me.

"Another hint?" she asks, eyebrow raised as her tongue sweeps over her bottom lip.

"Another way you loosen my grasp on my control," I retort, panting for breath as a smirk curls the corner of her mouth.

"That feels like a compliment."

"I don't know what it is," I admit, and it's the truth. I can't think straight right now, which only serves to leave me even more confused. Wiping a hand down my face, I try to at least harness my breathing, but even that feels like a struggle.

"Are you okay?" she asks, concern etched into each word as I shake my head.

"No, but I don't think I ever have been," I reply with a snicker, but it rings dark through the air.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

I shake my head again, at a complete loss.

Taking a deep breath, I inhale through my nose and exhale slowly through my mouth. After a couple of passes, my heart rate starts to calm down. When I focus my attention back on Addi, I startle.

"Why are you taking deep breaths?" I rasp, and a guilty look shifts over her face before she clears her throat and shrugs.

"I just thought it might help if you could subconsciously hear it in the air, too."

Well…fuck.

Turning toward the opening, I focus on the castle in the distance. I sense her moving, but I don't turn to see where she is as I focus on the cool air drifting around me.

"Are you doing that?"

"Yes."

I scoff, disbelief rippling through me. She's using her damn air magic to try and cool me down while I literally turn into a puddle before her instead of running for the hills as she should.

"I don't let people close for a reason," I admit, the words slipping from my lips before I can reconsider.

Sensing her getting closer, I catch sight of her out of the corner of my eye, tilting her head at me in confusion. "I'm trying to understand why." The way she says it feels like she doesn't understand any more than I do, yet I still find the words to answer her.

"Because the other side of me is always right beneath the surface, and I lose control really fast." My spine stiffens at the truth as my hands ball into fists.

"Sometimes losing control isn't all that bad," she muses, glancing out over the kingdom, and my heart clenches.

"Sometimes, it's not safe."

"Do you want to explain that?" she asks, shifting to face me.

My lips twist as I instinctively turn to face her. "I don't get close to anybody like this because the second my blood heats with my desire, my… my creature bubbles to the surface, and I'm scared of hurting someone."

My cheeks heat, embarrassment coursing through my veins as the admission takes over. Her hand lifts to my arm, squeezing in comfort as concern dances in her pretty eyes.

"Have you ever hurt someone?"

I shake my head, the word heavy on my tongue. "No."

"Then—"

I wave my hand, cutting her off as I stare deep into her eyes. "I haven't hurt someone because I've never allowed myself to get close enough."

"I don't understand." She rubs her lips like she's trying to piece the jigsaw puzzle together, but she's a curved edge out of place, and the picture is distorted.

As pretty as her confusion is, instead of leaving her to twist around the words I'm not saying, I take a deep breath and blurt them out instead.

"I'm a virgin, Princess."