Kiara’s POV My mind was a battlefield, but my body had already surrendered. The second my lips crashed against his, every wall I’d spent weeks building crumbled into dust. This wasn’t a kiss of forgiveness or even of love, it was a desperate, raw explosion of all the emotions I’d been stuffing deep down. I knew this was wrong, the remaining sane part of me couldn't stop ringing it in my ears, but I was far gone now. Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him flush against me, a silent, ferocious need driving the movement. A low moan bubbled at the base of my throat the moment my body came in contact with his, and it made me realize just how much I'd missed his body. Darius responded instantly, a low, guttural sound rumbling in his chest as his hands left my waist to cup my face, tilting my head to deepen the connection. My lips parted, inviting him in, and his tongue swept in with a dominating urgency that stole my breath entirely. He tasted like regret
Kiara’s POV I froze the moment I saw him. In the last couple of days, I'd steeled myself that nothing could scare me, or come as a shock. I'd built my defenses so high up that whoever tried to scale through would die trying. Well, that was what I told myself, and I guess it had been working, until I bumped into him. Of course it had to be him. Of all the people in the universe I could run into, it just had to be the one person I was avoiding. Great. Just fucking great. Darius stood there in the middle of the corridor, that unreadable look etched across his face. It was the same one I used to mistake for calm, but now it just looked like control, and I hated that it still made my stomach twist.Time seemed to slow to a halt between us. We were both staring at each other, but none of us, dared to break the silence barrier. It was almost as if we were individually scared of what was going to happen next. I wasn't sure how much time had passed , but eventually, I turned on my heel
Kiara’s POV Morning time used to be my favorite time of the day, but in the last couple of days, I liked to think I didn't share that sentiment anymore. The mornings seemed to drag on if anything, and I found myself wishing it never came. I barely slept at night, but somehow, I'd preferred tossing and turning over actually waking up and facing a new day. The first thing I noticed that morning was how quiet everything felt. It was the kind of quiet that didn’t bring peace, but the kind that reminded you something inside you had gone missing.Hell, everything around me these days seemed to remind me of what I didn't have anymore, or more importantly, who. So I did the only reasonable thing I could think of. I trained. Again and again and again, till my muscles ached and my bones cried out in pain. The wooden dummy in front of me had already lost one arm and part of its head, but I didn’t stop. Every strike, every punch, every kickp, it all blended together ubehind me, muscles sc
Darius' POV The council chamber felt colder at night. I hated how I'd come to notice this, because it clearly meant one thing. I was beginning to spend too much time in there and with the same people I could swear were vultures on the look out for their next meal to devour.Or maybe I was wrong and it was just me, or perhaps the air really was heavier and thick with the kind of silence that hid knives.I'd found their letter of summons waiting for me after I'd returned from the training field. When I whispered to the moon goddess that I needed a distraction, best believe that a meeting with them wasn't what I was talking about. I needed something to clear my head and rid me of thoughts that seemed to be swirling around one person. I wasn't a soothsayer, but I was a hundred percent sure that whatever the fuck they had to say, was somehow connected to Kiara. With a sigh that only I heard, I pushed away the thought, before turning to the people in front of me. I stood before them,
Darius' POV The corridor outside Kiara’s room was dim and too quiet. It was silly, but a part of me told me that was a sign that I shouldn't be anywhere near here. But the other side of me, the more stubborn part, told me the silence was something I had to endure if I really wanted to do it. The silence that hovered around wasn't helping. It was the kind of silence that pressed against your chest, lilee its main aim had been to wipe me out of the face of this earth entirely. It also didn't help that I’d stood there for longer than I should have, my hand hovering over the door,as I tried to summon the right words , as if there were any.“Am I doing the right thing?” I muttered to myself. “What if I just turned back now that no one had seen me yet?”A million and one thoughts ran through my head all at once. My mind was a beehive, and I just knew for a fact that if I didn't get myself to calm down, I would run mad. I was still balls deep into thinking about what I was going to do
Kiara’s POV The dummy hit the ground before I even realized I’d struck it again. Its wooden torso cracked under the blow, scattering splinters across the floor like bone fragments, but I didn’t stop. Instead , my fists moved on their own as a strike, block, and another strike too. It probably sounded weird, but each impact dulled the ache in my chest for just a moment before it came roaring back, stronger.Sweat clung to my skin, my breaths coming harsh and uneven. I’d lost track of time hours ago. The sun had shifted from gold to white to something else entirely, but I didn’t care. I wanted to keep moving, I needed to, because the second I stopped, I’d have to think.Thinking meant remembering, and I didn't want to remember. I would rather die than do that.My mind swirled with a million and one things, but despite how hard I tried to push them away, they came crawling back. I remembered the feeling of his hands, his voice. And his eyes, his eyes when he told the Council I was no