บททั้งหมดของ THE VEILED BRIDE : บทที่ 151 - บทที่ 159

KIVA.I was beginning to think peace was something Damien and I had to steal in little pieces, a few quiet hours here, a morning without bad news there, maybe a whole day if the universe was feeling generous. After everything that had happened, I was determined to enjoy whatever peace we managed to get, especially if it meant spending time with my husband.Damien had been in his office most of the afternoon, and I'd been trying very hard not to bother him, even resisting the urge to march in and demand he take a break. I deserved a medal for that kind of restraint. Instead I curled up on one of the sofas in the sitting room with a book I could barely concentrate on, the palace unusually quiet around me, and I was just starting to enjoy that quiet when a knock came at the door.Before I could answer, one of the maids stepped inside."Your Majesty, there's a visitor for the king."I lowered my book."Who is it?""Lady Serena Valen."The name meant nothing to me at all."Did she say what

Kiva. And this time, I didn’t bother pretending I wanted him to stop.His mouth claimed mine harder, deeper, the soft kisses from before turning hungry. One of his hands slid up my back, fingers spreading wide between my shoulder blades as he pulled me flush against him. The other stayed firm on my waist, thumb pressing into the soft place just above my hip. I could feel him already hard against my thigh, thick and insistent, and the knowledge that I was the reason made heat pool low in my stomach.He broke the kiss only long enough to murmur against my lips, “I’ve been thinking about this all day.”“About what?”“You. Under me. Around me.” His voice dropped lower. “Taking every inch of me until you forget how to form words.”A shiver ran through me. He noticed. Of course he did. His mouth curved against mine before he kissed me again, slower this time, tasting, exploring, while his hand slipped under the hem of my dress. Warm fingers trailed up the bare skin of my thigh, higher, hig

KIVAThe closer we got to the room where Bryan was being held, the quieter I became. Damien walked beside me with his hand wrapped around mine, and he hadn't asked whether I was sure about seeing Bryan again, hadn't tried to convince me to kill him or spare him. He had simply handed me the choice and let me make it, and somehow that made it harder, because I'd spent so long fighting people who wanted to control my life that I wasn't sure what to do when someone gave the decision back to me."What are you thinking about?" Damien asked.I glanced at him."Nothing."He gave me a look, and I sighed."I was thinking about how strange it is that we're here.""Here as in the palace?""Here as in walking to see a man who has caused us so much trouble while you're holding my hand like we're going for a romantic stroll."His mouth twitched."I can let go."I tightened my grip immediately."Don't you dare."He chuckled and lifted my hand to his lips."Then stop complaining, baby."I rolled my ey

KIVAFor the first time in a long time, I woke up without feeling as though the world was waiting for an opportunity to destroy me. There was no urgent knock on the door, no guard rushing in with terrible news, no shadow lurking at the edge of my thoughts reminding me that someone, somewhere, was plotting against the people I loved. There was only warmth. Damien's arm was wrapped around my waist, his chest pressed against my back, his steady breathing tickling the nape of my neck, one of his legs tangled with mine beneath the covers so that I couldn't move without disturbing him, not that I particularly wanted to.I lay there for a while, watching the morning sunlight creep through the curtains and thinking about how much we had survived. Catherine, the sorcerers, the secrets about my mother, the pain of losing Ada, Paige's betrayal, Bryan's endless obsession with destroying everything Damien and I had built. Even after all of it we were still here, together, with Bryan locked away an