Page 185 of The Fifth Life of Alicia
Rina clawed at the sheets Kalon had wrapped me in and managed to free my arms, but the heat that was snaking through me was only growing warmer.
“My head.” I clawed at my hair as she hugged me tightly. “My head hurts.”
“I know. But you must—”
“Move.” Kalon spoke over her, and I barely registered being moved from Rina’s arms to his. “Everyone get out.”
“But sir—” Sir Hayes protested.
“Get out!”
The doors slammed, and I winced, being drawn deeper into Kalon’s embrace.
“Allie, I’m sorry.” He cupped my face and tilted it towards his. “I’m sorry, my Allie. Calm down. You’re going to hurt yourself.”
“I-I can’t. I don’t… don’t know how.” I tugged at my hair. Why wouldn’t the pain in my head stop? Was it worse now because I knew what was happening and was trying to make it stop?
“Fuck. Don’t hate me.” Kalon covered my mouth with his, slipping his tongue between my lips so forcefully it shocked me to my core. Without breaking the connection, he rolled me onto my back and leant over me, pinning me flat against the bed.
There was nothing romantic at all about the kiss. It was a raw, desperate kiss that begged and pleaded for my attention with every probe of his tongue.
It was a distraction. Nothing more, nothing less.
And it worked.
The burning heat that came from the mixing of my mana and divine power subsided, giving way to a prickly heat of lust that only Kalon could draw out of me.
I whimpered into his mouth, and he pulled back, pressing his forehead to mine.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I lost control. I wanted to kill them first. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
I yanked him down and wrapped myself around him, clinging to him for dear life. “If you’re that sorry then take me home.”
“Home?”
“To Stein. I want to leave here. Take me back to Stein, Kalon.”
He curled his body around me, letting out a shaky breath as he rolled to the side. “Tomorrow,” he whispered. “I’ll take you away from here. I’ll train more knights. I’ll hire mercenaries. I’ll move in mages. I’ll find every assassin on the continent and bring them in. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. I’ll take you home tomorrow, even if it means carrying you there myself.”
He brushed his lips across my temple, and I squeezed my eyes shut so that no more tears could fall.
“I promise that they’ll never hurt you again, my Allie. You will not be the one who dies this time. I swear.”
Epilogue
An Unexpected Ally
A rundown tavern, somewhere near a small village in the Sada Empire
Lillia de Armand clutched her cloak tightly under her chin, tugging the hood as far forwards as it would go. She couldn’t be sure, but she had the feeling someone had been watching her since she’d left the Kilgard villa earlier this afternoon.
She wasn’t breaking the rules. The stay-put order the Emperor had issued after the monster attacked was lifted hours ago, so she was allowed to come and go as she pleased.
That didn’t mean she wanted anyone knowing where she was going. The note that had been delivered on the foot of a crow had been quite clear about not getting caught, and she’d felt a little bad about lying to Baroness Kilgard about what she was up to.
After all, the baroness had been nothing but kind to her ever since she’d arrived in the capital. Lillia had no choice but to lie—she couldn’t get the kind baroness mixed up in her revenge against Alicia.
Alicia.
