Songbirds & Sirens

24

"You can if you admit to yourself that it was an accident. It clearly wasn't on purpose that you killed them."

"No, but what of the other men I've killed? Do I get a pass because they were deemed 'bad' by one quick judgement of someone in a split second decision? Or do I not need penance for those deaths as well? Forgive myself? No. But you, Oren? You can go fuck yourself."

Oren was too close to me and not close enough all at once, the scent of bonfire smoke and cinnamon wafting from him too enticing yet too strangling to be near.

It was a war of emotions battling inside me and I was terrified for which one would come out on top.

Scorched earth and wet soil filled the cabin with new scents to drive out Oren's particular brand of enticement, and I had never been so grateful to a storm in my entire life.

"Are you done throwing your temper tantrum yet, Princess? Because it sounds like our people need us now."

And he was right. Shouts for help were intermingled throughout bursts of explosions and peals of thunder.

"Then why are we still standing here?"

He reached a hand up and threaded it through the hair at the base of my neck before tilting it upwards so that his amber eyes bore into my own.

"Because I need to make sure you know exactly what you're getting into. This isn't going to be pretty."

"I've been on the run from this king my entire life. I've killed men in their sleep and I've killed them as they tried to take my body. I've never done pretty; I wouldn't know what to do with it if it fell right into my lap."

His fingers tightened on the hair it was coiled around and I sucked in a sharp breath as he leaned down closer to me, his lips brushing against mine as he spoke once more.

"Good. You stay by me, you do not leave my sight. You follow all of my orders as I give them. Do you understand?"

I went to nod my head, but that only brought our lips that much closer together and I had to fight the overwhelming urge to put my hands where they shouldn't ever have wanted to go—around his waist, over his shoulders, to the base of his head in order to draw him down further...

"Yes."

My shallow gulp could be heard in the silence between heartbeats and the explosions of thunder and war outside the small cabin separating us from peace and chaos, though I couldn't be sure that the fire in my heart couldn't be considered chaos when I was near Oren, the insufferable bastard.

But it was my fault that I couldn't keep my heart from racing in excitement when he was near.

It was my fault that my skin prickled with awareness at his touch.

And it was my fault that I didn't push him away, even as his head dipped lower and closer. As our lips connected briefly, the pleasure hot and thick as blood between us.

When he finally pulled away, my heart was beating too fast, my lungs constricting too harshly, my skin on fire as each place he touched came alive with his presence.

His eyes sparkled with barely restrained lust, and the ruggedness of his features was transformed into something akin to longing, an emotion I hadn't ever witnessed cross his face.

More screams of panic and fear sounded outside of the cabin.

"Time to go."

I nodded quickly, racing to the front door before Oren pulled on my hand and placed something inside as I unfurled my fingers from my palm.