The Puppet Assassin [TTR sequel]

The Puppet Assassin - Ch 40 [never-ending]

His lips found their place on my forehead and I fell asleep knowing.

** **

Morning was different.

I woke up as usual at the crack of dawn to find myself all but smothered against Lark’s chest, one arm curled around my back and his leg draped over mine. Finding my nose pressed against his chest, my heart went into overtime and I bit my lip as my entire body heated up. Would this feeling ever die down?

And our morning friend was back. Or, I should say, his friend because the way I felt right now, it was not my friend. And it was uncomfortably poking into my stomach.

I tried to shift myself back but was trapped by his hold and the sudden realisation that there was nothing between us. Why hadn’t I put clothes on afterwards? I should have made him let me go before we dozed off so that I wouldn’t have to deal with him seeing me naked in the daylight. Dawn was creeping in through the thin curtain and, even knowing he had been able to see clearly in the dark, having my skin bared to the day’s sun was mortifying. I avoided the mirror but there were three very visible scars that I never had trouble catching sight of.

“You awake?”

His voice, darkly seductive in its morning huskiness, sent a flush all over me.

I nodded against his chest.

His hand moved down my back, making goosebumps rise on my skin, and he pulled me up so that our faces were level with his hand on my backside.

“Are you sore?” he asked with concern but I still picked up the hint of pride in his tone. Jerk.

I shook my head.

“You don’t speak in the morning?” His hand kneaded lightly and I felt a surge of warmth, this time the sensation coming from the magic he controlled.

I frowned at him. “You can’t heal me every time I hurt in the slightest.”

The corners of his mouth turned up. “Last time I checked, the healing was something I could control, not you.”

Slowly the magic faded and I was left feeling rejuvenated and ache-free. I avoided his eye-contact, now that the aches had disappeared leaving me alone with the heat. I couldn’t really move from his hold. I was stuck between a hand and a hard place.

“Are you going to stop fidgeting or are we going to go another round?”

I blushed bright red. The reddest I’d ever been, I was sure. I froze completely still. He chuckled lowly and nudged my cheek with his nose. His lips pressed against the corner of my mouth and nibbled hungrily. I tried not to take a breath.

“I’m glad I won’t have to go through the excruciation of another early morning cold shower…” he murmured against my mouth.