Chapter 136

Lusia Lye's heavy presence filled the air, as well as that lesser copper tinge—my blood wet still across my hands. I sat naked at the edge of the bed. A cold chill upon my skin, heart pounding, met the steady gaze of Dane's eyes. "Who told you about Kiara?" Those words cracked something deep within me, and tears that hadn't been supposed to flow were spilling at the sound of them, but then his solid warmth enveloped me and pulled me back from the brink. I kissed him desperately, crashing my lips into his, it was a tempest—hard, voracious, burning through the fog of fear and doubt. I was in control now hands gripping his shoulders, fingers sinking into the hard muscle beneath the shirt, my tongue penetrating his with a ferocity I never knew existed. While his hands on my waist held steady, it almost felt like he held me back, hesitating and flickering with a moment's restraint. The kisses became more frenzied and bruising; salt tears mingled with the heat of his skin as I squeezed him t