Killing him was the key to her freedom. But Rania closed her eyes and enjoyed his touch, all the same.
Maybe it was just strategic to find out a little more.
Hadrian grazed her earlobe with his teeth and Rania felt her lips part as he kissed her ear. His caress was so gentle that she couldn’t fight against him—and when he continued a trail of burning kisses along her throat, she could only enjoy. She closed her eyes, unable to think about anything other than smoking hot seduction.
Maybe just one taste.
Just to find out what it was like.
She turned her face toward him without intending to do any such thing and Hadrian kissed the corner of her mouth. His touch was so arousing that it made her forget everything—except wanting more.
“Tell me about the kiss of death,” he invited.
Rania’s eyes flew open but his mouth brushed over hers with captivating slowness. “I could give you another,” she threatened, but knew she sounded breathless. It wasn’t true anyway. She’d used up her last kiss of death.
That was the problem.
“Shouldn’t one do the job?”
“Yes.”
He grinned down at her, his eyes twinkling. He looked mischievous, cocky and a bit wicked, a combination that worked for Rania in a big way. “Then I don’t have anything to worry about, do I? The damage is done.” He touched his lips to hers again, coaxing her to participate in their embrace. “Tell me how it works,” he invited. He was over-confident, but Rania admired warriors too much to be immune to that trait.
Playing along might be strategic. It might lull him into complacency.
That was all the rationalization Rania needed.
She parted her lips and stretched toward him, inviting more of a kiss. Hadrian didn’t hesitate to slant his mouth over hers. His kiss was persuasive and powerful, demanding enough to drive every sane thought from her mind. She felt how he held himself back, and the combination of tenderness and strength was absolutely perfect. She opened her mouth to him intuitively, loving the feel of his arousal against her thighs. It was thrilling to know that she could excite a dragon shifter.
He broke their kiss, then surveyed her, his gaze hot. The mark of the kiss of death on his cheek was turning silver, as if molten sterling had been embedded in his cheek.
She’d never seen it do that before.
Rania remembered a bit late that he’d asked a question. “It waits for opportunity,” she admitted, exhaling her words in a rush. Hadrian kissed her ear, then interlaced his fingers with hers. He’d noticed what she liked and was doing it more. She respected his technique—he was using her weakness against her, and she didn’t want him to stop.
“What kind of opportunity?”
Rania parted her thighs, welcoming his weight against her. He was hard and she rolled her hips, her motion making them both inhale sharply. “An injury,” she confessed, her voice so breathless that it didn’t sound like her own. “If it should be a fatal one, the kiss accelerates its effect. If it should be a minor one, the kiss ensures it becomes fatal. A victim could die of a paper cut.”
“Sounds fearsome,” he murmured.
“It is.” Rania opened her eyes and looked at him, pulling away slightly to study the silver mark with uncertainty. Why was it changing? “Why are you alive?”
He lifted a brow, which made him look reckless and sexy. “Strong constitution?”
“It’s not enough.”
“A healer’s intervention?”
Rania shook her head. “It shouldn’t be enough. It’s not possible to heal a kiss of death. It’s a killing spell.”
Hadrian’s eyes darkened with intent as he bent to brush his lips across hers again. It was a taste, a tease, and a temptation. Rania found herself reaching up to meet his touch.
This time, he closed his mouth over hers and kissed her thoroughly. This kiss was less gentle and more demanding, a kiss that seared her very soul. Rania was lost in sensation and didn’t want to be found. The white light flooded through her as she surrendered to Hadrian’s seductive touch. He hadn’t been kidding when he’d said he didn’t need a trick to get lucky. All he needed was his kiss. She moaned a little when he deepened his kiss, demanding more. The heat rose within her with insistence and she found herself wrapping one leg around his, trying to draw him even closer.
It had been far too long.
To her embarrassment, he was the one who broke their kiss. “But a selkie healer helped me,” he murmured and