A Shade of Vampire 80 A Veil of Dark - Bella Forrest Page 0,59

while.

My heart thudded nervously, but I kept moving.

I sat next to Kalon on the sofa. As I dipped into the soft cushion, he stirred and shot up into a seated position, blinking rapidly and utterly dazed. He’d fallen asleep, and I suddenly felt bad for waking him up.

“You were supposed to keep watch.” I giggled.

“I’m sorry. I must’ve dozed off.”

Kalon rubbed his face, then looked at me. His eyes were a dark and hazy blue in the fireplace light, taking in every line of my face. I felt as though I’d been placed under a microscope, small and defenseless and… yearning for his embrace. I understood then that I would not be able to get much sleep without Kalon by my side. The night was dark and filled with dangers. His presence gave me comfort.

“What are you doing up?” he asked, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. His touch sent a shiver through my back.

“I couldn’t sleep. I tried talking to your brother,” I said, and he stilled, watching me intently. “He said I don’t know you. Then he told me to get out.”

“I’ll talk to him tomorrow,” Kalon replied. “We’ll bring him back to my house in the city. I’ll keep him under arrest there, until I figure out what I’m going to do with him.”

“Corbin will likely want him arrested and executed,” I murmured.

Kalon looked away, swallowing. “We’ll see if it gets to that point.”

“Maybe Ansel can still be reformed.”

“He’s still in his idiot stage, for now.” He sighed. “I’ll have to lay out the details of what will happen to him if he doesn’t get his crap together. I won’t be able to protect him from Corbin for too long. Not in this hostile climate. Not when the Darklings are so desperate to kill Valaine.”

I took his hand in mine, mimicking his go-to gesture for offering a sense of comfort. “It’ll be okay. If Ansel has even one percent of your wits, he’ll realize that cooperation and reform are his only way forward.”

Kalon stared at me for a while, and time sort of… stopped.

I couldn’t move. I doubted I was even breathing. My heart was crammed in my throat, a sweet pain balling in the pit of my stomach as I looked at him. There were many facets to Kalon. Numerous shades and sides, each more fascinating than the other. I was certain that I had merely scratched the surface with him, and I was already mesmerized. There was a path ahead for the two of us.

If we took it, if we went past the point of no return… What will that be like? I will have to leave Visio, someday soon. Would we see each other again? Would I be allowed to visit? Would he find his way to me, across the many stars and galaxies between us?

“Esme.”

His lips barely moved when he spoke my name.

“Hm?” I mumbled, lingering between reality and a would-be version of it, where Kalon and I were more, so much more than we already were.

“I didn’t think you’d have such an impact on me, when you first arrived here,” he said, his hand slipping over mine and squeezing with conviction.

“I could say the same thing about you.”

“You’re a difficult woman to read.”

Sighing, I offered a faint smile. “I could say the same thing about you.”

“I’m a difficult woman to read?” Kalon replied, raising an eyebrow.

“Okay, not word for word. Jeez.”

He leaned closer, and my pulse accelerated, the air contracting between us. “What will happen if I do this?” he asked.

“Do what?”

Without any warning, Kalon closed the distance between us and kissed me. I froze, then softened so quickly, I felt as though I was melting. His lips were soft but commanding. I parted mine without a second thought, his tongue eager to explore and conquer.

Bright lights expanded around me as I closed my eyes and lost myself in the moment. Kalon tasted like… I wasn’t even sure what to associate this musky sweetness with. All I knew was that it could become addictive, dangerously so, and yet I couldn’t pull myself away.

Before I knew it, he brought a hand up and gripped the back of my neck, pulling me closer into a deepening kiss. I moaned softly against his lips, welcoming him into the very core of my being, wondering if this was what I’d been missing this whole time.

When he finally pulled back, he sucked in a breath as he looked into my eyes, likely seeing everything I