"So why did you try to save me if you thought we would both die anyway?"
Valerien had no answer. All he knew was that he was losing control. A whole life spent practising restraint was coming undone.
Kirin looked terrible, bruised and dishevelled by Rhian's rough treatment. The full lips were chafed and raw from the ice that had so cruelly covered them, yet Valerien still felt the mad urge to kiss them.
But why? So many of the most beautiful Fae had shared his bed, but all these men and women had meant nothing to him than the satisfaction of fleeting lust.
Foe, friend or former lover, he had seen so many tortured and executed and yet rarely felt even a twinge of regret. So why was it so difficult for him to watch this human suffer?
Was it because he had never known someone as innocent as this young fool? Was it those guileless blue eyes, that pretty face that was so easy to read, that made him weak? Or was he deceiving himself?
The mighty Lord of Yaris had paid with his life for underestimating Kirin. Valerien wouldn't repeat his mistake.
As if he could read his mind, the bard suddenly moved like a deer trying to escape a hunter. Valerien caught him and tackled him to the ground. His hand closed around the human's throat.
"What are you hiding from me, bard?" he whispered.
"I don't know what you mean," Kirin croaked.
He was the worst liar Valerien had ever met. His fingers loosened their grip and slid caressingly over the damp skin. He knew by now that Kirin only got stubborn when threatened with violence. Yet there were other ways to make him talk.
Leaning down, he brushed his lips lightly against Kirin's heated ear and whispered, "You do. Just tell me the truth."
The lithe body arched up, and he could see the treacherous bulge between the bard's legs growing again. He smiled and pressed his palm gently against Kirin's racing heart to keep him down.
The blue eyes widened in panic and embarrassment, but then suddenly narrowed. Valerien saw stars when Kirin grabbed his hair and pulled his head down. The thick human skull hit his forehead.
The next thing he knew, he was the one lying on his back with the bard straddling him, holding a knife to his throat. The blade was still stained with blood, presumably Rhian's.
"Why should I tell you anything?! You lied and deceived me and used me like a fool ever since we met!"
Valerien rubbed his aching forehead and tried not to wince as he touched his bleeding nose.
"Don't be so melodramatic, bard. I don't remember ever lying to you."
He felt the blade press closer. It broke the skin, but did not go further. The hand holding it was too hesitant and shaking. Valerien moved a finger and set the wooden handle of the knife on fire, then slid his hand into Kirin's to protect him from the flame.
He let the ash and the blade fall into the grass and said, "Don't draw a weapon if you have no heart to use it."
Kirin's jaw tightened. He was shaking all over with suppressed emotions. Valerien raised his hand to cup his cheek, then decided that was unwise. Instead, he just let his arms rest at his side and said,
"Beat me up then, if it will make you feel better."
He braced himself for a hit or another emotional rant, but Kirin just leaned in closer.
"You manipulative son of a bitch," he hissed, but it sounded almost like a sob.
"True on both …", Valerien began.
He never got to finish the sentence since his mouth got shut in an unexpected manner.
Cold lips captured his in a kiss that was rough and demanding, almost as if it were meant as a punishment. It tasted of blood and anger and wild strawberries Valerien had picked for him that morning.
Hot tears dropped from Kirin's cheeks onto his own, while an impatient tongue sought out his with a frantic need.
Startled, Valerien froze for a moment, then smiled to himself. He could feel Kirin's erection thrust against his own. The sheer audacity of this inexperienced human rubbing against him like a desperate animal in heat amused and excited him at the same time. He was tempted to throw the bard off and bind him to the ground with roots so he could show him how things were done.
But this raw intensity was unlike anything that he had experienced before, so he closed his arms around the wet back. Carried away by lust, he let his own tongue coax Kirin's into a steadier rhythm.
His fingers forced themselves between their bodies to open their trousers, eager to feel flesh against flesh, but the bard suddenly cried out into his mouth and collapsed onto him. Valerien sighed inwardly, then grinned. Did all humans finish this fast, or was this one just especially pent up?
"Is it…", he began, then winced as Kirin's teeth bit into his neck.
Valerien pulled him back by the hair and complained, "You don't even know what I wanted to say!"
"Something smug and patronising as usual. Just … don't," Kirin muttered, not meeting his eyes.
Valerien sighed and let him go. The blond head sank against his neck again.
"Fine. Then say 'please' and get off me."
"Please," Kirin said obediently, but remained where he was, like a heavy, comfortable blanket.