The air in the corridor did not just still, it felt like it had been sucked out entirely, leaving them in a pressurized vacuum where only the sound of their ragged breathing existed.
Levan did not pull away. If anything, the kiss had acted like a spark dropped into a powder keg. And he did not just break, he transformed. The frustration from the Council, the ten years of silent searching, and the agonizing worry he had just felt for her collided into a single, volatile impulse.
He let out a guttural growl against her lips, a sound that was more animal than prince. His hands, which had been cupping her head with reverence suddenly slid down to her waist, his fingers digging into the silk of her gown with a desperate, crushing strength. He hauled her flush against him, lifting her nearly off her feet until her toes barely skimmed the stone floor.
