Vera finally turned, her emerald eyes bright with a sly, playful fire. She leaned back against the obsidian gate of Ignis's stall, the drake behind her letting out a soft, contented puff of smoke.
"Is that so, your Majesty?" she teased, crossing her arms over her chest, the leather of her vest straining against her movement. "I thought you were here to make sure I didn't steal your best mount and ride back to the North."
Kassian stepped into her space, his presence an absolute vacuum that seemed to suck the oxygen from the room. He didn't stop until he was inches away, his heat a physical weight against her skin. He reached out, his thumb tracing the snow-white streak at her temple, his touch uncharacteristically gentle before his hand slid down to catch her jaw, tilting her face up to his.
