"Do not run,Jessica,"he said softly,reassuringly. "You have nothing to fear from me.You never did."
It wasn't that easy,of course.She couldn't just turn off the panic at a word from him.Especially since his words didn't stop there.
"When I make love to you,"he said,his eyes suddenly blazing,his deep voice curling inside her,making her knees weak, "you will come to me of your own free will.You will come to me because you want me the same way I want you."
A memory flashed into her mind,a memory she'd resolutely suppressed until now.And suddenly she was seeing Zion as she'd seen him all those years ago,his green eyes in a shaft of moonlight glowing with what she'd fooled herself into believing was love.
She was hearing his voice,that deep,throbbing voice she still heard in her dreams whispering
"Now it begins"
"Never,"she whispered from a throat gone suddenly dry,fighting the sensual web he was weaving.Fighting herself. "Never again."
"I don't need a backup plan." Her doubt in him was offensive.
Killian would move mountains to get what he wanted. He'd topple kingdoms, thrones and royals without a second thought. So long as he had the means. Forever oppressed as vampire General, the throne he hankered for seemed unattainable. Out of reach.
Until her.
"That sounds like over-confidence," She tutted, trailing her fingers across his lips. "It's me who'll die if that goes wrong. I'd appreciate a backup plan."
Their alliance wasn't born from trust. Or lust. Not even toleration. They were pushed together without choice. Only circumstance called for rebellion.
His words were a fluttery whisper against her mouth. "I promise you right now, we don't need a backup plan. Tomorrow, everything I've planned will go accordingly. Have a little faith in me Sinclair. I won't let you die."
Separate plans. Separate motivations. Was working together even possible?
She pressed her forehead to his, the distance between them nigh non-existent. "I hope that's a promise you're able to keep. If I die, I'll haunt you."