Daughters of Lyra: Heart of an Assassin by Felicity Heaton Read Free Book Online Page B

happened, they would have
sent word.” His tone started out empty but grew warmer, until it
became so soft that it comforted her. “He will be on his way back,
my lady. The skirmish will not last. You will be in the palace
again before dawn.”

    Natalia nodded and then
let him lead her away. He took her through the back streets,
avoiding the areas where they had run into conflict before. When
she began to recognise some of the streets, she realised where he
was taking her.

    The entertainment
district.

    She looked towards it
where it lay downhill from her and then over at the spaceport far
to her right. The single black column of smoke that the bomb had
caused had been joined by others. The smell of burning wood filled
the air. Some of the buildings were on fire. Her city was
burning.

    Ixion’s hand tightened
against her elbow and she looked ahead of her again. Some men were
coming. They had no weapons that she could see but they didn’t look
friendly.

    Natalia’s eyes widened
when Ixion turned with her and pinned her against the wall, his
hands firm against her shoulders. She was about to ask him what he
was doing when one hand shifted to her cheek, moving her hair
across her face, and his lips pressed against hers.

    Her eyes went even wider
and then slowly slipped to half mast as Ixion kissed her, his mouth
slanting over hers, turning her blood to fire and making her heart
race quicker than fear ever could.

    She was too stunned to
kiss him back, could only manage small jerking movements with her
lips, was drowning in the feel of his against her and her first
kiss.

    His mouth left hers and
she remained leaning against the wall, her head tilted back in
silent invitation, her mind spinning from how good it had felt to
have a man kiss her.

    To have Ixion kiss
her.

    His hands slipped from her
face and shoulder.

    The world slowly came
back. The first thing she noticed was the small baby Friskin
wriggling in her hands. She released her grip on it a little,
apologising to it without words. The second thing she noticed was
Ixion had moved away from her and was looking along the
alley.

    She turned there and saw
the men had passed them. Ixion had kissed her to protect her
identity and give the men reason to ignore them. Her heart thumped
hard against her ribs, refusing to slow while the memory of the
kiss lingered.

    “ Are you
alright?” He turned to her. The moment his eyes met her wide ones,
he dropped his gaze, lowering his head a fraction too. “Apologies,
my lady, for assaulting you in such a manner. When we return to the
palace, I will confess to my handling of you and—”

    “ Stop,” Natalia
said, not wanting to even think about what punishment he would
suffer if he confessed to kissing her. He had done it to protect
her, and it wasn’t as though it had been bad. She had enjoyed it.
“Don’t apologise.”

    His eyes widened now and
shot up to meet hers. She could read the unspoken question in
them.

    She wanted him to kiss
her?

    A blush scorched her
cheeks and she moved away to avoid his scrutiny.

    “ We should keep
moving,” she muttered weakly and, a moment later, he moved past
her.

    As they walked, Natalia
stroked the small blue Friskin where it lay nestled between her
hand and her breasts, hoping to soothe it. She was thankful that
Ixion didn’t look back. She couldn’t stop blushing while she
considered the answer to his silent question. Did she want him to
kiss her?

    She wanted it more than
anything.

    ***

    Ixion walked out of the
back room with a small empty shipping crate that he had found,
trying to get his thoughts off the idea that Natalia might want to
kiss him. She had responded to his kiss in only a small way, enough
that he could believe that she hadn’t like it. He had believed it
until she had told him not to apologise. Her blush had made his
heart race. The idea that she wanted him to kiss her again was
firmly lodged in his mind. He groaned inside. Iskara, he would
dearly