Chapter 162: A Moment Suspended in Time

Sebastian lowered his head ever so slightly.

His face moved closer to her neck without ever rushing her. He inhaled slowly, almost imperceptibly, as though her scent had suddenly become more precious to him than any fine vintage kept in his bar.

His lips did not brush against her.

His breath, however, grazed her skin with unexpected softness.

Blanche felt a shiver run along her neck before slowly traveling down to the small of her back. Her fingers tightened involuntarily around Sebastian's shirt, unable to decide whether she should pull away... or enjoy one more second of this unsettling closeness.

He remained perfectly still.

He made no attempt to reduce the distance that already separated them.

He simply held her against him, with that almost chivalrous restraint that seemed so characteristic of him, as though he were silently waiting for her to be the first one to break the moment.

"Your scent is everywhere on my sheets, yet I'm certain I never invited you there... at least, not yet."

When she lifted her head, their noses brushed.

Only slightly taller than her, Sebastian still had just enough height over her to catch her off guard.

"I was exploring," she murmured, aware that without her spell he would hear her lie, but she had already used it earlier that day...

A few red strands of energy shot out from her disturbed aura.

That cursed ability still wouldn't tell her what it meant...

She was still far from reaching level six.

"Lying to your King, tut-tut. What a terrible idea," he whispered, his breath soft and minty, mixed with alcohol and the faintest hint of iron.

The scent of blood coming from him did not disgust her.

Quite the opposite.

As though the danger itself only made the attraction stronger...

"I am not one of your subjects, Your Majesty," she replied, attempting to pull away.

Far from being offended, he tightened his hold, pressing his body closer against hers, clearly pleased by their proximity.

He whispered against her ear:

"You would be, if you were my Queen..."

To emphasize his words, he placed his lips against her neck and licked her skin.

Blanche shivered, letting out a soft sound.

He was good.

He moved away just enough to be able to look at her face.

At that distance, he could not possibly miss the blush spreading across her cheeks, nor the way she stubbornly avoided his gaze before inevitably returning to it.

Her lips were slightly parted, as though she wanted to say something but could never quite find the courage.

A nearly imperceptible smile softened Sebastian's features.

Not a mocking smile.

Rather, the smile of a man genuinely touched by the reaction he had just caused.

Without ever taking his eyes off her, he reached toward the nearby counter and carefully set down his crystal glass.

The faint clink as it touched the black marble echoed through the silence of the room, like a sudden reminder of reality.

Then all of his attention returned to her.

Slowly.

Without the slightest hurry.

He raised a hand toward her face, only to change direction at the last moment and place it at the base of her neck, exactly where his fingers had brushed her skin moments earlier.

His palm was large and surprisingly warm.

His fingers slipped with infinite delicacy beneath the first loose strands of red hair that had escaped her hairstyle, gently pushing them aside before closing with an almost protective tenderness behind her neck.

The touch was not possessive.

On the contrary.

It was disarmingly restrained.

As though he only wanted to feel that she was truly there.

Blanche felt her breath catch.

The warmth of his hand seemed to spread through her shoulders, creating a cascade of shivers she was completely unable to contain.

Suddenly, she had the impression that the rest of the room had disappeared.

That only remained Sebastian's dark gaze, the gentle pressure of his fingers against her skin, and the far-too-fast beating of her own heart.

Her eyes finally met his.

They held a troubling intensity, yet an unexpected softness.

No urgency.

No demand.

Only a silent, almost solemn closeness that gave her the strange feeling he was seeking less to seduce her...

And more to memorize this moment with her.

"I'll take that sweet sound as a yes," he declared, before lowering his lips onto hers.

Blanche savored that possessive, unique kiss, one that belonged entirely to him.

Every man kissed differently.

Aaron was passionate, wholehearted, but always attentive to the slightest one of her reactions. Even when he allowed himself to be carried away, he maintained that almost instinctive restraint that always left her the possibility of stepping back.

Sapphire, on the other hand, had something deeply gallant about him. His kisses felt like an invitation, like a dance where he sought more to convince her than to pull her along. He moved with endless patience, as though every shared moment was a gift.

Sebastian...

Sebastian did not ask for anything.

He took.

Not with brutality.

With sovereign confidence.

He kissed her like a man convinced that this moment already belonged to both of them, without haste, without hesitation, with that quiet authority that seemed to inhabit every one of his movements.

He was not trying to impress her.

Nor to seduce her.

He simply existed with such certainty that he naturally commanded her entire attention, absorbing every thought until the world around them disappeared.

Blanche felt her heart pounding against her chest.

That way he had of reducing the entire universe to just the two of them unsettled her far more than she wanted to admit.

She almost felt as though she were forgetting where she was.

As though she were losing track of time.

When she finally regained enough clarity, she gently broke their closeness.

Despite the fine fangs that had briefly brushed against her lower lip, she stepped back without panic, raising one hand against his chest to create some distance between them.

Beneath her palm, she felt the firmness of his chest through the fabric of his shirt, as well as the slight movement of his breathing, still perfectly calm.

Sebastian did not try to hold her back.

His hand immediately left her neck.

He stepped back half a pace, just enough to give her back her space, while never taking his eyes away from her face.

His gaze remained intense, but there was neither frustration nor displeasure.

Only that enigmatic expression she was beginning to recognize in him.

A mixture of control, confidence, and a tenderness he seemed unable to express except in those rare moments of silence.