Chapter63:

Kit remembered the days leading up to the ritual. If Eli hadn’t been there to calm her, she had no idea what she would’ve done. And the guard who’d performed the ceremony in lieu of the physician, Mikali, had put her at ease instantly. She reached over and took his hand. “You’ve always made me feel stronger than I actually am.” “No, Kit, I’ve reminded you that you’re stronger than you think you are.” His words hit a soft spot in her heart, and without any conscious effort, she found herself leaning forward, closing the gap between them, pressing her lips to his soft, warm mouth. Eli’s hand came around the back of her head and pressed her forward, and Kit slid closer, so that she was between his knees, one hand pressing down on his muscular thigh for balance as the other reached up to intertwine in the back of his hair. Just as he’d done the first time he kissed her, on these steps so many years ago, he gently pressed her to open her mouth, and she did, welcoming the taste of him, losin