A Star is Born: The Coming Dawn: Book I (19 page)

Ky froze when she found herself in front of Cobaaron. When he didn’t spin her into his chest, she quickly said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know he was going to do that.” He was still upset with her, but slowly, he held out his hand for her. When she touched his hand it was electrifying. All the dust shot up and whirled around higher and higher in a furious blizzard of glitter. The sparks swirled thick around them; all she could see was Cobaaron.

He smiled, seeing her obvious emotion that was expressed in excited sparkles. Ky pressed her lips to his. Cobaaron held her close. His stiff body relaxed, and he breathed in deeply. His kiss became more passionate. His fingers swept down the length of her crimson, glowing hair to cup her butt. He opened his mouth, and his tongue touched her lips before she parted them. Ky melted into him.

“Boom. Boom,” everyone screamed, but it was faint in the storm of small scintillate stars.

Cobaaron released her. The light almost instantly began to lazily float, before sinking again. He then weaved in and out of the crowd with the rest of the men, and Ky was forced to spin toward other men. She was spun again and again until she lost sight of Cobaaron.

When Ky stopped spinning, she screamed, feeling a sharp pain split her side open. The dust flew high into the air again, but this time faded, snuffing out. The dome went pitch-black, and Ky heard a whisper of a familiar voice.

“Feel that?” Spaci whispered in her ear. He hugged her to his chest, keeping her close, as his other hand twisted a blade that burrowed into her abdomen. Scorching blood burned as it trickled down her side. “That is a poisonous dagger,
witch
.”

There was another scream when nearby people saw Ky’s blood. Spaci released her, and ran with heavy footsteps. Ky fell and her glowing blood dripped to the floor. She could feel the poison growing inside of her like knives slicing all the veins in her body. Noxis appeared at her side. He removed the dagger and threw it. More people screamed, and even ran away from them. Panic erupted, thinking they were in immediate danger.

“It’s poisonous,” Ky managed, but the words cut her throat as if she was swallowing thousands of needles.

“I know,” Noxis shushed her. A few more warriors appeared at her side. “Don’t touch her,” Noxis warned the men. “She’s been poisoned. Go get the healer.”

Ky felt her stomach swell and fill with air. Bubbles were making her expand unnaturally full of air. Not only her lungs, but also all her organs were painfully filling with poison. The next moment she began spitting up white froth. She rolled over to her side, which cost her dearly. She was in so much pain she didn’t think she could stand the torture.

“Move!” Cobaaron yelled, and Noxis quickly stepped out of his way. Cobaaron covered her mouth and nose, smothering her. At the same time, he pressed his other hand on her gut where the blade penetrated, trying to stop the flow of her hot blood. “You need to breathe in the poison, Ky. Breathe it in.”

Ky thrashed her legs, she couldn’t breathe. She had too much air as it was. She didn’t know how to breathe in bubbles that were growing in her organs. She scratched at Cobaaron’s hands that covered her mouth and nose. He was suffocating her in the bubbles. She needed to spit them out. Her body felt like it was going to burst from all the air. She was in so much pain her body could no longer take it; everything went black, and all was dark.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Ky awoke lying on a plush featherbed. It hurt to blink. Her entire body felt like it had been stretched painfully into different directions before being squeezed together again. But, she was thankful to be alive.

Huntra sauntered over and bumped his head against hers. It felt like he head-butted her with a battering ram. He purred and lay down, stretching across her shoulder. Ky could hardly move a finger, let alone push him off. “Huntra,” she begged hoarsely, needing him to get off, but even words were torture to get out.

There was a noise from the corner of the room. Ky’s eyes adjusted painfully to the firelight. Cobaaron had been sleeping on a chair close to the bed until he heard her talk. “Ky?” He shot from his seat and rushed over. He picked up Huntra and plopped him on a pillow far from her. “Ky, don’t talk,” he warned with concern. He was about to touch her, but stopped.

He smiled, closed his eyes for a second, and then took a deep breath. His grief was obvious. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been afraid. Watching you come so close to death terrified me. It’s my fault, and I’m sorry.”

“No,” Ky garbled. She would have winced but she knew that would be too painful.

“Don’t talk. Your body healed while you slept, but now it needs to mend while you’re awake, too. You’ve been asleep for over a week.” He swallowed hard.

By that time, Huntra made his way back to Ky, and once again Cobaaron moved him aside. “Are you thirsty? Do you need water? Just blink if you want water.” When she didn’t he continued, “You’re going to be okay now. Just lie there, and stay awake. Your body will do the rest. I’ll lie with you.” He situated until comfortably beside her, but he didn’t dare touch her. “No, you stupid cat. Go away. Don’t touch her. How many times do I have to tell you?”

He scooted Huntra away, again. He was trying to squeeze between them, down by their feet. On second thought, Cobaaron put Huntra on a pillow behind him, and then pointed at the little white tiger commanding him to stay put. “Your cat is driving me nuts. He seems to think he can’t leave me alone with you.” He smiled; Ky assumed it was because he knew why Huntra didn’t trust him. “I had to spend this entire week with him.”

Ky tried moving her neck toward Cobaaron. The attempt was painful but she managed an inch before Cobaaron protested. “No. Don’t shift. It shouldn’t be long before you’re fully back to normal. We may even make it to dinner, although, all the feasts have been canceled for the time being, while the warriors are here. We’ll go down to the kitchens. Just you and me.”

Somehow, while sleeping and feeling as if only a few hours slipped by, she missed him. He must have read her feelings or saw her longing because he carefully caressed her hair, brushing it from her face and with a soothing voice he said, “I know.”

He wanted to kiss her, and even leaned closer, before pausing with his lips poised close to hers. Having him near was soothing, and she didn’t want him any farther away. It helped her forget how much the rest of her body ached. Instead of kissing her, he lowered his head close to hers, his nose almost touched her skin, and then he breathed in.

“I know,” he chimed. “I’ve been watching you all week, but...you looked so far from me. It was terrible. I knew you were in pain. You were even wincing in your sleep, and yet I couldn’t touch you. My feelings for you changed, Ky. It’s not lust anymore. It’s something much stronger.” He studied her face a moment, searching her eyes, before he added, “I’m just glad you’re alive. That is all that matters to me now.”

Ky smiled painfully, but she was too distracted to care. It felt so good to hear him admit how he felt. Hearing his confession made her feelings change for him, too. She was falling in love with him as well. He was sweet, and she liked seeing that side of him.

Huntra slyly crept onto Cobaaron’s hip, and quickly sat. “Oh, this stupid cat.” He picked Huntra up the way a tiger would lift its cub, and then dropped him as far from them as he could reach. “I’m going to lock you outside this room if you keep trying to touch me, or her. Now go away.” Huntra doubled in size, as if determined to stay in the room. Cobaaron faced Ky again with a small, pleased smile. “He’s relentless.”

Cobaaron got comfortable once again. “So, what was I saying? Oh, the feasts; everyone is nervous because a warrior poisoned a Star at the festival. I sent most of my men out of the city with Octavos. They’re purging the forest. There have been a lot of dark creatures lurking, more than usual. Maybe we are being watched. I thought I smelled a witch, but I’m not certain. I will know when we leave.

“I don’t understand it myself, but the three kings are always planning something. I don’t know what they are planning now. But, if I have to, I’ll declare war.” He paused to smile, before saying, “You probably don’t want to hear gloomy things while recovering. I’ll change the subject.”

Ky painfully smiled, with an urge to laugh.

“I’ve been thinking, while you were asleep, that I’d like to take you to Lake City. I grew up there, until I was fifteen, so I have many fond memories of the city. My sister Luneye is there still. She’s a member of their council now.

“The Sister Cities are amazing, too. Their lights are very magical. The minute you’re feeling better I’ll take you there.”

Cobaaron lifted his hand and gently clutched her fingers. “Does that hurt?” It was a mix of pain and intense pleasure. He removed his hand.

“No,” Ky managed to say roughly.

“Yes, it does. I’ll try later,” he said. “When you’re better we can go eat. I’m sure your body needs it.”

Ky felt her neck loosen, as all her tight muscles unexpectedly relaxed. She moaned with relief. Her head flopped toward Cobaaron painlessly. Then her tongue slackened, and then a few seconds later her jaw unclamped. “What happened?”

“My neck.” Ky thought her voice would be strained, but to her surprise she spoke easily without sounding hoarse. “My neck relaxed. I don’t know how else to explain it, but everything from my eyes to my neck is back to normal.”

“And you got your voice back.” He leaned down and kissed her. She felt ecstasy and sheer bliss as he kissed her. He leaned away as if he didn’t want to accidentally touch her if he got carried away.

“I want you better, Ky. I feel responsible. I should have killed Spaci the moment I heard him tell you that your days were numbered. I should have followed my instincts. But you called me a monster that lives for blood. You don’t like to see me fight. I didn’t want you to look at me with disgust like you did that night in the courtyard. I won’t make that mistake again, though. I won’t hesitate to kill anyone who threatens to harm you. I can’t lose you.”

“I don’t think you’re a monster, Cobaaron. You’re a good man. I was mad. I bottle things up, and then lose my temper.”

“You should will me to not have a temper or yell at you. Think it, and I will change, Ky.”

She nodded. “That is a good idea. I want you to not scare me or be intimidating when speaking to me.”

“If I didn’t find it sexy that you would be an exceptional warrior, I wouldn’t change you, but I do want you to be fast and fight with skill.” She smiled, when she saw Cobaaron petting Huntra’s ear without thinking. “What is so funny?”

“Nothing.” She grinned. “What happened to Spaci, anyway?”

“I went after him,” he replied. “Then I returned to help you.” Ky didn’t ask any more questions. She figured out that Cobaaron did more than chase after him; Cobaaron succeeded in his attack, doing what Spaci failed when attempting to take Ky’s life.

Ky felt pain slowly subside from the front of her head to the back of her skull, as tension released until it was completely gone. “That is so much better. My headache is gone.”

“I’m glad.”

An hour passed as they talked. Slowly her body loosened at a much faster rate as her muscles released the excruciating tension. They lay there talking, with Cobaaron comfortably laying his hand on her stomach where she bore a scar from the dagger. The sensation of his touch was distracting to both of them, but they fought to ignore it. For Ky too, the union was no longer pulling them to sleep together, but to fall in love. Everything he said or did Ky found irresistible. She worshiped him. Obviously, the union was pulling her to feel greatly, and because she knew his feelings she wasn’t holding back.

They talked in a playful, intimate whisper. While listening to him and watching his lips that captivated her, she silently wished Cobaaron wouldn’t resist his love for her and worship her as she did him. Ky hoped Airia was right when saying he had little chance to resist the union once Ky made up her mind. Ky wanted to keep him.

“Tell me about your family,” Cobaaron said.

“I’ve an older sister, Roslyn. We were close until high school, but after that we were never
very
close again. We had different interests. She liked boys more than anything, and I liked acting.”

“What do you mean? What is acting?”

“Performing, you know, acting out stories.”

“
Oh
, you mean The Telling of the Tales, where you act out your battles.”

“Yes, but it’s not only battles. It’s any made up story. It could be anything really. And you dress up in costumes to fit the role you’re playing.”

“So how much older was your sister than you?” he asked. “Fifty years?”

“Two years,” Ky said, and snickered.

“That’s it? Well, my siblings aren’t that much older than me. Noxis is only ten years ahead of me. Onor was nineteen years younger than me. My sister is twenty-seven years younger than me.”

“
Wait
. Noxis is your brother?”

“Half brother. Of all my family I am closest with him.”

“I thought when he called you brother, it was as if he was saying comrade, not that you two are actual brothers.” Ky paused to reach down, and held his hand that lay on her stomach. “How old are you? Are you very old?”

“Much older than eighteen; I won’t say exactly. I
was
older than twenty, but I’m literally young again. I will age with you.”

“And your parents?”

“My father was a warrior, but not a great one. Though, he did die in battle with honor. My mother tried to move to another city and didn’t make it. Most people don’t. But don’t worry about being outside the city,” he slid his fingers under the neckline of her gown, touching her skin, letting the union stimulate her with devotion and desire, “you’ll be with me.”

“I don’t worry if I have you and Huntra.” Ky petted Huntra. Cobaaron then noticed he was petting him, too.

“Ugh, this cat keeps planting himself on me. His determination is annoying,” Cobaaron groaned and once again picked Huntra up, dropping him on a distant pillow.

“Well, stop petting him,” Ky grinned.