The Unseelie Duke (Deal of Shadows Book 1) by Kathryn Ann Kingsley

Author:Kathryn Ann Kingsley [Kingsley, Kathryn Ann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kathryn Ann Kingsley
Published: 2023-05-15T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Alex didn’t know quite what to do with herself when she woke up in a bed that had belonged to a stranger—who was now an oil painting and very much dead. To say she was conflicted was, again, putting it lightly. Izael’s arm was draped over her side, and she could hear him softly breathing from where he was still nestled in close to her, his knees against the backs of hers.

Pumpkin was curled up by her stomach in a perfect orange tabby cinnamon roll.

It felt cozy. It felt perfect. It felt comfortable. And…good.

But he had killed a man to give this all to her. Cursed him to be a portrait for the rest of his existence. And the man at her back wasn’t a man at all—he was a man-eating snake who had designs on her soul.

Who would die if she won or lost the contract between them. It was starting to become painfully clear to her that she didn’t want that to happen. Even though she knew she shouldn’t care. But like holding back the tide with a teacup, it was pointless to lie to herself about the fact that, no, she did care.

He was weirdly sweet. Considerate. And it was clear that he wanted to protect her. His words to her hours earlier when he told her that she was wanted…it had twisted a knife in her chest.

She had never felt wanted. Her parents had been distant from her at best, and when she decided to follow her now-dead dreams of becoming a singer, they had cut her out of their lives. She was an unwanted daughter.

When she had quickly realized her hopes of becoming a singer were pointless, she was an unwanted performer.

When she had tried to keep a job, she found out she was an unwanted worker.

Everywhere she went, save for her rare friendships, she was alone. And for the longest time, she was fine with that. But not with him. With him, she felt desired. And it was a powerfully addictive feeling. Reaching out, she gently petted Pumpkin. He let out a quiet murrrl and rolled onto his back, stretching his paws over his head. Smiling, she started scratching his belly.

“I’ll roll over too if you’ll rub me like that,” Izael muttered, clearly still half asleep.

“He’s cuter than you are,” she teased.

“Peh. Lies.” He nuzzled into her hair and hugged her tighter, clearly not wanting to wake up and leave the warm and cozy bed. “He has a big enough ego as it is. Don’t encourage it.”

And honestly, she was in no rush to move, either. “You should talk.”

“Mmph,” was all she got in response.

“Izael?”

“Yes, songbird?”

“Can’t we just…stay like this?”

That woke him up enough that he lifted his head and propped himself up on his elbow. Reaching his hand that was draped over her waist, he brushed some of her hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. “What do you mean?”

She rolled onto her back to meet his turquoise gaze.

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