Read Online Daughters of Lyra: Heart of a Commander by Felicity Heaton - Free Book Online

saw tears shining in their blue depths. Not tears of fear,
but of sadness. He checked her again and realised that what he had
thought was anger was actually sorrow.

    “ You were
defending me,” Amerii said and her hand left his, coming up to
capture his cheek. The touch was light, tender, and the pain in his
chest dulled a little. “I don’t think you’re a monster... or
unworthy of me. I wanted to see you again. I even thought about
going to see Sophia and Regis because I thought perhaps you would
be there.”

    His heartbeat doubled at
that confession.

    “ You did?” Van
said, needing to hear her say it again, needing her to tell him
that she still had feelings for him and that he hadn’t frightened
her away. The daughters of Lyra were strong, but was she strong
enough to love him? Regis had discovered love and had found a way
to temper the bloodlust around Sophia, but Regis was far older than
he was. Royalty aged slower than normal Varkans. Van didn’t know if
he was strong enough yet to do as Regis had done, or whether he
would ever be strong enough.

    And Amerii deserved to be
loved.

    “ I did... I
wanted to see you Van. I was so happy when you appeared on that
screen. I was so happy when you asked me to come here. I’m still
happy now. Nothing has changed. I know about Varkans, enough to
prepare me for anything that you might do. Sophia has told me all
about the bloodlust and how Regis reacted. I wasn’t surprised by
your reaction to the male, and I know if it had only been the
female you wouldn’t have reacted so strongly. You were trying to
protect me from the male... because you see me as yours. I want to
be yours.”

    He went to speak again but
she tiptoed and kissed him. It was sweet, tender, and he couldn’t
help responding to it. His arms slid around her waist and he tugged
her against him, so the full length of her body pressed into his.
He leaned into her, kissing her with more force than before, hungry
to taste her and to feel her body on his. Her hands caught his
shoulders and she moaned into his mouth.

    He pushed her off him,
getting the better of himself. Looking down at the floor, he cursed
himself for kissing her again in the hall.

    “ It is my duty
to protect you while you are on this vessel,” he whispered to their
feet, afraid of looking at her in case he couldn’t stop himself
from kissing her again. His hands shook as he fought to restrain
the feelings that she brought out in him. The subtle taste of her
blood filled his mouth, its memory as potent as the reality had
been. His eyes brightened as his teeth extended slightly. She
wanted him. She wanted to be his. He could make her his. He
compressed his lips, grinding his teeth together in an effort to
stop them from changing further. The hunger subsided with the
memory of her blood. “That includes not exposing you to comments
about your personal life.”

    Her fingers grazed his
cheek, sending a warm shiver across his skin. “Is it your duty, or
your desire to protect me? It looks like desire from where I’m
standing.”

    Her voice was so sultry a
whisper that he had to look at her. Her eyes were wide, their
enchanting sky blue depths darkened by her enlarged pupils. He
wasn’t the only one the kiss had aroused. He could sense her
hunger, could feel it in her touch and see it all in her
eyes.

    Taking her hand, he held
it tight, feeling it shake in his. She knew as well as he did that
they stood together on a precipice, facing a point of no return,
and neither knew where it would take them. He didn’t know if he
could control himself in the heat of the moment. Something about
Amerii, about his feelings for her, made his bloodlust difficult to
control. He only hoped that his feelings towards her would protect
her from the bloodlust when it overwhelmed him.

His eyes held hers, his
heart thundering as his mind raced to imagine the feel of her body
against his, and the bloodlust began to push at the boundaries of
his