Julian's face remained frozen under her unyielding stare as he leaned in closer and closer, until their uneven breaths mingled in the narrow space between them.
Slowly, deliberately, Evangeline traced her fingertips up the column of his neck. For a fraction of a second, a fleeting shadow of hesitation flickered across his eyes.
"Are you afraid?" she asked, her voice dripping with quiet malice.
"No, I am not," Julian replied, his voice cracking slightly before he forced a tight composure. "It is just... do you truly wish to kiss me?"
"Yes, and why not?" she murmured, her golden-tinged eyes locking onto his with a terrifying intensity. "Are you not my King, after all?"
His eyes widened in a sudden, sharp stroke of shock. Before he could even process her words, Evangeline violently anchored her hands behind his neck and pulled him down, crashing her lips against his in a harsh, bruising kiss.
