Kyoko's eyes came open in shock and she whipped her head around, causing Kyouâs lips to brush across her cheek in the process⦠coming to a stop right on her lips. She was looking straight into Kyouâs golden eyes. They were hypnotizing. It was like being kissed by an angel but⦠This was Kyou. Toya's brother was not an angel. He was the most feared and powerful guardian in the land. He was also one of her protectors, though she hardly ever laid eyes on him.
She lost all floating ability as she panicked. She began to sink into the water, but she didn't care as long as it got her away from his hypnotizing eyes. She stifled a scream when he suddenly reached out, grabbing her around the small of the back and lifted her clear out of the water until she was pressed flush against him.
Kyou could smell her fear of him and decided he didnât want her fear. Everyone feared him⦠even his brothers. His golden eyes glowed as he held her tightly, ceasing her struggles. The Guardian Heart Crystal had decided long ago they were fated to be allies and he would not have the one he protected, fearing his protection. Kyou used his mind control abilities to peer into her memories and found that the priestess had never been kissed⦠until now. His eyes darkened attractively with that knowledge.
Kyoko was so shocked all she could do was stare into the liquid golden pools, waiting for⦠She didn't know what she was waiting for, but ⦠God, he was beautiful. She thought she saw a slight smile tug at the corner of his lips. She blinked wondering if heâd just read her mind. Now she knew why sheâd never been this close to the golden guardian⦠it was dangerous to the senses.
Feeling a pull beyond his control, Kyou slashed his lips across hers in a powerful kiss as if to seal some unknown bargain. Lasting only mere seconds but feeling like an eternity, he slowly ended the kiss, wondering what spell sheâd cast on him to make him feel such alien emotions and cravings. Kyou held her closer⦠unwilling to release her just yet. He watched her with a strange look⦠almost in wonder, his golden eyes seeming to shatter from the reflection of the water.
Heâd wanted to teach his priestess what could happen if she was caught alone and without protection, but somehow it became more. He should have known better then to touch her. His senses widened and he felt his brother approaching at a swift pace, making him silently growl at the intrusion. Kyou glided across the water to the bank, righting them and gently standing her on her feet.
Seeing she was still under his trance, he gently reached out and traced the pad of his thumb across her soft cheek liking the possessive heat stirring within his guardian blood. Giving into the pull one more time, he tilted her lips back to his for a last searing kiss before vanishing, leaving behind only the fluttering of a translucent golden feather that also vanished as it touched the waterâs surface at her feet.
Kyoko stood there for a moment after Kyou had disappeared, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. Then she gasped and looked down at herself. She was naked and heâd been touching her, holding her. She couldn't help it, but something started in the pit of her stomach⦠heat. Something, that up until now⦠sheâd only felt on those very rare moments with Toya.
Finally getting her wits back, she grabbed her clothes and held them against her. âHow dare Kyou do that!â She felt her temper start to spark for the high and mighty lord Kyou. âJust who the hell does he think he is?â her face lifted to the sky as her fingers rose to softly touch her still tingling lips.
She tensed up when she heard Toya's voice calling her name. "Great," Kyoko shook her shirt out, quickly tossing it over her head. By the time it slid into place and she was able to see, she was staring straight at Toya, not five feet in front of her. Pulling her shirt down as far as it could go, she blushed ten shades of red.
"Toya, turn around!" She demanded then whined inwardly, âGeez, do none of the guardians have any sense of decency?â
When Kyoko had been gone to long, Toya had raced through the forest cursing his own stubbornness for not stalking her to start out with. Following her scent, nothing had prepared him for what heâd found⦠she was standing there like a goddess. Her breast lifted with her arms as she pulled her shirt down over her naked body. Toya had frozen.
Sure, he heard her say, âTurn around,â but that didn't mean he could do it. All his heated blood had just raced to his midsection and he couldn't move. As his gaze moved up her body very slowly, it finally came to rest on her face. Oh hell, heâd seen that look before. Knowing she was about to use her Taming spell on him, Toya spun around. He could hear her grumbling behind him, something aboutâ¦Guardians with no manners.
While burning that image to memory, something caught his attention. He could smell Kyoko's scent strongly but there was another scent clinging to it. Silver flecks appeared in Toyaâs golden eyes as he slowly turned around making sure she was dressed so he had freedom of movement. He walked toward her hoping he was wrong. The closer he got to Kyoko, the stronger the scent.
Kyoko stood very still, waiting on him to finish. She knew he smelled his brother on her. All the guardians had enhanced senses and after all this time she was still trying to get used to that creepy little fact. She tensed up when Toya grew closer, feeling a slight panic as he placed his cheek almost against hers and inhaled. He then grabbed her chin and turned her face to his, staring at her mouth.
Toya saw her shiver and could smell her lingering fear. "Kyoko, was Kyou here with you?" When she nodded, he gazed down at her mouth again, his eyes narrowing on her lips, "Did you bite him?"
Kyoko was so taken aback when he said that⦠her knees almost buckled. Then, thinking about the question and mentally seeing herself bite the most feared guardian in the land, she began to laugh.
"No, Toya, I did not bite him! I was taking a bath and floating in the water with my eyes closed. When I opened them, there he was, practically lying on top of me andâ¦" her voice dropped down to almost a whisper as she shrugged, "he kissed me." Kyoko quit laughing when she saw the silver override the gold within Toyaâs irises.
Toya grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her, needing to know exactly what happened. "Kyoko, did he do anything else? Tell me now!" He could feel the panic building within him at the thought of Kyou kissing Kyoko⦠what the hell was he thinking.
She was shocked at how mad Toya was all of a sudden. Kyoko shrugged and with a confused look on her face, she nodded. "Yeah, he lifted me out of the water and brought me to the bank, stood me up here, and then⦠disappeared.â She nervously raised a hand and ran it through her wet hair as she looked away. Secretly, she wondered where Kyou was now and if he was still watching them. Usually Kyouâs presence was felt not seen. âHe never even said a word," she added as an afterthought.
"Kyoko, did he mark you anywhere?" Toya asked in a calm voice while hiding the fact that his insides were screaming in denial. He pulled her hair back to look at her neck before she could even answer. He could feel his heartbeat strong and pulsing under his skin as he searched for any hidden marks Kyou may have left behind.
Kyoko tried to smack his hand away but he would have none of that, so she yelled, "No, he didn't! Why?" This was starting to freak her out a little. What did Toya mean, âmark herâ anyway? She felt her skin start to crawl as she envisioned a vampire scene from some old black and white movie in her mind. Then the scene twisted into one of the newer movies where the vampire was sexy and⦠and she quickly deleted the thought.