Page 37

“I never lose.” A laugh escaped me.

The arrogance. The certainty. The fact that even after everything, he still somehow managed to sound annoyingly pleased with himself.

“Oh, is that so?” I replied, running my fingers through his hair before taking hold of it gently enough to draw his attention fully back to me. “If anything, I think you’re about to discover exactly how wrong you are.”

His eyes darkened with amusement.

“Oh, yeah?” he challenged.

“Mm-hmm.” The simple sound I made earned me another smile, but I was no longer thinking about winning arguments or proving points. The anger that had driven me into the throne room was long gone, now tangled with relief, affection, and the overwhelming reality that he was finally here.

Alive. Real. Within reach.

I leaned forward, letting my forehead rest briefly against his as my fingers threaded through his hair once more.

“You’ll be losing something very soon,” I promised confidently.

“Oh, really… what’s that I wonder?” The question was little more than a murmur between us.

I smiled, leaning up so I could whisper over his lips. “Control.”

Atlas’s laugh was low and warm, but there was something dangerous beneath it. Something that made awareness dance across my skin as his gaze travelled over my face.

A slow smile spread across his face as he looked down at me, and immediately, I became suspicious. It was the sort of smile that usually appeared moments before he said something insufferably arrogant and judging by the amusement already dancing in his eyes, he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

“Control?” he repeated, one dark brow lifting. The challenge in his voice only made me smile back.

“Mm-hmm,” I murmured, and Atlas’s grin widened.

“I think we’ve already established which one of us ended up being carried here,” he pointed out, and I let out a scoff. The audacity of this man.

“That proves nothing,” I argued, despite knowing I had already lost. Something he confirmed when the laugh that escaped him was low and warm, his chest vibrating beneath where I was pressed against him.

“It proves quite a lot.”

“No,” I argued immediately, shaking my head. “It only proves that you’re bossy.”

“Kingly,” Atlas corrected without missing a beat, and my lips twitched as I fought a smile, rolling my eyes instead.

“Bossy,” I whispered over his lips, and this time I felt them as he fought his own grin.

“Kingly,” he whispered back, and I had to say, the game we played only made me hotter. Plus, the fact that he looked so pleased with himself only strengthened my argument… kind of.

“Definitely bossy.”

Atlas laughed again, entirely unbothered by the accusation.

“You’re adorable when you’re wrong,” he chuckled, and all I could do in response was stare at him. Not only had he somehow appointed himself winner of the argument, but he was looking entirely too satisfied about it. Worse still, he knew exactly what effect he was having on me. I could see it in the smug glint in his eyes, in the way his smile kept threatening to spread wider every time I glared at him.

Before I could stop myself, I lifted a hand with every intention of swatting him for the comment. But Atlas saw the movement coming long before I reached him. His hand shot out and caught my wrist effortlessly, his fingers wrapping around it before I could make contact.

“Tut tut, little bird, did you already forget what happens when you fight me?”

“You find yourself on your ass,” I reminded him. Then, because clearly, I learned nothing from previous mistakes, I tried again with my other hand, only to have Atlas catch that one, too. Damn him and his superhuman reflexes.

“Hey!” The protest escaped me instantly as both wrists were suddenly held captive, and Atlas looked entirely unapologetic as he raised them up above my head and pinned them there. Something that quickly made me breathless and forget what our banter had been about. The movement was quick enough to surprise me, yet gentle enough that it never felt like restraint. He then transferred them into one palm, held there with one hand, his expression growing increasingly smug as I immediately tested his grip.

“You were saying, little fighter?” He hummed with satisfaction.