The Alpha's Temptation

Kinshra held his wrists and tried to pry them away, but she couldn't. He was too strong for her. So she caressed his forearms gently. "There is no use crying over it, Biham," she said softly.

A sob wracked through his body as a violent shudder passed. His shoulders vibrated and his chest rumbled with pent up frustration. He looked up at the ceiling and let out a roar. Kinshra was the one who protected him from her father's wrath whereas Sirrah was the one who literally threw him into staged battles with Nyxers. There was so much difference between the two women.

"Biham!" Kinshra sidled to him and wrapped her arms around his chest. Her wings flared and they cocooned him in their warm embrace. With her feathers, she started stroking his back.

Biham felt so warm and cozy. "Gods, I missed you," he rasped. "I missed these," he said as he touched her wings with his fingertips. "I missed your scent and I think I was never the same throughout my life without you." He placed his palm on her cheek.

"Oh Biham..." Kinshra leaned on his palm. It was such a private moment that her body practically hummed in approval. They both stayed in that position for as long as they could.

Biham wanted to forget about all of his life's miseries and freeze in the cocoon of his fae mate's wings. His mind was a tumult of emotions. He leaned forward and his fingers went to her lips. He traced those beautiful outlines, too scared that she would swat his hand away. His hands became shaky and all he wanted was to kiss those lips. However, he knew that if he did that right now, she would withdraw instantly. He had to be patient with her and he was happy that she was allowing him to touch so intimately. "Kinshra..." he whispered her name as if in worship.

Kinshra held his hand in hers and gently removed them. She lowered her gaze feeling that if she didn't control herself now, she would never be able to. "I am sorry..." she said. there was too much bad history between them that needed to be sorted out.

His lips curled up in a sad smile. "No, I am sorry..."

There was an awkward moment between them, and for once she thought she would continue this some other time, but she was aware that Biham was here on a tight timeline and she also had to teach Yunabi to Lusitania.

Biham wanted to end the awkwardness as quickly as possible. When he managed to get a semblance of control over his emotions, he said, "What did Lord Krail say after you asked him to take you along with the baby?"

Kinshra licked her lips as her wings slowly retreated. She let out a sigh. "He said that he would take me back with him by force but he wouldn't take my child."

"Why?" he asked, his brows furrowed.

"Because he viewed that child as yours," she replied in a low voice, meaning that Lord Krail hated Biham to an extent that he didn't want to see a speck of his image in his child also. "He loathed you, and you can't blame him, Biham," Kinshra added. "He was extremely unhappy. He had an unwed daughter who was going to give birth to the child of the only man for whom she had fought and stayed back against his wishes."

Biham bit his lip. Kinshra had fought with her father a lot when he came to know that she was his mate. He had asked her to reject him and come back with him, but she was too adamant. She had to pay for her mistake. Heavily. Feeling a thousand tons guilty he said, "You deserved it, Kinshra!"

A frown came on her features. He rubbed her frown and said, "You deserved it because you went for the worst-- for the lowliest scum of the Lore. How could your father not punish you? If it was Lusitania, I would have punished her also and then lashed her mate. Lord Krail has been very kind to me. He-- he let me come to Kral."

"Biham..." Kinshra said, her heart splitting into pieces. She could feel his sorrow inside. It was like hundreds of thorns. The back of her throat burned. Slowly, she dug out the thorns of the sorrow and said, "I think both of us were victims of circumstances. There is no point in blaming us."

He let out a short laugh, the humor not reaching his eyes. He nodded lightly. "Yes, we both have been victims as well as idiots."

Kinshra jerked her head back with amusement. "Idiots?" When Biham nodded with a mischievous smile, she burst out laughing. "Yes, we both have been pretty much idiots!"

It was such a wonderful moment that they both felt lighter. Whatever tension was between them seemed to vanish in the air. Kinshra poured more tea for them. The sun had come up as the clouds cleared for once in the lands of Kral. All at once, they heard a loud noise of something shattering. They both dashed to the window to see what it was and found that Eltanin was chasing Lusitania. While he was chasing her, he bumped into a thin column in the gardens, which cracked and shattered on impact. Soon he caught hold of her and picked her up by her waist. He spun her around muttering something into her ears while she laughed her heart out. It was so beautiful that Kinshra and Biham stared at them for a long time until Eltanin took her inside.

When Biham looked at Kinshra again, she was blushing. He remembered their days when they would simply revel in each other's company.

"He really loves her," said Kinshra.

"He does," Biham said, looking at his mate. After a moment he said, "Do you know how they met?"

She shook her head. "Tania never told me. She didn't find the time..."