First Kiss Excerpt from THE FIRE LORD’S LOVER by Kathryne Kennedy

In honor of our month-long celebration of Valentine’s Day, I will be giving away an autographed copy of BENEATH THE THIRTEEN MOONS to one lucky commenter today (and look for another chance to win it in our grand prize drawing). So don’t forget to leave a comment and say hello!

For today’s post, I thought I’d offer an excerpt from THE FIRE LORD’S LOVER, book one of THE ELVEN LORDS, cause book two, THE LADY OF THE STORM, will be coming to bookstores in August, and geez, I’m just very excited about it!

Cass now stood facing her…new husband. She supposed she’d have to get used to that idea. Although she didn’t think she could ever get used to the coldness of his beautiful eyes. She’d hoped she could use the general to gather information about the elven, but right now he did not look like a man who could be used. Indeed, when his eyes met hers for a moment, a shiver of dread went through her.

The few times she’d visited him, he had treated her with a disinterest bordering on contempt. She’d foolishly thought that when she became his wife that might change, but it appeared the ceremony affected him not at all. Faith, how would she manage to share his bed tonight? Best not to think of that.

She blanched as her new husband slid a ring on her finger. A band of gold with a rose carved atop it. But the rose looked so real, the edges of the petals as delicate as the true flower. Cass couldn’t resist the impulse to bring it closer to her face, then nearly jumped when the petals curled closed, changing the carving to a tight bud.

He’d given her a ring crafted with elven magic.

Her eyes flew up to his in alarm.

General Raikes lowered his head. “It won’t harm you,” he muttered, a note of exasperation in his velvety voice. And then he lowered his head and kissed her, signaling an end to the ceremony.

Cass’s heart flipped over. She stood quite frozen, unsure of what had come over her. The general had done nothing more than press his lips to hers. And her entire body had shivered. From that one dispassionate touch.

As the onlookers broke into polite applause, Mor’ded leaned close to his son and said, “Surely the champion can do better than that.”

She watched her husband glance at his father. Saw his face harden with challenge. Then the general wrapped his arms around her and roughly pulled her against his chest and Cass could only pray.

Her new husband kissed her again. But this time, he kissed her like Thomas had, bending her backward in his arms, moving his mouth over hers as if he sought to eat her alive. But the experience was totally unlike the one she’d shared with Thomas.

The world seemed to fall away. Cass became aware of nothing and no one but the man holding her in his arms. The heat of his mouth, the fire that ran through her body, the sheer exhilaration of the taste of him. Her senses heightened. She felt her breasts tighten and strain toward him. Felt a wetness between her legs that frightened and excited her all at the same time. His tongue pressed against her lips and lacking any experience of what to do, she opened her mouth and he invaded it, stroking and tasting until she just forgot to breathe.

Her new husband abruptly let her go and set her away from him. Cass swayed. The applause in the room had risen in volume and she blushed again to realize she’d behaved in such a manner in front of an archbishop, half the country, and in the house of the Lord, no less. She couldn’t account for what had come over her.

General Raikes gave his father a heated look. “Will that do?”

Mor’ded chuckled.

When Dominic took her hand and led her back down the nave, Cass could do nothing but weakly follow. But she noticed the rose in her ring had come unfurled, spreading out into a glorious open blossom.