Page 36 of Brutal Birthright

Ri pushed onto her knees, huffing loose strands of hair out of her face. As she raised her eyes, the all too familiar sight of his boots filled her line of vision. Again. So close. If she looked up now…

There was no mistaking the way his eyes seared over her with sharp intent. Knelt before him, with her hair wild and a few wisps of curls fallen loose around one side of her face, she would only have to lean forward, and his cock would be right there. So close she could easily run her fingers up and unfasten his trousers. His muscled thighs within arm’s reach for her to grip hold of. The perfect angle that would allow him to slide past her parted lips and thrust into her mouth.

Fuck.

Rowan sensed it, too.

She heard the sharp hiss as he sucked in a breath.

The air crackled with magic between them.

Why in the Stars was she always finding herself in this position? And what did it say about her warped sense of attraction to this witch that she wanted to wind herself around his legs like a cat.

The moment the image burst into her mind it sent her heartbeat pulsing in her clit.

“You’re so fucking stubborn.” His voice dropped lower. A warning, or a threat maybe.

His stern glare rounded out her humiliation.

“Says the brute who cut in on my training partner.”

Ri pushed up to stand and dusted her palms against her thighs. Twisting her hair up into a top knot, a silent stand-off ensued between them while she wound her long curls and secured them in place. All around them the rest of the class were a mass of bodies thudding and colliding. Figures wrestling each other to the floor with audible grunts.

She felt the air stall in her chest, leaving her breathless and confused. Cursing herself for lusting after someone she couldn’t have. The kind of classic fucking disaster that she shouldn’t be so strung out by.

“Are you really so determined to fail this class, little faerie?” Crossing his arms only further highlighted the inked designs curling over his skin. His head tilted ever so slightly to one side, and those intense bluish-silver irises punished her.

But there was no mistaking the way his tone dropped into a hush. As if he didn’t want anyone else to hear him call her that. And fuck if that didn’t make her thighs clench. The thought of the two of them, alone and secluded somewhere in the dark as he whispered in her ear with that dark tone.

Shit.

It was all she could do not to combust right then and there.

That night at the solstice, standing with their heads together gazing at the sight of her dress inching up her thigh, had revealed something between them. Illuminating dark desires within the pale glowing moonlight on a night doused in magic.

“It seems you are the one determined to fail me.” She glared at his perfect, strong jaw. Anything to avoid the intensity of being ensnared by his gaze. “This training arena—reaching the elites—it means everything to me. So, if you want to kick me out, just get it over and done with. No more pretending to tolerate me simply as a favour to my sister.”

Silence stretched and snapped between them like a wolf’s bite.

“You have to work with your strengths. Not against them.” He took a step forward and Ri barely held herself steady rather than flinching away. Coming around to stand just behind her, Rowan stopped so close she could feel the heat radiating off his chest, extending from her nape to the base of her spine. The scent of him consuming her and dragging her under in a powerful hold. “Ask for help, little faerie.”

A shudder ran through her body as his words gusted close to her ear.

“Why should I?” Her mouth was so fucking dry.

“Because in battle, you never operate alone.” They weren’t touching, but she could feel him and the presence of his magic as it wrapped around her. His sheer size overwhelmed and isolated her from anything else in the training arena. She was only aware of him and the coil winding low in her core.

He stepped back around to stand in front of her again like a giant stone wall.

“You set me up to fail. Sir.” She eyed him apprehensively. Trying desperately to keep her breathy voice even and not sound like she was panting after him. Spirits only knows what that would do for his over-inflated ego. “There’s no chance of you allowing yourself to be flung into the dirt in front of this class, and you know it. Hence, I never stood a chance.”

“Ah, so the little faerie has finally come to her senses.” That husky, low voice was going to haunt her dreams tonight.

“Ok, so how am I supposed to complete this assessment… if my partner is unwilling to participate.” Ri huffed out.

He frowned. Jaw muscles clenching as if he chose his next words carefully. “You can practise more advanced techniques. Just learn the positioning and holds today. Get those right, and instinct will do the rest next time you require them.”

She nodded carefully.

---