Page 57 of King of Fire and Flames

“By the order of King Azarn Thrusheel, Arrowyn Ramiel, ruler of the Light Realm, has been given leave to take life-sustaining blood from the veins of his marked Aldara, twice daily if he so wishes, until the king withdraws his permission.”

With a broken shout, I leaped at Arrow, my fists swinging.

“Don’t touch her,” Arrow barked as the guards’ weapons clattered behind us.

He caught me in his arms, tossed me on the bed, then used his bodyweight to hold me down.

I struggled like a wolf in a trap, but it was no use. He was too strong. Too ruthless.

“This isn’t fair,” I said, the closest I’d ever been to giving up as I thumped his chest armor with my fist. Swallowing a sob, I caught my breath. “I’m sick of being a pawn in the stupid games males play.”

“Agreed,” he said, his lips barely moving as confusion shuddered through me.

What did he mean by agreed?

He frowned down at me as our ragged breaths combined, our faces too close for comfort. The feather glyphs on his skin turned from dark crimson to gold. My pulse skyrocketed, the Aldara mark burning my flesh, and my bones melted like summer honey. Damn. I hated how his nearness affected me.

I turned my head, hoping he wouldn’t notice my blown pupils, the tell-tale signs of desire blushing over my skin.

“Look at me,” he rasped.

I shifted my head, but kept my gaze fixed on the erratic pulse at his throat.

“Leaf.”

“That’s not my name.”

“Zali, then. Stop fighting. Why make this harder than it needs to be?”

“An easy question for an oppressor to ask. For the one subdued, the answer is clear—there is no other option than making things harder.”

Silence hummed through the air, our rasped breathing the only sound in the room. What in the hells were the guards doing right now? Standing by, watching, and grinning? The humiliation was unbearable.

Arrow’s thumb stroked down my neck, while his hardness pressed into my stomach. I heard him swallow, practically drooling while he prepared to bite me.

“Don’t do this,” I whispered. “Please.”

“I’ve no choice,” he growled softly as his fangs sank into my flesh, lips suckling the long muscle in my neck.

As he drew slowly on my vein, a cry of pain and ecstasy tore from my throat. “Relax, little Leaf. I won’t hurt you. Never hurt you. Promise.”

What the fuck? I thought, as my body jerked in shock. Had he somehow spoken in my mind?

“I can hear you, reckless one. Guard your thoughts if you have any secrets you wish to keep from me. Concentrate on the blood flowing between us and focus only on what you wish me to hear.”

“Which would be nothing. Why didn’t you tell me we could do this?”

He groaned against my neck and gripped my chin roughly. “It mostly only works during feeding. But I knew you’d hate it—the invasion. And because I care about you… I suppressed it.”

“That’s rich, claiming to care about me now.”

“I’ve never stopped. You, Zali, are my precious gem, my light, my fire, my earth, and ice.”

He drew deeper on my vein, and I gasped, my hips bucking against his hard length.

“Hold still, human,” he said out loud, “or your throat will be shredded.”

The guards laughed, sounding thoroughly entertained.

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