Page 44 of Taken By the Shadow Prince

She shakes her head. “No. I tried to use another demon witch’s blood to make a tracking potion, but I only had so much with me, since I had to leave the castle to find witch sanctuaries at the same time. Isolating the proper genetic codes to do so was a hell of a lot harder than I’d thought it would be.”

“Ender’s blood, I take it?”

Her eyebrows lift. “How do you know Ender?”

Right. I shrug nonchalantly, hoping to play it off. “She’s Elix’s granddaughter.”

“Or,” Mavey says, “You met her when she was little, when you made that bargain with Joula.”

Now it’s my turn to be surprised. “What do you know about that bargain?Howdo you know about it?”

She shrugs, just like I did. “I put two and two together. You told me before that you’d made been to the castle before. And when Joula saw you when we first got here, it was clear she’d met you before. Also, you had mentioned it had been a while since you had made a bargain, so I guessed that you made one with her.”

“You’re more observant than I gave you credit for,” I murmur. I don’t bother mentioning that I’d already been giving her a lot of it.

“When you listen more than you speak, you learn what it is people aren’t saying.”

Indeed.

I sigh and say, “That’s not how I knew it was Ender, though. Joula and I made that bargain before she was born. But that’s all I’ll say of it.” No, I wouldn’t even tell Mavey that very bargain had been the indirect cause of all of this.

“Howdoyou know her, then?”

I shrug. “She looks like Joula did. Besides, I talked to her the other day.” That wasmostlyhow I knew, anyway. The rest of it was instinct, or perhaps forgotten memories from the visions I received of my bargain with Joula. There was onlyoneimage that I really latched onto from it—and she’s sitting right beside me.

Mavey nods and tips her head back. “I don’t think I want to talk anymore,” she whispers.

Her eyes fall closed, but I nod anyway. “Yes, conversation must be very exhausting for you.”

Mavey lifts a hand. Turns every finger down but one.

I laugh and grab that finger, then adjust our hands so that I can place a careful kiss to her knuckles. “Pretend to hate me all you like. But I know better.”

Her breathing quickens, the only sign of her body flushing with fresh arousal that she’ll give me. I lean into that reaction though and drop my hand to the exposed skin at the top of her thigh.

My fingers slide to her naked center and brush against her slit, but I don’t push in. I just tease, beckon her to spread those legs with every light, torturous touch.

It’s not long before those legs fall open and her folds part, my fingers meeting the wetness inside. I brush around her clit, just enough for her to feel the nearness, the hint of pleasure, before pulling back, again and again, retreating.

I slip two fingers inside of her with a quick push, listening to that sharp exhale, feeling the way she slid down, just a bit, to push me further inside of her.

I add a third finger.

She lets out a low moan and works her hips on me then, even as I push those fingers in deep, brushing them against that spot inside of her. She writhes with the pleasure of it, and I wait until she’s about to come undone around me before I pull them out.

I bring those fingers to my mouth and suck each into my mouth, one by one, leaving her there to come down, slowly.

When my fingers are clean, I bring them back to her and edge them around her clit again, just enough to give her a teasing amount of stimulation. She actually fuckingwhines, and it’s so goddamn hot that I push all three fingers back inside of her hole and push them back against her g-spot, over and over again.

When her body coils, I force myself to back out again, even if I’d like nothing more than to watch her climax.

“Armin,” Mavey snaps, her eyes opening as she watches me suck on my fingers again. “Stop doing that.”

“Are you not enjoying yourself, Mavey?”

“You’re a fucking tease,” she bites.

And then, with no hesitation, she takes her own hand and pushes three fingers inside herself. And damn if I don’t turn into a fucking rock beneath the robe. I’m throbbing at the site of her pleasuring herself, watching her fingers sync with her thumb as it rolls at her clit.

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