Page 94 of Vale of Dreams

The torches seem to burn brighter around us, heating the room. I let out another quiet, desperate moan.

When he looks up at me, his eyes smolder with a hungry intensity. My blood turns molten. His heartbreaking beauty holds me captive.

He gives me a faint, knowing smile. “So, no, then? You don’t want me to stop, I take it?”

“Talan.”

“Yes? Why don’t you tell me what you want? I already know, Nia. But I want to hear you say it.”

Releasing my nightgown, he slides his fingers into my hair and tugs my head back just a little. I’m vulnerable, pinned as he brings his canines to my throat once more. His tongue swirls, and all I can think about is how it would feel to have his mouth close over one of my nipples. My breasts ache for him, and my whole body pulses with need.

As he brushes his lips over mine, my muscles melt. I’m at his mercy.

With my hands in his hair, I pull him closer, arching into him. He claims my mouth, his lips moving against mine in a kiss of incandescent heat. As his tongue slides against mine, his fingers curl in my hair possessively, and the kiss deepens, growing more demanding, wild. He’s tasting me, stroking me with his tongue, and my thighs tighten around him. Quietly, I moan into his mouth, and his kiss grows hungrier. He tugs gently at the back of my hair. He has me exactly where he wants me. With a nip to my lower lip, he pulls away, catching his breath.

He raises his eyelashes, staring into my eyes. “Tell me what you want, Nia.”

His body is warm, the muscles firm and unyielding against my skin, and I want to savor every inch of it. I want to run my fingers, my tongue over his muscled shoulders, his chest, his abs…

And when I look into his eyes, I feel like I’m drowning. I can hardly think straight. I’m on fire, and I can barely remember what I’m doing.

But as I catch my breath, I force myself to focus on reality.

I can’t do this. Letting him fuck me for real could destroy any shred of objectivity I have.

I’m here as a spy. I’m here to figure out who is good and who is evil. To separate fact from fiction. And nothing will cloud my judgment more than giving in to him. If I do, deep down under the layers of rationality, I’ll scramble to hold on to the evidence that supports what I want.

Of course, I can’t give him that reason.

“I don’t want this. I know the reputation you have, and I don’t want to be another notch on your bedpost. If I’m going to give my body to someone, it will be for love. Not because I’m pretending.”

Something flickers in his eyes, and for a moment, I think it’s hurt. But then he gives me a faint smile and pulls away. Folding his hands behind his head, he lies back. “For someone who seemingly hates to experiment, you are quite adept at supplying me with new experiences.”

My heart is still racing out of control, and I know he can hear it. “Being turned down for sex?”

“That’s the one.” He brushes his thumb over my cheek. “We are alike, you know, you and I. Left on our own to raise ourselves. We learned to play a part. We are costumed players strutting across a stage. But some day, Nia, I will learn the full truth of who is underneath that mask.”

I turn over and blow out the candles.

I’m still thinking of the feel of his mouth claiming mine, his tongue tasting me.

My thighs clench, my skin still heated. I already know I won’t be able to sleep tonight.

I roll over, watching him as he sleeps. He’s snoring ever so quietly, his muscled chest rising and falling.

My mind is branded with that kiss, and I can’t stop thinking about the feel of his tongue on my waist, on my hips, sliding and tasting me. My self-control nearly simmered away.

Now, while he’s sleeping, I need to get an idea of what he’s thinking. When he’s out cold, he won’t be able to feel me searching around in his mind.

I roll over and carefully slide my arm around his waist. He stirs a little, then folds his arm over mine. He smells amazing.

Gently, I tug at my powers. The pain sears through my mind, but I ignore it, sending a probing touch into Talan’s thoughts. I can’t risk digging deep. Even in his sleep, he might sense me as he has done before. And this time, it will end with my neck on the chopping block. So, I don’t dig down—I caress, my powers brushing against his psyche like my lips against his. This is a seduction, not an invasion.

And in his mind, I find him dreaming of me, my arms wrapped around his shoulders in an apple grove. He kisses me hard and hikes up my skirt to my waist?—

The dream is interrupted by another, one that is angry, dangerous. A suspicion. Even as he sleeps, it spins in his mind.

…a human-sympathizing spy in the High Council?

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