Page 5 of King of Inferno

My fingers itch to run through his hair to see if it’s as soft as it looks. I shouldn’t have such thoughts, not about this man. He looks like you should give him a wide berth at all times.

As I can’t tear my eyes away from him, I begin to squirm in my seat. His lips twitch into a small grin. His height is imposing, but that’s not where the intimidation is coming from. There’s something in his aura that says don’t fuck with him.

That is until I lick my lips and his smile grows. He flicks his eyes over me and breaks into a full-blown smile. That’s when a dimple pops in his cheek, drawing my attention to the piercing there. I notice he has one in the center of his beard as well, right beneath his lip.

God, this is one sexy-ass biker. He walks by Helen and takes a seat two booths away from mine. He’s facing me with that intense stare fixed on me. I finally tear my gaze from his and look back down at my books before me.

I never have time for relationships and this guy doesn’t look like he’d take me to a movie and buy me popcorn. Nope, he looks like he’d take me to his bed and set the sheets on fire. My virgin ass wouldn’t know what to do with all that.

“You let me know if you get hungry. I’ll bring you a burger and some fries,” Helen says as she starts for the biker’s table.

I want to tell her I need water, lots of water. I’m suddenly very parched. Glancing up through my lashes, I find he’s still staring at me. I shake my head and quickly look back down at my books.

Losing Him

“Idon’t know about this, Seraphina. I’m already healing you twice as much in the last few months. I think it’s time you let things go. He’s hurting you,” Nori says as she eyes me warily.

“He’s not doing it on purpose. Something has changed. I’m losing him, sister.”

“I know he’s not doing it on purpose. As I’ve told you, you shouldn’t be coming to me for healing. You should let him know you’re no longer able to take him.”

“And then what? Allow some other fairy to take what’s mine? I need you to keep studying, keep looking for an answer for me.”

“Sera, it was one thing for me to look for a potion that would allow you to have sex with him without tearing you apart. It’s another to ask me to create a love potion. What are you thinking?”

“Bradan belongs to me. I will not allow anyone else to have him. He’s mine. There has to be a way. Give me your list and I will find whatever you need to make this happen,” I snap.

“But, sister, this will take so many forbidden ingredients. I?—”

“Leave all that to me. Bradan will make sure I can return to this realm with everything you need. He would never suspect me.

“Besides, I won’t retrieve it all in one trip. I’ll be returning to the fairy realm a lot. That will get me access to all we need.”

Nori groans. “I think this is a bad idea. Some of these things will draw unnecessary attention. Dagger and the kings have worked so hard to keep me safe. This could lead trouble right to me.”

I stand and move to cup my sister’s face. Allowing my gaze to bounce across her pretty features, I think over her words. I would never allow her to fall back into that monster’s hands.

“I will forever regret what happened to you. I will never allow it to happen again. Once I become Bradan’s queen, you will never have to worry again.”

“This will end badly, Seraphina.”

“This is what must be done. I’m losing him. Now what do I need for the potion?”

Nori sighs, but she grabs paper and pen and begins to write the list of what I need. A smile comes to my lips. Soon, I will be able to bed him once again without injury, and I will be able to get him to fall for me and make me his queen.

Thank the gods he didn’t want to bed me this evening. I blink back the tears as memories of the pain surface. I will endure what I must to seduce him into making me his queen.

Once Bradan is mine, I will have the power to make sure all fire fairies are treated like royalty and with respect. Then I will overthrow the fire fairy king and expose him and his son as the tyrants they are.

“Seraphina, for the love potion, you will have to go see her. She’s the only one who has the main ingredient,” Nori says nervously as she breaks into my thoughts.

I close my eyes and exhale. Our aunt is a powerful fairy who was raised by a coven of witches. She has also been exiled from the inner court of the fairy realm as she is feared.

She’s been forced to live outside the safety of the kingdom’s walls, where food is sparse, and dangers are plenty. They say her anger now fuels the forest she lives in. Going to see her will come with a price, but I’m willing to pay as long as Bradan is mine in the end.

“Let me worry about her. I will take care of everything, you’ll see.”

“Sister, you must be careful. They say she serves the one. She’s on the list of forbiddens. If Bradan finds out you’ve been in touch with her, we could lose everything. This will not be forgiven.”

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