Page 103 of The Dark, Dead, Deep

“Exactly.”

We returned to Cormac’s chambers and dressed for bed in silence before Tormalugh excused himself to do whatever he needed to do in his four-legged form.

Rainn slipped under the covers and patted the side of the bed. “There’s no point being shy. I’d wager that you’re exhausted.”

My nose wrinkled.

“I won’t bite.” Rainn waggled his brows.

“I was thinking about how long Cormac was laying in that bed and the likelihood of the sheets being changed,” I replied dryly.

“I’m certain that the servants cleaned the room from top to bottom the moment we left.” Rainn folded his hands on top of the blanket. “You have something else on your mind.” It wasn’t an accusation, just a statement.

My chest felt heavy. “I spend so much time swallowing what I want to say; I don’t know if it’s possible to tell the truth anymore.”

“I think all fae have trouble with the truth.” Rainn rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“I was half expecting you to elude to deceit being an undine trait.” I laughed without humor.

“What’s wrong?” Rainn asked, concerned, as he scooted closer to me. He took a moment to arrange the chain around his hip so that his coat was tucked under the covers.

“I don’t want to marry Cormac.” The words tumbled from my mouth before I could stop them.

Rainn’s angelic face went carefully blank. “Huh.”

“I can’t marry Cormac,” I continued.

“Hm?”

Anger welled up inside of me like a wound without a scab. “Say something!” I roared. “Don’t you feel it? Between us, between all of us. I can’t marry Cormac. I can’t be alone in this wretched castle with him while everyone else goes about their lives. You’ll go back to the Skala Isles, and Tor will go back to the Reeds and—”

Rainn reached forward, his hands circling my wrists and tugging me down onto the bed. He didn’t waste a moment before my back was to the mattress, and he was above me and between my legs. His lips on mine and his hands on either side of my head as he covered my body.

Fire burning inside me, I reached up and tangled my hands in his silver hair. The strands were soft under my fingers. I liked the weight of him as Rainn pressed into my core. Separated only by the thin layer of our clothes.

I moved my hands, swiping my thumbs over his cheeks to check if he was real.

With my eyes closed, I let myself get lost in the sensation. To writhe and arch my back as I pressed my breasts into Rainn’s chest.

I moaned his name, and he grinned against my lips. He tasted like sunshine and lying on a beach while the air warmed my bones.

He rocked his hips, and I felt his hardness. The ridge in his thin silk trousers showed his size.

I imagined how he would feel. What it would be to know Rainn, invite him inside my body, and satiate the hungry ache between my legs.

“Rainn…”

“Gods, princess.” Rainn’s eyes sparkled wickedly. “You kiss like a demon, and you taste like berries.”

I growled, unsure whether his words were a compliment, and pushed my forehead to his shoulder to hide my expression.

When Rainn chuckled, I hooked my teeth in his skin and bit down hard enough to draw blood. He inhaled sharply but never stopped laughing as if he was having the most fun in the world.

When I pulled back, his blood clung to my lips. Rainn’s mirth turned to hunger, and he took my lips again, his tongue meeting mine in a dance that made my head spin.

I felt as the pillow lifted, and Rainn took his hand from where he was using it to hold himself over my body. He cupped my jaw before allowing his fingers to draw a path to the center of my throat. My heart beat against the pads of his callused fingers before Rainn took his index finger and drew a line from my collar down to my stomach. The skin he touched burned, leaving behind a trail of fire. As if hearing my silent plea, Rainn retreated and allowed his finger to return to the center of my sternum. My eyes fluttered open and met his. His pupils were blown, and the silver in his eyes had retreated to a ring around his eyes that was so slight it was almost unperceivable.

He circled my breast with his finger. He hadn’t even touched me, save for a single finger on my skin, as my mind conjured up all the sensations of what it would feel like if he rolled my nipple between his thumb and forefinger. Perhaps between his teeth.

---