Page 64 of Pawns of Salistya

Some would think entering my mind without permission is quite rude, I thought.

Xylan laughed. ‘Trust me, Valare. If you didn’t want me in your head, I wouldn’t be inthere.’

He’s not wrong.

‘So, what is it that you’re doing, exactly?’ I asked. I was hungry for answers, and I wanted to give him a chance to explain.

He shook his head. ‘I showed you mine, it’s time to show me yours. Questions can wait.’

His answer disappointed me. I don’t know why I thought he was going to act differently once it was partly in the open, but his response bolstered the little self-control I had. I raised my mental shields, blocking him from my thoughts. Looks like it’s time to show my trump card.

‘No, I don’t think they can wait,True Infinite,’ I said, putting every ounce of my disdain into the words, pulling away from him.

He visibly flinched, his expression paling. ‘You worked it out.’

I barked a disbelieving laugh. ‘Of course I worked it out. The Lull? The book? The Prophecy? Quite frankly I’m offended you think I wouldn’t have. And more than that, I’m furious that you didn’t tell me. Instead, you’ve allowed me to stew over the pull I have towards you, rather than telling me the truth. This is my life too, Xylan.’ The more I spoke, the louder my voice became until I was basically screaming at him.

And he took it. He took every word I said and simply nodded. His lack of reaction or any form of reply set the impulsive physical mage in me off.

Without thinking of the ramifications, I teleported the small distance between us, closing the gap as my knees landed either side of his hips, essentially straddling him. His hands moved to my hips, holding me there while my hand launched to clutch his throat. A feeling of masculine desire instantly hit me, warming up my whole body. His desire. He didn’t deserve a similar reaction from me, and he wasn’t going to get it.

‘I think you can do better than that, Green Eyes,’ he whispered in challenge, his lips so close that I could feel his breath on mine. He was provoking me, imploring me to unleash the pent-up anger inside.

I took the bait. Flicking my wrist, his hands swiftly moved above his head, arms pressing into one another as a vine tied them together. I found myself staring at him, trying to pinpoint any imperfections that needed fixing. And there were none, which was beyond frustrating.

Using my magic, I pushed his chest backwards until he was lying on the ground, arms still stretched above his head. I called some ocean water towards me. Once in my hand, I manipulated the water into a whirling ball, readying to throw it at Xylan. ‘Consider this payback from withholding your true identity from me,’I said.

His eyes were filled with primal hunger, his hardening cock in between my thighs showing his complete lack of fear over my ability to physically control him. This wasn’t the reaction I was hoping for. I wanted to see him angry. See the fire in his eyes like I felt it in my veins. ‘Have you finished playing, Minx?’

‘I’m only just getting started, Pretty Boy,’ I shot back at him.

My ball of water moved less than an inch towards Xylan before a resounding command rang out in my head. Before I could blink, my hand was over my head, releasing the ball of water. At the same time the vine snapped and Xylan sat up, his free hands grabbing mine, pushing them behind my back and jutting out my chest. A chest that was now drenched. My white dress was now completely see-through, revealing my firm nipples.

‘You’re not the only one with a few tricks up their sleeves, Queen,’ Xylan drawled, his chest pressing against mine, lips an inch away.

‘I have questions, mage. And I’m furious with you.’

‘And you’ll have answers. When you’re ready for them,’ he responded, not the least bit affected that I knew he was a mage.

‘Do you really think you have a leg to stand on right now?Youlied tome. If you think I’m going to let you get away with –’

He cut me off, closing the distance between us, his mouth pressing firmly on mine. Sparks flew as my whole body was set alight with the movement of his lips. A nibble of his teeth on my lower lip asked permission, and I opened my lips on a deep moan. His tongue took advantage of the entrance and twirled around mine. Our tongues fell into a familiar dance as though we’d done this a million times before. I felt his hands move so one held onto both of mine, while the other slid across my stomach, up across my waist and landed on one of my nipples.

A groan rumbled from deep in his chest, eliciting a sharp inhale from me as his fingers started to twist and rub the peaks. This sent jolts of pleasure straight down into my core. His fingers kept going, alternating between each bud, all the while our tongues still danced. We couldn’t get enough of each other.

Let my hands go,I demanded, dropping my mental barriers.

He granted my request. Not a second later I leant over him, pushing him into the sand. My hands grabbed his head and shifted it to the side, exposing his neck. I dove to the spot under his ear where his mark was. In one slow lick, I covered it with my tongue. With a loud groan and an uncontrolled thrust of his hips, he let out a string of curse words.

I chuckled darkly, continuing down his neck and across to the other side. I lunged for his throat, biting it hard, my intent to cause pain.

‘Fuck.’ He released a harsh breath. ‘Let it out, Valare. All your frustrations and anger. Give me all you’ve got. I can take it.’

And I did. I grasped his hair tight, taking his lips once again and dominating the kiss. He submitted, letting me lead as I poured my feelings into him. I bit down on his lower lip, drawing blood, while he moaned. His hips thrust forward again, searching for my body.

This felt so good. Soright. But then I remembered his actions, his lies. It successfully brought me out of my lust-fuelled haze. I pulled away before he could make further contact, teleporting to land a couple of steps away from him.

We stayed like this for some time, both of our chests rising and falling. Behind my rage I felt nothing but disappointment, hurt and betrayal. I let him see and feel the emotions roll out of me. Let him understand how much he’d royally fucked this up.

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