Page 122 of Kingdom of Shadows and Wings

All of a sudden, my head spins. The room turns claustrophobic. There are a lot more people here than just Flighthaven attendees and instructors. The loud music and laughter seem ill-fitting for the situation. Every year, people get injured and die in the trial, yet here we are, acting like it’s cause for celebration. My spine tingles. I don’t know if it’s paranoia or if people truly are watching me, but I sense eyes on me from all directions. Even if Thorne hadn’t behaved like a prick, the last thing I need to do is risk a scene.

Couples dance by, blocking him from view. When visibility returns, Celeste has her dainty hand on his forearm. While his head is cocked toward her like he’s listening to her words, his eyes stay fixed on me.

I press my hand to my chest. My inhalations grow shallow. Breathing becomes difficult. Too much noise, too much perfume, too many invisible threats. Far too many intimate memories of Thorne taunting me.

Sensing my hesitation, Thorne shakes Celeste’s hand off his sleeve and steps toward me. My heart lodges in my throat. Whirling, I take off in the other direction. I don’t know where I’m going. I just know I need to escape this ballroom. Escape his presence, which tortures me with regrets and threatens to stop my lungs from functioning properly.

I aim for the nearest exit. The crowd thins the closer I get to the open door. I pass a group of fledglings drinking mead and a couple locked in an embrace in the shadowy corner. By the time I burst into a hall, my lungs and eyes burn. My nose too. I can’t fall apart here, though, not out in the open where anyone could witness my breakdown. I need privacy to screw my head on straight and lick my wounds.

I try the first door I pass. Locked. The next one’s locked as well. I keep trying until, finally, a doorknob turns, and I slip inside a salon-like room. A single lantern provides minimal light, just enough for me to declare the space empty and to avoid collisions with the furniture. There’s a fireplace, overstuffed sofas, and bookshelves crammed full of books. There’s a large desk that appears unused.

I reach the desk first and trace the wood grain with my fingers. I’m still catching my breath when the door squeaks open. I know who the intruder is without turning around. “Why did you follow me?”

His quiet footsteps whisper across the floor until he’s standing behind me. His body heat engulfs me, and his breath flutters the loose hairs on the nape of my neck. “I told you why yesterday. You’re my obsession. After you left last night, I couldn’t sleep. All I could remember was your taste and how beautiful you look when you’re moaning my name.”

My heart lurches before squeezing into a tiny ball. I brace my palms on the desk, inhaling through my nose. It’s either that or spin around and throat-punch him. “You have some nerve. You said this was just a fling. You told me we were nothing. You told me to leave Flighthaven. So let me return the favor…leave and return to your pretty blonde advanced battle maneuvers instructor, your alicorns, to literally anyone else. I don’t care where you go as long as you leave me alone.”

Of course, Professor Contrary does the exact opposite. Instead of walking away, he comes closer, crowding me until he has my stomach pressed against the desk and his body plastered to my back. “But you didn’t listen, did you? You didn’t go.” Frustration laces his words, but then his voice softens. “You didn’t go, and now it’s too late. You’re stuck here. We’re both trapped, and as long as that’s true, I plan to enjoy the one good thing in this godsforsaken place. And that’s you.”

“Fuck you.” My voice quakes. “I hate you.”

“Good. You should hate me. But you want me too.”

His lips graze the nape of my neck, and a shiver ripples through me. His hands circle my waist and slowly slide up my ribs. When he reaches the underside of my breasts, he pauses, giving me plenty of time to protest or push him away. I should. I know I should. But my heart and body are ganging up on my mind. Two against one’s not a fair match. And what’s the point of resisting, anyway? My life is a shit show. I might die in the trail tomorrow. Hells, I could die tonight. For all I know, more assassins are after me, and the king might want me dead. Elijah or one of his pals could come for me in the middle of the night and slit my throat in my sleep.

Basically, everything is chaos right now and there are no guarantees. Is it so wrong to enjoy the moment while I can?

When I don’t tell him to stop, his hands continue their leisurely journey upward until they’re cupping my breasts. Over the flimsy fabric of my gown, he brushes my nipples with his thumbs. When I arch into his touch, he groans and rolls them into hard points between his thumb and finger, shooting a bolt of need straight to my core.

I offer a weak protest. “Someone might come in. “

“They won’t. I locked the door.” He slides my left sleeve down my arm and slips his hand beneath my bodice. At the feel of his warm, calloused fingers on my naked skin, my legs tremble. “Turn your head and give me your lips.”

I do as he asks, and his hot mouth devours mine. Kissing him is like nothing else in this world. He owns my senses. Possesses me. I can’t get enough. I could kiss him for hours. Days. A lifetime. But I know better now. We only have this moment in time to share, and I’m going to milk it for all it’s worth.

He breaks off the kiss. I whimper in protest. “Shh,” he whispers. “Patience.”

Silk rustles, and then a draft hits my ankles…my calves. I feel him slip the fabric upward over my knees and thighs. He pauses. “Tell me to stop, and I’ll do what you asked earlier. I’ll walk away. It will kill me, but I’ll do it.”

The moment of truth has arrived, except I’ve already made my decision. I don’t know what his true feelings are for me. I’m almost positive he lied when he said he didn’t care and that some convoluted logic convinced him of the rightness of sending me away. Or maybe that’s just a fantasy and I should take his words at face value. I can’t know what’s in his heart. I only know what’s in mine. Despite his abhorrent behavior yesterday, I love him, and this is very likely our last chance to be together. Maybe that proves I’m weak but whatever. When everything’s said and done, I think not following my heart would be my biggest regret.

“Stay.”

Chapter Forty-Three

Sterling shudders. A moment later, he hikes my skirt up to my waist. Gripping my undergarment, he tears the fabric down the middle.

The unexpected violence of his action ignites my body and makes my pulse throb between my legs. “Gods.”

“I am an impressive specimen, but referring to me as a deity may be overkill. Sterling,” he rasps. “The only name I want to hear on your lips when I’m buried inside you is Sterling.”

He slides his cock between my legs, stroking the velvety head against my clit. “Fuck. It makes me so hard when you’re sopping wet for me like this. Brace yourself.”

I try my best, pressing my palms into the wood. My muscles tremble in anticipation.

He presses his palm into the small of my back, flattening my belly to the desk. His cock nudges my entrance. That’s all the warning I get before he slams home, bottoming out inside me, his hips smacking my ass.

I cry out, and he stops immediately.

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