Page 26 of The Wild Hunt

She hesitates, her cheeks flushing with a combination of arousal and embarrassment. The vines flex around her, reminding her of her position.

"I need... I need to come," she finally gasps out, her hips bucking against my hand.

I smile, a predatory gleam in my eyes. "And you will."

Without warning, I withdraw my fingers completely. She cries out at the loss, her body trembling with unfulfilled desire. I bring my wet fingers to her lips, tracing them gently.

"Open," I command, and she obeys without hesitation, her tongue darting out to taste herself on my skin.

As she sucks my fingers into her mouth, I lean down, my lips brushing against her ear. "Good girl," I murmur, my praise sending a shiver through her body. "That taste, that is the taste of you embracing your pleasure."

I withdraw my fingers from her mouth, trailing them down her body as I move lower. Her eyes follow my movements, wide with anticipation and a hint of fear. Good. She should be afraid. But I can see the desire there too, burning just beneath the surface.

"Now," I say, my voice low and commanding, "I'm going to make you come. And when you do, I want you to sing my name, scream it. Not his.Mine. Do you understand?"

She nods, her breath coming in short, quick gasps. I plunge my tongue into her, tasting her. Her sweet honey taste makes me groan. She cries out, her hips bucking against my face as I devour her. The vines tighten their hold, keeping her spread open for me as I feast.

I glance up once more, and Lorcan's eyes are dark, hungry. His fingers twitch against the fabric of his pants, pressing harder, more insistently, and I know that he's holding himself back. Like a predator on an invisible leash. I feel his hunger like a pulse through our bond, his barely restrained desire echoing my own. I wonder if he's imagining what it would be like to join me, to take her together, to sink his teeth into her flesh. To savor the blood beneath her skin, and the hidden power it contains.

My tongue circles her clit before sucking it hard into my mouth. She moans, a sound of pure pleasure that sends a thrill through me. I alternate between gentle licks and hard suction, building her pleasure higher and higher.

Lorcan's presence looms closer, even though he remains unmoving. I feel him like a second shadow, his desire palpable, thickening the air around us. His gaze flicks to the vines wrapped tightly around her thighs and breasts, a spark of something primal lighting in his eyes. I know he's enjoying the sight—watching her bound, helpless, while I take her apart piece by piece.

Just as she's about to reach her peak, I thrust my fingers back inside her as I bite down on her clit. Her scream echoes through the chamber as she comes undone, her body convulsing violently against my mouth and hand. The vines squeeze further, holding her in place as wave after wave of pleasure crashes over her.

"Cianán!" she cries out, my name torn from her lips in a desperate plea. "Cianán, please!"

I don't relent, continuing to work her through her orgasm, pushing her higher and higher until she's sobbing with the intensity of it all. Her thighs tremble, her back arching off the bed as much as the vines will allow.

Only when I feel her start to come down do I slow my movements, gently lapping at her oversensitive flesh. She whimpers, her body twitching with aftershocks. I release the vines, letting them slither away as I move up her body. Her skin is flushed and glistening with sweat, her chest heaving as she tries to catch her breath. I hover over her, taking in the sight of her undone beneath me. I can feel Lorcan, his presence a dark, burning thing that lingers at the edges of this moment. And oh, what a sight this must be for him—a woman trembling, broken in pleasure, and me, the one who has claimed her so thoroughly.

"Look at me," I command softly.

Her eyes flutter open, still hazy with pleasure but more focused now. There's a vulnerability in her gaze that wasn't there before, a raw openness that makes something twist in my chest.

“Never forget this lesson, little songbird. He doesn’t own you anymore.” I stop short of saying the words that come to my mind. As much as I want to own her, I can’t.

Before she can respond, I allow my power to rise once again, blanketing her and pushing her back into a dreamless sleep. Her eyelids flutter closed as she succumbs to my influence, but my gaze is already on Lorcan as I do. The dark hunger in his eyes tells me everything about what will happen when he finally gets his hands on me. My hand reaches up to wrap around the base of her throat again to take her back to the cottage.

I won't be able to visit her tomorrow while preparing for the hunt. But once I’ve finished and taken whatever prey The Hunt marks back to Faerie, I will return here.To her.

It will be the only night I will be able to truly unleash myself upon her, unleash all of my dark desires that have built over the few days since meeting her. Even those desires I have kept locked inside for the last century. I will be able to cut into her delicious flesh without fear of my oath being revisited upon me in return, I will be able to savor her pain, her pleasure, her flesh and blood.

Until the sun rises again and I'll be forced back to Faerie and Lorcan's side.

And then, I will need to forget her.

Chapter 15

Mac

The residual pleasure from my dream hums in my body, but that isn’t what wakes me. At first I think it’s my own heartbeat, the pulse of my blood beating in my ears. But then I hear the faint sound of drums.

For a brief moment, I’m curious, but fatigue still has a firm hold on me. Despite the rest I’ve had these past few days, an inexplicable exhaustion tugs at my bones. I roll over, letting the gentle beat lull me back into sleep, the drums fading into the background of my mind.

When I wake again sometime around mid morning, the drums seem a little louder. I push aside the lingering curiosity, shaking off the strange pull they seem to have on me. The rhythmic beat, as soft as it is, carries a strange energy, but I'm determined to focus on finishing my forest painting today. I already slept in longer than I planned today.

Stretching, I get up, letting the cool air of the cottage wash away the remnants of sleep. I move through my morning routine—a quick shower to wake up fully and clear the haze from my mind. I put on a long light green dress then I have my breakfast as I stand by the window, watching the waves crash against the cliffs. The storm clouds from last night have moved closer, now dominating the view outside my window. Their heavy gray blankets the sky, swirling ominously, but in places, the sun still manages to peek through, casting beams of light that dance across the landscape. The rain hasn’t yet made its appearance, but I can feel the tension in the air, a charged anticipation that hints at what’s to come.

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