Page 56 of Secrets & Curses of Crimson

“Yes,” I whispered as I swallowed hard. He searched my eyes like he was seeing if I was lying.

“You stayed the night?” He raised his dark brow at me.

“I didn’t have a choice. Besides, Haden said it wasn’t the first time for me.” I narrowed my eyes on him. This made him chuckle to himself. “I suppose that doesn’t surprise me.”

“Haden said you were hardly hiding with your men. Practically stomped your way to the castle. Were you trying to get caught?”

My cheeks heated, and his smile widened.

“You did want me to catch you.” He flinched as if he were in pain. I pulled back; my eyes shifted to his stomach when the drops of blood hit the floor. My eyes snapped up at him, but he looked unfazed.

“For the love of stars, Cassius, why are you flirting with me when you’re wounded?”

Grabbing his hand, I pushed him onto the bed. He looked up at me from his back. A seductive smile tugged at his lips as I lifted his shirt.

“What happened?” I traced the large gash in his side, and he winced in pain.

“I was ambushed. A soldier got a good swing with his sword,” he groaned. His head fell back, and his eyes squeezed shut.

“Shh. It’s okay; I’ll fix it.”

I put my hands on his wound and concentrated until the glow of red and orange transferred from me to him. Cassius watched me in awe. I glanced up at him as my fingers brushed against his warm skin. There was no reason to be touching him still, so why was I not removing my hands? Cassius watched me closely as I moved my hands over his warm skin. I couldn’t stop myself, and he didn’t seem to mind either.

“Do you feel better?” Iwhispered.

“Much better,” he whispered back. He swallowed hard as I shifted on my knees so I could see his face better. “I think I have another wound right here.” He pointed to his upper chest, and I smirked to myself as I lifted his shirt. Cassius sat up and lifted his arms so I could pull his shirt off. His face was just a few inches from mine as he smiled.

He lay back down and watched me as I inspected him for wounds we both knew he didn’t have. But I used this excuse to run my hands over his smooth skin. He hummed in appreciation as I explored.

“It’s kind of hard to see from where I’m at.” I lied as I straddled his hips. Cassius’ shadows burst from him and around us in a flash. They caressed me like they had missed me. His hands ran up my thighs and rested on my hips. I glanced at the tattoos covering him. There was a ‘T’ above his heart with a viper coiled around it. I traced the letter before moving down to the red viper coiled around his arm.

Cassius’ breathing was shallow as he watched me move toward the crown tattoo on his forearm. It looked like mine. Something about this mark on his skin made desire course through me. Fuck, what was wrong with me? It was just a crown tattoo. He called it our bond, but what kind of bond?

“Are you hurt?” he asked. “Maybe I should take a look.”

I smiled as he tugged my Cerithia uniform off of me and tossed it to the floor. His hands rubbed against my skin slowly. Cassius sat up so our faces were close again, but this time his mouth claimed mine. Our tongues tangled as our hips rubbed against each other at an unbearable pace.

“Tell me you missed me,” he begged.

“I missed you,” I confessed.

Cassius turned us so I was pinned beneath him. His black eyes traced over me slowly, and that feeling of longing zapped up my arm again.

“I missed you too.” He smiled as he pulled my pants from me. I should feel self-conscious as I lay naked in front of a man that I couldn’t remember, but he looked at me like I was better than anything he had ever seen.

His rough hands ran over my thighs as he knelt on the floor. Cassius spread my legs and kissed the inside of my thighs. I couldn’t look away as he softly bit my flesh, making my fire magic burst from me.

Cassius smiled at me as his hot mouth clamped around me. I moaned loudly into the quiet air. Cassius hummed as noises fell from me. He wrapped his arms around my thighs and pulled me up to his face so he could devour me. His tongue licked slowly before flicking across my clit. Then he sucked me into his mouth. I watched every move he made propped up on my elbows.

Cassius acted like a starved man who just found the best meal of his life. I moaned loudly as I grabbed his hair in my hands.

“Fuck, Cassius.”

He pulled his mouth away and slipped two fingers inside of me. His thumb rubbing me perfectly.

“Gods, I’ve missed the way you sound, Thea,” he whispered. “I’ve missed watching you come apart in front of me.”

Gods, I knew we had done this before, but my mind was too filled with pleasure to think about it.

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