Page 47 of The Princess's Chosen

"You. I want to claim you," I breathed, the words coming without thought.

He chuckled. "Claim me? Is that how it works with the others? I will be different, you know that."

My head thunked against the door, and I blinked at him, trying to clear away the haze. "You will be mine, Aric. I won't share." He frowned at that, and an amendment occurred to me. "Outside of Charlotte, that is."

His eyes narrowed and his head tipped. "Cosmo?" I nodded, and he sighed. "I love her."

I relaxed, and his hands slid under my thighs to help support me. "I know," I said, leaning and kissing his lips. He answered the touch softly, sipping lightly, licking the flavor of us both from my mouth.

"I will have to be in Rumsbrooke sometimes. This is still my home. And my priority will always be—"

"Aric, I'm not asking you toobeyme, and I'm not trying to conquer you," I said gently, kissing his chin. "Your priority will be to our people, as mine is, and your perspective from these streets is why I need you in my court."

"And what piece of you will I own, hm?" he asked, pressing in, grinding against me as he sucked on my earlobe. "Will you obeyme?"

I sucked a breath and moaned as his kisses on my throat grew rough and claiming. "You will have to share," I breathed, trying to rock against him even as he held me firmly to the door. "My body and heart, at least. You may have…some obedience."

"Some? Very well. Hold onto the ledge, princess," he said, humming as I raised my hands above my head until I found the top of the door jamb and gripped it. "Good girl. You want this now? While the others wait downstairs?"

I thought of my Chosen in the bar below. Not one of them would be surprised by some reconciliation between Aric and I, not even Thao who had admitted he was already begrudgingly prepared for this inevitable union. Maybe it would be better to wait, to speak to them first or to settle my place as King of Thieves, but I had Aric now and I was terrified of letting him slip through my fingers.

"Will you…will you come back to the palace with us tonight? After everything?" I asked.

"Mm, yes," Aric sucked on the muscle of my shoulder and then released it with an audiblepop! "I can spare a few days away at a time. You'll have to come and go more often too now. Would you rather wait until you have your pretty bed?"

I sighed. I had all the confirmation I needed. Aric wasn't talking about fucking me now and seeing me later. I squeezed my legs around his hips and smiled at his grunt, hissing at the burn of my thighs and the press of him against my core.

"I want you now, with everyone downstairs," I said, rocking against him, smiling at the way his eyes hooded and darkened, a predator's stare.

Aric growled, his fingers digging into my flesh under the drape of my skirt. "If you're too loud, they'll hear you," he said, and then his mouth took mine in a ferocious, claiming kiss. He braced me with one arm under my hips, his free hand fitting between us, two fingers sliding up and down over the lips of my sex, dipping into my opening. "Mm, nice and wet, princess."

I moaned, ignoring his warning about my volume—which seemed more like an invitation anyway—and Aric laughed, a warm and happy sound, sliding his fingers into me and grunting as I squeezed on them.

"You can tease me later, Aric. I want your cock inside me," I gasped.

"Hunger?" he asked, voice tight as he twisted his touch inside me.

I blinked and realized thatno, it wasn't the Hunger. My magic was there, present, certainly, but it wasn't driving me. We were of like minds, the Hunger and I. Aric was ours, and he needed to be tasted.

"Iwant you," I said, nuzzling him, scratching my cheek on the scruff of his jaw.

He huffed as I nipped along his jaw, stretching until my arms pulled. His hand pulled free of me and jostled between us, and I decided that I'd only promised himsomeobedience. I dropped to my feet, ignoring his growl of protest, and spun us in place, putting his back to the door before dropping to my knees.

"Bryony," he growled, but his hands didn't stop me as I pushed them away, finishing the work of unbuttoning his pants and pulling them down his hips enough for his cock to bob free. He was only starting to get hard but he jumped against my palm as I gripped him, and the door rattled as Aric's head fell back.

"I'll be good in a minute," I said, taking his cock in hand, working his shaft gently.

"Fuck," Aric breathed. "Fuck, your breath even…"

My breath was rushing over the head of his cock. He wasn't especially large, like Wendell or Owen, which made my plan more manageable. I looked up just in time for Aric's head to fall back forward, his eyes wide as he watched me lean in and suck on the head of him. He tasted clean and a little soapy, and he was the loud one as I licked him from tip to base, feeling him grow and stiffen with every tiny touch, until his pulse was thrumming against my palm. I sucked him hard on the next pass, flicking my tongue back and forth on the underside of the head, bitter fluid seeping quickly to my tongue.

"Enough!" Aric groaned. "I swear it hadn't felt that long till you took me in hand. Standup, Bryony!"

I'd thrust him to the back of my throat, made his cock twitch in my mouth when he gave the command, and I pulled free grinning. He was properly hard now, his smile flashing even as he growled and grabbed my arm.

He dragged me to the closest flat surface as I giggled, spinning me away from him and then forcing me to bend over his work table, my breasts smashed and my nose full of the smell of parchment and ink.

"You're a bit of a brat, but I suppose I knew that already," Aric muttered at my back, and I gasped as he threw my skirt up over my back, exposing my ass to the air.

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