Page 376 of Heat of the Everflame

For a long moment, neither of us moved, both caught in the other’s stare. At long last, there was nothing standing between us. No betrothals, no secrets, no incurable poisons. No wine to sleep off, no bodies to heal. No family members sleeping inches away.

Not even clothes.

Only the ever-present specter of the looming war—but I was determined not to let that rob us of whatever happiness we could still find.

He stalked toward me, forcing me to yield until the mist hit my back. “Get in the water,” he demanded gruffly.

I frowned. “What about you?”

Desire smoldered in his gaze. “I want to watch.”

I eased beneath the water’s flow, breathing out a sigh as a thousand droplets slicked over my skin. The scalding water did wonders for the sore muscles and stiff joints that had become a constant as of late.

“By the Undying Fire,” I mumbled, rolling my neck. “Tell Doriel we’re moving in. I’m never leaving.”

“After today, I think they might let you.”

He slowly backed away and leaned against the washroom wall, watching from under hooded eyes. A mischievous fire simmered in my blood. If my Prince wanted a show, who was I to deny him?

My head dropped back as I ran my hands through my hair, moaning with pleasure at the warmth coating my scalp. The dried blood from the battle streamed down my body in rivulets of red.

Luther’s throat worked.

“Soaps.” He jerked his chin. “There.”

I bit back my smile at seeing him reduced to single syllables. I thrilled at this game we played in private—his insistence on taking control, even though we both knew he was always at my mercy.

It was our game of cat and mouse—but both of us were lions.

“Wash yourself,” he ordered.

“Yes, sir,” I said, my tone taunting. I tipped a bottle into my hands, then let my palms glide along my body, lathering thesweet-smelling liquid over my skin. I started at my shoulders, then dropped my hands to caress my breasts.

A deep sound rumbled from his throat.

My eyes fell closed, and I gave myself over to the moment—the cleansing rainfall, the fragrant soaps, the exhilaration of knowing Luther was watching my every move. I skimmed over every curve, glad for the chance to pamper my body after the hell I’d put it through.

For a long time after discovering I was Descended, I’d felt like a stranger inhabiting someone else’s skin. It had felt as if, overnight, my flesh was stronger, my bones harder, my blood magic-infused, yet it hadn’t felt likemine. I’d wanted to shed it all, to let the Descended slough off and reveal the breakable, unremarkable mortal I was certain lay underneath.

That began to change at the Challenging. I’d had to accept myself, as a Queen and a Descended, to take control of my magic. Ever since, the more I learned about who I was and what I could do, the more I felt at home in my own skin. My body felt less like a costume and more like a weapon—one I could wield to accomplish whatever I wanted.

And right now, its targets were set on Luther Corbois.

My palm swept over my ribs and down the slope of my hips. His quiet grunt drew my eyes back to him. He’d taken his cock in his hand, pumping in long, slow strokes.

I bent my head out of the water. “I can do that for you if you come a little closer.”

His muscles twitched at his forced restraint. “Do it to yourself. Touch yourself the way you want me to touch you.”

I leaned back against the tile. My hand grazed below my navel and slipped between my thighs. My eyes stayed on his hand, watching the way he worked himself as he drank me in. I moved my fingers in time with his movements, languid at first—indulgent, relaxed, savoring the thrill of each other’s attention.

Then faster. More demanding.

Each quiet grunt from him drew a breathy, greedy moan from me. His forceful pumps had me aching to have something more between my legs.

I could barely feel the water over the heat building low in my belly. His muscles tightened, my back arched, both of us barreling toward release.

“Luther,” I gasped, my voice drowning in a cascade of water and ecstasy.

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