Page 76 of What Is Dark Within Me

She could have been driven over the edge herself by those words alone. Her inner thighs were damp, her core aching. Aleja managed a nod, trying to take him in deeper, to show him she was as desperate for this as he was.

She didn’t expect his thrust, but it was controlled, pushing her to the edge of what she could handle. Her nails dug into his hip, in what she hoped communicated thatyes, please, she needed this.

His hand tightened around her hair, and then… he fell apart. The first taste of his seed in her mouth was surprising—not unpleasant, and sweeter than she’d expected. It was easy to draw him deeper.

“Aleja,” he groaned. It sounded like a prayer. Like a word from a long-forgotten language of a long-forgotten world, something sacred. Dark and sometimes bloody. Something for those who preferred the night and its jagged ruins, its endlessly black forest—the places that frightened everyone else.

Aleja closed her eyes, breathing him in, swallowing until there was another gentle tug on her hair. Nicolas sunk to the ground and captured her mouth in another kiss.

“We were always on the verge of destroying each other,” he whispered. Their breaths mingled until she couldn’t tell whether she was inhaling or exhaling. “And yet, I can’t stay away, even now.”

“So, finish the job.Destroy me,” she said.

His cock was still hard as he pushed her back, her legs falling open. Aleja was glad for the loose training clothes. It took just a few tugs before her trousers were pooled around one ankle and she was exposed to the cool air.

He bit the shallow curve of her neck hard enough to make her gasp. She understood what he was after when he lifted her shirt and undergarments, taking each of her nipples in his mouth for a moment before trailing lower, past her belly button, and toward the tuft of hair between her legs.

Aleja’s back arched at the fist swipe of his tongue against her folds. One of his hands slid under her, forcing her hips to tilt toward his face for better access. He gave a low groan of pleasure, the vibration of it sending a shockwave through her abdomen.

She knew she was going to come embarrassingly fast when he lapped his tongue against her. Her toes curled as her hands shot out for something to latch onto, but there was nothing but the cold marble floor and Nicolas’s soft hair.

“Nic? Aleja? You two up here?”

Bonnie. Fuck. She rarely stepped foot in the palace.

“Nic!” Aleja gasped when he didn’t bother to lift his head.

“Don’t worry. The palace probably won’t lead her here,” he muttered.

“What if it’s important?”

“More important than this?” he asked, ending his question with a gentle suck on her clit. She squirmed against his free hand, but he seemed to understand her point and lifted his head. “Fine, but I owe you, and I never leave a debt unfulfilled.”

Nicolas slid off her, and she immediately missed the absence of his weight. Aleja knew she smelled of sex, that her hair was mussed, and Nicolas’s cheeks were flushed from the heat between her legs. She yanked her trousers up as he stood and unhurriedly searched for his pants.

The smile he gave her was soft, happy, and fleeting; gone just as Bonnie barged into the chamber—a streak of flour smeared on her cheek, matching the dusting on her apron. The scent of bread clung to her hair, which was gathered in a messy bun at the top of her head.

“My, this building is getting temperamental. Why are you sitting on the floor, Aleja? Nic, give the poor thing a chair.”

“She was admiring the statue from a different angle. What is it, Bonnie?” Nicolas said. His voice seemed as nonchalant as ever, and Aleja wondered if she was the only one who could hear the undercurrent of frustration. She struggled to her feet, realizing too late that her legs were still wobbly.

“By the Second, you’d think you two were just gossiping about me. Garm came over to steal food. He said you’re leaving soon but wouldn’t breathe a word why.”

Good dog, said the voice in Aleja’s head.

“I—oh, this is awkward,” Bonnie began, as she pulled a box out of her apron’s pocket. “Aleja… the old Aleja left this on my doorstep the evening before she disappeared. It came with a note that has long since crumbled to dust, but it read:You’ll know when to give this back to me. I figured if you’re leaving…”

“What is it?” Aleja asked, examining the object. It was no larger than a ring box, and her first instinct was to catch Nicolas’s eye, but he shrugged. Small rubies embedded in gold shone as she turned the box over in her hand. It was solid, aside from an impossibly small keyhole.

“I have no idea,” Bonnie said. “It didn’t come with a key. Sorry, Aleja. One more mystery for you.”

“It’s okay. Thanks for giving it to me,” Aleja told her.

The woman in the locked door inside her said nothing, but Aleja swore she felt something settle into place.

* * *

“You should say your goodbyes.We’ll be leaving first thing tomorrow,” Nicolas said, kissing Aleja’s temple after guiding her back to her room.

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