Page 118 of Bonds of Hate

His hand strokes soothingly down my belly. “A beta, then? Must be, since I can’t smell him on you.”

I shudder when his fingers tease at my inner thigh, subtly spreading my legs further apart, and curse myself for letting even that bit of information slip. “I guess so.”

He licks a swath of my neck as his hands rub gentle circles on my thighs. “You don’t sound sure.”

“Well, I am.”

He pushes up on his knees to settle himself between my open legs. His hand snakes over my hip, fingers teasing above my wet center without touching. My answering arch is pure instinct. “Let’s find out.”

A throb settles deep in my womb. “What are you doing?”

Instead of answering, he flattens his tongue along my slit and licks hard.

Poe groans, a rumbling sound of animalistic need as my hips thrust against his face. He locks my thighs in a bruisinggrip, keeping me exactly where he wants me as his tongue dances lightly across my flesh.

I push up on my elbows to watch him, the only part of my body I’m in control of as his hands tighten on my thighs, keeping me in place. “Poe…”

He pulls back to slide two fingers inside of me. If he’s surprised to find how ready I already am, he doesn’t let it slow him down. “Why were you alone in the hallway and not back in the harem where you belong?”

I wind my fingers into his hair, trying and failing to tug his head back down. At least I can answer this question honestly. “I got lost.”

His tongue gently flicks against my clit. “Why didn’t you ask a guard to show you the way?”

His name falls from my lips like a prayer as I arch against him. Then he lifts his head, shattering my attempt to reach the peak. It makes me want to scream.

“Because there weren’t any guards. The hallways were deserted.”

“You’re so wet. You want this so bad, don’t you Maya?” His mouth replaces his fingers. Hot and demanding, he doesn’t slow down for an instant as he pushes his tongue into the entrance of my core. “Too bad you’re so fucking stubborn.”

Tears of frustration burn the back of my throat. “What do you want me to say?”

“Who was he?” Poe demands, continuing the gentle rhythm that is enough to keep me just on the edge without falling over it. “Tell me his name. Tell me how to find him.”

“Don’t stop,” I demand. “Please don’tstop.”

His gaze is indulgent. “Good girls tell the truth. And only good girls get to come.”

“Poe,” I breathe, body lifting greedily into his mouth. “Please, just finish it.”

His answering chuckle is muffled against my skin. “No.”

“I don’t know.” The words rub against my throat and tears spring to my eyes. It takes everything I have to force coherent words out of my throat. “I can’t tell you what I don’t know!”

Fingers tighten on my thighs, hard enough to bruise. He lifts his head enough for our gazes to meet over the plains and dips of my body. For a frustrating moment, I wonder if he’s about to pull away from me altogether.

“Spoiled little princess,” he murmurs, darkness in his gaze. “Can’t deny you even when I should.”

He sets his mouth to me with clear intent, licking and stroking in a way that drives me to the edge with desperate ferocity. I come hard enough to draw a scream from my throat, pleasure driving like spikes down my spine in a way that verges on excruciating.

I collapse back on the bed, the emotional rollercoaster of the last few minutes exhausting me in a bone-deep way.

Poe stands over the bed, watching me blink rapidly in a fight to keep my eyes open. His voice drifts over me as I drift back asleep, distance enough that I could have dreamed it.

“If you won’t let me do this the easy way, then I’ll have to do it the hard way.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

MAYA

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