Page 124 of Lady of Ashes

One of his hands slid across her torso until two of his ?ngers slid between her folds and began pressing tight circles to her center. Her breath caught in her throat, and she started to bring one of her hands back to loop around his neck, to feel him. Before her ?ngers had even ?nished unfurling though, his ?ngers, his entire body, stilled against her. “Do not let go,” he growled, a single thrust of his hips drawing another moan from her.

“Sorin,” she groaned.

“Say my name likethatall you like, Love, but do not let go,” he rasped, his voice near guttural as his ?ngers began moving again too, those circles faster and tighter. Everything in her was tightening, release shimmering at the base of her spine. His other hand moved to her back, pressing down and forcing her forward, her back arching and ass pressing back into him even more.

A feral growl left him when she felt him send his ?ames to brush along her shadows. Then she couldn’t breathe at all as that pleasure washed over her. Devoured her. There wasn’t room for anything but this. For them. For what they were.

He pressed down with those two ?ngers, sending her careening over the edge once more, and his name indeed fell from her lips again. His own movements became choppy and erratic, faster and somehow harder, until she felt him pulsing inside her as he found his own release.

She collapsed against the back of the sofa, and he fell forward on top of her. She could feel his heaving chest against her back. Her ?ngers were still tightly curled around the back of the sofa, and she slowly released her grip as she gulped down air.

Neither of them moved for several minutes until he peeled himself off of her with a groan. Scarlett sank down onto the cushions, rolling onto her back and pushing hair out of her face.

“I’m sleeping here tonight.”

“The fuck you are.”

“I’m too tired to walk to the bed,” she whined.

“It is times like these I ?nd it hard to believe you are Death’s Maiden,” he muttered, arms sliding beneath her back and knees. She was scooped up in a ?uid motion, her head falling against his chest.

“It’s your fault I can’t move.”

“You’re welcome, but I think it is your fault for creating the no pants dilemma.”

“Oh my gods,” she muttered. “Careful, Sorin, or your ego won’t ?t in the bed with us.”

He gently lay her on the bed as he said softly into her ear, “Aren’t you grateful to be bene?ting from all thoseexperiences?”

“I hate you,” she grumbled, rolling onto her side.

“The sounds you were making a few minutes ago would suggest otherwise,” he replied, pulling the blankets up and over her.

“I’m going to sleep now.”

“Good night, Love.”

“We were quite patient with you before, my pet.”

Scarlett was standing on the balcony of the queen’s chambers in the Black Halls staring out across the sea. But at the sound of his voice, she spun, taking a step back.

“What are you doing here?”

A slow, cruel smile spread over Mikale’s lips as he took another step towards her. “He sent me to deliver a message.”

As he advanced, she retreated until she was bumping up against the balcony railing. “I am surprised to see you still live considering I escaped you … again,” she replied, forcing herself to keep her breathing steady.

This is a dream, she reminded herself over and over.He can’t hurt me here.

Mikale ?ashed his teeth at her verbal jab before seeming to leash his temper. “I am not here to listen to your smart mouth,” he said sharply.

“Then you probably should not have come,” she retorted, her spine straightening.

His smile became one of knowing, as he came closer. “I forget how young you are sometimes,” he mused. “Always seeing things so black and white. Right and wrong.” He came to a stop directly in front of her,reaching up and twirling a strand of her hair around his ?nger. “Light and dark.”

Scarlett slapped his hand away, her hair tugging sharply at the action, and he chuckled lightly as he stepped back from her. “You will understand why I am still breathing soon enough, but as I said, I was sent to deliver a message.”

“What a good little errand boy you are,” Scarlett cooed.

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