Page 46 of Bonded to the Fallen Shadow King

The world spun even more with the abruptness of the movement, and by the time I turned to track him, Thalen was standing in the doorway. His eyes twinkled, and his hand gripped the handle. He waggled his eyebrows, then jerked the door shut with a heavy click.

Wait. Was this a setup? I wasn’t sure if I should be pissed or ecstatic.

Briar sat down on the other side of the couch again and curled up with a glass that was still half full of night brandy.

I took a ragged breath.He’dpoured her that drink. She should not have anything given by another man! It was intolerable.

With an undignified grunt, I swiped the glass from her.

“Hey,” she exclaimed, trying to get it back from me.

I moved quickly toward the cabinet in the bookshelf of the left wall, sloshing some of the dark liquid over the edge. “I’ll get you something better to drink.”

Her shrill voice cut through the haze in my mind, the indignation palpable. "Thatwasmine."

I waved her off. “Yes.Was. I’ll get you another.” My gaze fell on the glass as I debated pouring the night brandy out. No—that’d be a terrible waste of excellent liquor, and being alone with her was already affecting me and it’d been mere minutes.

There was only one solution. I drained the glass in a single gulp, barely tasting it. Shaking my head, I drew in a deep breath, trying to steady my emotions, and opened the cabinet to remove the blackberry whiskey. This particular whisky was as smooth as that hourglass figure of hers, and every bit as rich.

The damn cabinet kept moving as I tried to pour her a glass. What was going on with the ground? If Terran Fae were here, the guards would’ve alerted me. Good thing I was here with her if somethingwasin the process of happening. I should get back to her and be by her side… for her protection of course.

Her perfect, full breasts looked even more delectable framed by her folded arms. They’d be so much better without being covered by all that fabric. The image of her standing nude in the arena popped into my head, furthering the problem in my trousers.

With what should have been an elegant tip of my head, I placed the glass in her hand. Her fingers wrapped around it, brushing against mine.

A strange heat and jolt spread through me. I needed to jerk back, but instead my fingers lingered. Feck it all. She was exquisite, staring right at me.

She arched a brow. “Are you going to let go?”

I dropped my hand immediately and already missed her touch, though I was a mere wing length away from her.

I needed another drink. A way to numb the effect she had on me. Staggering back to the cabinet, I started to pour one for myself.

“Do you really need another? I don’t think that’s a wise choice.”

I scowled and turned toward her. “And I don’t think I want anyone else commenting on my choices.” Silus and the councilors had already gotten on my last nerve questioning me. I didn’t need her to start as well.

She lifted her chin, and those eyes flashed bright. She placed her drink on the table and stood, coming to me.

My head spun, but this time it wasn’t from the floor—it was her. The determined set of her brows had more blood leaving my head. I couldn’t wait to see what she’d do to me. I hoped it was—

She took my drink and the bottle, and poured the dark liquid back in. Then she poured hers in as well and corked it. “And I’ve had enough people trying to control mine, to the point that I can't even go home to my family."

I stared at my empty hand, not sure if I was annoyed or amused. She pushed past me and thrust the bottle back into the cabinet.

“This could be your home, and I could be your family,” I said, my voice thick. I dragged a hand through my thick hair. How eloquent I was! Disgust at myself twisted within me. Why couldn’t I talk well tonight?

She uttered a sharp laugh, but she didn’t sound amused. “Only if Iwin, and you pick me. And let’s be honest—we know that the latter will definitely not happen, so let’s not play games.”

Silus’s words rang in my ears, and a low growl built in my chest. She started to walk away, full hips and bright copper hair swaying in tandem, taking my heart with her.

I surged forward, spun her around, and pushed her up against the wall. I held her wrist with one hand and caged her in with my other arm braced against the shelf above her head. Books, crystals, and trinkets jostled, and she stared up at me.

My breath rasped in my throat, mingling with hers. I smelled sandalwood, then her—a swirling scent of ginger, cinnamon, hazelnut, and night brandy. She was all fierce heat and defiance, glaring like she was contemplating her next sharp retort.

But I needed to talk first. "What if I don't want to let you go? I could always make my choice now. Just pick you. Say it’s you. No matter what happens, you are the one I choose.”

Her brow furrowed and her breath caught, her pulse thundering in her throat just above her collarbone. The urge to press my lips to that spot rose along with my own need. Images flashed into my mind of her in my bed, arching beneath me and pulling me closer as I held her even tighter and drove into her again and again.

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