Page 63 of Heir of Blood and Moonlight

“What did you see in the dream?” Gavin asked, scooping a small amount of black tea leaves from a tin and dropping them into a large ceramic teapot, then turning to face me. He leaned back against the edge of the sideboard and crossed his arms over his chest.

My brow furrowed as I recalled the prophetic dream, relaying what I could remember clearly. It hadn’t faded as quickly as a normal dream, but it wasn’t crystal clear, either, making me think it might be smart to keep a dream journal.

Steam rose from the kettle’s spout by the time I finished recounting the dream. “Basically, I want to figure out if Javier and all those women are really in the same place as Thane,” I said. “Are we rescuing one person or a bunch of people? I assume that ‘he bleeds for us’ means the queens have been feeding off Javier, and now Thane too, but what did Javier mean when he said I couldn’t save them all?”

“All good questions,” Gavin said, turning away to fill the prepared teapot with boiling water. Finished, he set the teapot on a trivet on the table along with a couple of matching ceramic mugs, then pulled out the chair opposite mine. He reached for one of the books and dragged it closer to his side. “I’ll help you look for answers.”

I smiled gratefully, my gaze lingering on Gavin as he opened the book and started to read. This was the first time we had done much of anything together that didn’t involve the shedding of clothing, and I was surprised to find that I liked to be around him like this. And then I thought about what we would be doing in a few hours, naked and with two other people, and my cheeks heated.

Gavin peered at me without raising his head from his book. “Do try to concentrate.” He raised one eyebrow, the corners of his mouth tensing. “Unless you’re feelingpeckish.”

My blush flamed hotter, and I cleared my throat, refocusing on my book. “I’m fine.” I couldn’t help but glance at him.

He was still watching me, dark anticipation in his stare.

I licked my lips. “For now.”

38

“Well,” I said, sittingback in my chair and rubbing my tired eyes, not an inch closer to understanding the prophetic dream featuring Javier. “That was a huge waste of time.”

Gavin and I had skimmed through all the books selected by the ghost in the High Queen’s study, and while much of what I read was interesting and useful in a general sense—I now knew there was no “guide” to interpreting prophetic dreams and that the seer’s gut instinct was the most important factor when attempting to decode a dream—none of it made the dream’s meaning any clearer to me.

“Not entirely,” Gavin said, pushing back his chair at the opposite end of the table and standing. He started around the table, heading for me. “We know you won’t find the answers you seek in any book, but rather you must look within yourself.” He stopped beside my chair and held a hand out to me. “Come. I have an idea.”

I looked up at him, moving only my eyes, uncertain of his intentions. With him, I was beginning to suspect there wasalwaysan ulterior motive, usually a naughty one.

“I wish only to help quiet your mind so you might better listen to your gut,” Gavin assured me.

Uncertain of whatthatmeant, I placed my hand in his and scooted my chair backward before standing. Gavin curled his fingers around mine and stepped back, then turned, leading me toward the sofa arranged with two armchairs near the fireplace on the other side of the sitting room. I straightened my silk robe as best I could with one hand.

At Gavin’s direction, I sat on the sofa, then stretched out on my back on the cushions. He lifted my legs by my ankles and folded his body gracefully to sit at the far end of the couch, settling my feet on his lap.

“Close your eyes,” he said as he dragged his thumb along the arch of my foot.

I moaned, relaxing into the sofa and letting my eyelids drift shut. Gavin’s expert touch proved his fingers were skilled at drawing pleasure from other places on my body than from between my legs. “That feelsso good.”

“Good,” he said, sounding smug.

I cracked an eyelid open to peer at him discreetly. His look of deep concentration caught me off guard, and a giggle shook my chest.

Gavin froze, his thumb pressed into my heel, and he watched me warily.

“I’m sorry,” I said, attempting to stifle my amusement. “You just looked so serious.”

Gavin narrowed his eyes. “Apparently, a more direct action is required to suppress your thinking mind,” he said, scooting closer to me until my knees crossed his lap. His hands glided up my calves, over my knees, and higher.

Guessing what he intended, I squeezed my thighs together. “I doubtthatwill help me understand the dream better.”

Gripping one knee, Gavin forced my legs open and wedged his elbow against my other knee to keep me from shutting them once more. My robe gaped, revealing my most intimate parts to him.

I instinctively clapped my hands over my groin.

Gavin tutted me. “How do you know this won’t help if you haven’t tried it?” he asked, his free hand settling on the uppermost portion of my inner thigh. He teased the sensitive flesh there, making my leg muscles quiver as his fingers drew ever closer to my own hands covering my sex.

My heart beat faster, my chest rising and falling with heavier breaths. “This isn’t quieting my mind,” I told him. If anything, it was drawing me more into my head, especially with myeverythingbared to him like this while he sat there fully clothed, not a drop of blood to fuel the mind-numbing lust I had quickly grown accustomed to. “Maybe if I had some blood—”

“No,” Gavin said, tracing the crease at the top of my inner thigh with a single fingertip. “Bloodlust will consume you. We need your head clear and your mind empty.”

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