Page 97 of Rogue Elves of Ardani

He lifted his head long enough to say simply, “Yes.”

Her feet had hooked around his back, trying to pull him closer. “I didn’t figure you for the type.”

He raised his head again, frowning. “Why not?”

She took a deep breath as his mouth grazed her. “You seemed like a bit of a selfish bastard, that’s all.”

“Most of the women I’ve serviced didn’t talk this much during it,” he commented.

“Most of the men I’ve been serviced by weren’t this rude during it,” she replied.

He dragged his tongue firmly up the middle of her. She moaned, throwing her head back. Vaara smirked as he licked her again, softly this time. She dropped her head to the bed and finally stopped talking. Her legs flexed against him with each movement of his tongue.

One of her hands clenched on the blanket beneath them as the other weaved into his hair. His fingers dug into her hips as she made soft, rhythmic gasps and moans.

It was bliss. He could have stayed there for days. Her mind was leaking into his again, and her pleasure was seeping into him as her fingers knotted in his hair.

All at once, her thighs clenched against either side of his head, covering his ears, and her moans were muffled as she writhed and bucked under him. He waited patiently for her to finish riding the waves of her climax.

She released him, sagging against the bed. “Gods,” she breathed. She paused, then propped herself up on her elbows to peer down at him uncertainly. He was sure he wore a similar expression.

A threshold had been passed. A barrier was broken. This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment mistake like the last time they’d done it. This had been intentional and deliberate. And he wanted to do it again. Maybe hewoulddo it again.

He continued to brush and knead his fingers against her hip, finding comfort in the soft warmth and give of her naked skin. “What do we do now?” he asked.

She gave him a sly look. “Do you not know what to do next? You seemed like you knew what you were doing up until now.”

He rested his cheek against her thigh. “What do we do after I agree to get out of bed and leave this room?” he clarified.

She tucked a loose hair behind one of her oddly blunt ears—possibly the only part of her that he’d ever found unattractive. Now, though, as he looked at them, he had a hard time being bothered by them. They were almost… cute.

“You should go back to Kuda Varai,” she said.

He lifted his head, frowning. “What?”

She glanced away. “I’ve spoken to Aruna and his human friend. They said they would escort you back. You’ll be safe with them while I look for a way to remove your binding. Once you make it to Kuda Varai, Alexei won’t be able to follow you anymore.”

“You’ve been speaking to them about what you’re going to do with me? Without my input? Is my opinion not relevant?”

She gave him a small smile. “You’ve been up here a long time. We weren’t going to wait around forever.”

“And if I don’t want to go back to Kuda Varai just yet?”

She could make him do it, with a command. They both knew it. Maybe she wouldn’t be above forcing him, if she thought it was for his own good.

“Whatdoyou want?” she asked.

His hands tightened on her. He knew what he wanted. He’d wanted it since he’d first arrived at that prison. He looked at the sword propped against the wall beside the door. Suddenly, all the doubt had gone from his mind.

“I want to kill Alexei.”

Chapter 27

Vaara strode down the stairs, running a hand over his hair, which he had put a single small braid into—on a whim, for no real reason. Crow’s Kuda Varai scarf was around his neck.

It was still early in the evening, and the bar was empty except for a few groggy-looking Varai at a table in the corner. Them, and the staff, who were fixing up the place before their other patrons would arrive that evening. One was sweeping while another stood on a ladder, changing out candles on a chandelier.

A human mage stood near the door, casting something that made a line of runes on the door glow bright. It was not the same mage who’d temporarily broken his binding several days earlier. This was an older woman Vaara hadn’t seen before. He squinted at her. He could taste the magic from where he stood across the room.

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