Page 69 of Wrath of the Oracle

It was a hungry kiss, full of passion long denied. Sholei clung to his strong shoulders. He pulled her hips against his as his tongue took her mouth with quick, explosive thrusts. His hands roamed her back and settled at the back of her neck. Ojore held her the way he wanted to. Sholei didn’t have time to react as he pulled her closer, and his chest rubbed deliciously against her. She moaned despite herself and tried to draw air into her starved lungs. Sholei was unprepared for feelings so intense they took her breath away.

A sudden cough from the direction of the door brought Sholei back to her senses. She broke away, but Ojore held her firmly in his arms. Heat rushed up her neck as she tried to stand, yet Ojore’s grip remained unyielding.

“Out, Akima,” Ojore ordered his second-in-command without turning in his direction. Akima turned on his heels and left. Sholei imagined his frown at her, disapproving of her further.

Sholei tried to get away, but Ojore pulled her closer until only a breath of air separated them. She was amazed at how, even without his sight, he managed full command of the situation, including her. The raw power he oozed hadn’t weakened at all.

“I told you, witch, no matter how far you run, I will always get you.” He caressed her cheek with his thumb, and Sholei swallowed her words. “I will follow you to the ends of the world if necessary.”

“Ojore,” she breathed.How could such dangerous words turn her on?

“The only way I will release you is if you return what you stole from me.” He nuzzled her neck with his nose, and she craned her head to grant him more access. She couldn’t comprehend what came over her and allowed herself to yield to his will. It was as if she were under his spell.

“What is that?” she managed to ask.

“My heart, Sholei. You stole my heart,” he confessed. It shattered her. Tears burned behind her eyes, and a single tear escaped down her cheek. She wiped it away with the back of her hand.

“It was wrong to poison you,” she admitted her guilt.

“I forced you to make that decision. You cannot bear the full blame.” He wiped her tears away with his knuckles. “Besides, I knew of your intentions long before you acted on them.”

“How?” Sholei cleared her throat. Sholei expected a lot when coming clean about her actions to Ojore: reproach and punishment, but not scorching kisses and whatever he was admitting to.

“Your skills in medicine do not translate to nefarious scheming. I noticed your change when I mentioned eliminating your friend.” Ojore wrapped his arms across her waist. He leaned his head into her neck and placed an open-mouth kiss on the sensitive skin behind her ear.

“That was why our path was clear for us to escape. You had already set everything up,” Sholei breathed. His wet kisses wreaked havoc on her senses.

“Even though it was difficult, I had to let you go. I figured I could always get you back.” Ojore continued his assault, his hand probing the hem of her shirt. Sholei swallowed back a moan when his calloused fingers contacted her skin. She leaned further into his touch.

“What if you died from the poisoning?” she asked, her breaths coming out scattered.

“I took a gamble, and it paid off.” Ojore’s teeth grazed her skin as his firm hands skimmed her stomach and drew closer to her aching breasts, heavy and yearning for his touch. Her mind tried to cling to sanity, but it was proving difficult.

When his hand clamped on her heaving breast, a moan escaped her throat. His lips found hers again, and he swallowed her whimpers. Feverish heat swept through her as Ojore’s other hand pulled her close enough that she could feel the evidence of his arousal pressed against her thigh. When they both came up for air, Ojore grippedthe back of her neck and leaned his forehead on hers. His gaze bore into hers.

“I have been dreaming of kissing you for the longest time.” He breathed and closed his eyes. When they snapped open, they returned to their usual warm brown color.

”Everything went according to your plan?” Sholei asked after her pulse slowed. Sholei didn’t know whether to be amazed or offended by his scheming. Ojore seemed to be one step ahead of her every time. He intertwined his fingers with hers and settled his head on her shoulder, releasing a deep sigh.

“That was the only way I could appease my soldiers and you,” came his candid confession. “Letting Tula go free after what she did would cause a mutiny among my ranks. With all the deaths in the camp, the soldiers’ morale was low, and the Keseve Market was under threat again. I had to come up with a quick decision. Seeing that you were planning to poison me, I seized the opportunity.”

“You truly live up to your name, general.” Sholei smiled at his brilliance despite herself. Ojore twisted her plans to work for him.

“Are you offended by my decisions?” Ojore drew his eyebrows together, a vulnerability in his voice.Did her thoughts about his actions matter to him? Would he have taken a different approach if she objected?

“I wish you told me beforehand. I wouldn’t have resorted to harming you.”If she knew of his plans, would she have gone through with hers?

“So, you regret poisoning me?” He brought her fingers to his lips, and Sholei was reminded of how she fed him poison with the same fingers. He kissed her knuckles.

“It went against everything in me to do it,” Sholei confessed. “I couldn’t see another way out.”

“We are even now. Just promise me no more poisons. I have my fill.” Ojore bumped their noses together. “I wouldn’t wish to be your enemy. You are lethal.”

Those words struck Sholei. While he spoke in a light manner, she took his words to heart. If what Musembi said was true, they posed a threat to each other. Did he know about Lord Keita? His destiny? Being held in his arms, Sholei couldn’t imagine him killing her.Didn’t he hunt you down in Lake Alokove? You thought you escaped only to end up in his trap again, another voice inside her head chimed in, and she shook it off.

As for his plans, Sholei understood Ojore’s reasons. As a leader in the army, he was forced to decide between her and thousands of men under him. Tula’s poisoning caused the deaths of many of his soldiers, and she should have been punished for that crime.

“It must have been a hard decision for you to make.” Sholei glanced at their entwined fingers and examined his large palms, long fingers, and short nails.Very collected and put together, just like his plans.

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