Page 83 of Forged in Flame and Shadow

I don’t think I’ve ever seen him like this before—his eyes closed, his face slack with pleasure. He looks completely unguarded. Completely beautiful. My nostrils fill with the musky scent of him as I focus my attention on what I can do with my tongue to rip more of those low, desperate noises from him.

His fingers tighten in my hair, and I sense I’ve brought him close to the edge. I hum as I take him as deep as I can and am rewarded with a feral groan as he hits the back of my throat. His eyes open, and he meets my gaze.

“Ana, I’m—” he begins, trying to warn me, but I grab his thigh, holding him in place as he comes. I want to experience all of this—all of him. As he climaxes, I swallow down every last drop until he sags, spent. Only then do I release my hold on him and let him pull back. Then I delicately wipe my mouth before standing and straightening my skirts.

“I just…I…” He looks at me, and I realize with shock that I’ve actually made him lost for words. I can’t help grinning as I throw myself down onto the couch, stretching out like a cat.

Leon looks at me there for a moment, his eyes still blazing, then he swiftly tucks himself back into his pants and pounces on me. His weight pins me down as he teases my neck with his lips, his hands slowly making their way southward.

“That was the sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever seen,” he murmurs against my skin.

“Glad to see you’ve found your words again,” I smirk, then gasp as his fingers slide beneath my skirt and up the inside of my thigh.

As much as I want to keep going, a twinge of guilt eats at me. We need to talk. I owe him the full truth.

“Leon,” I say, dropping my hand to stop his exploration. “There’s something else Respen said.”

He looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “You really want to talk about my grandfather when my hand is six inches from your clit?” he growls.

I sit up straighter, pushing my skirt down.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yes.”

He releases a deeply disappointed sigh and sits up too.

“We didn’t just talk about Caledon and Oclanna,” I say. “He also told me…that I should stay away from you.”

To my relief, Leon doesn’t look worried, or even surprised.

“He probably suspects you’ll go after your aunt anyway, and he doesn’t want me associated with any move you make against Trova. He wants me to behissword—not yours.”

“But isn’t that kind of the problem?” I ask, my concern mounting abouthislack of concern. “You are the King’s Sword. Doesn’t that mean you have to do what he says?”

“Technically,” he says, looking like he barely wants to admit even that much.

“Be honest with me,” I say sternly. “Precisely how much trouble will you be in if you go with me to Trova?”

“If he directly ordered me not to and I ignored him, I’d be in a lot of trouble. But there are…loopholes. My skill at finding them is part of the reason I’ve never been my grandfather’s favorite.” He smiles dangerously at me. “I’ve done what pleases me one too many times.”

“So what’s the loophole here?” I demand, still frustrated by how casual he’s being.

“My grandfather hasn’t actually ordered me to stay in Filusia yet,” he says. “So we’ll just have to leave before he does.”

I look away from him, not liking how precarious that sounds. He takes my chin in his fingers, guiding me back around to face him.

“I’m not afraid of defying my grandfather, or anyone else, to keep you safe, Ana,” he says, his voice soft as he looks into my eyes. “I promised you I’d help you with this, and I won’t turn my back on you.”

“Thank you,” I breathe.

I don’t want to drive a rift between Leon and his family, or make an enemy of Respen, but I know I can’t do this alone. I’m powerful, yes, and I know a gloam of a lot more about how to use that power now than I did two months ago. That doesn’t change the fact I’m almost completely on my own in this world of political intrigue and assassination missions I barely understand.

Respen won’t give me official allies, so I’m going to have to take them wherever I can, and it’s his own fault if that includes the grandson he’s taken for granted his whole life. Outside of Leon, there’s really no one who could help me take down Oclanna. Without him, I wouldn’t even know where to start. But actually?—

“You said we’d leave for Elmere,” I say to Leon. “Is that where you think we should target Oclanna?”

He shrugs. “If that’s where she is. It might be tricky getting into the palace, but we’ll find a way.”

“That’s exactly it,” I say. “I think I know where we might be able to find friends in Trova who can help us get access to my aunt.”

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