Page 49 of Taken By The Dark Three
That name hits me like a punch. “Vaelith has no claim on me. I owe him nothing. Especially not my fidelity, if that’s what you’re implying.” A low growl escapes me. “Besides, if he chooses to stake me as his property, he can watch me prove otherwise.”
Eryx’s eyes glint. “So you want to provoke him? Make him see you’re beyond his grasp?”
Maybe that’s part of it. Another part is simply this craving that’s built between Eryx and me, two conspirators ready to devour each other. My mind warns me this is reckless. But my blood hums with the thrill of it. I recall the orchard, how each stolen moment with him felt electric. Now, in this abandoned safehouse, the tension is amplified. I feel a savage hunger to claim him before we seal our sabotage pact.
I let a daring smirk curl my lips. “Yes, I do. I want him to know he’s not the only man in my orbit. And I want you to remember who holds the reins. If we’re going down this path, I decide when and how.”
He laughs under his breath, stepping forward until I feel the heat of his body. “You’re the purna who’s carved a place in Orthani’s fortress. I’d be disappointed if you didn’t try to dominate me, too.”
My stomach flips. Without another word, I fist the front of his tunic, yanking him close. The tension that’s been building ignites. Our mouths crash together with fierce hunger, teeth and tongues clashing in an unrefined dance. He groans into me, arms circling my waist, but I push him against the dusty wall, pinning him with a savage grin.
“Careful,” he murmurs against my lips, eyes bright with mischief. “I might enjoy it too much.”
“Then enjoy,” I hiss, pressing my body along his. The friction of cloth and leather ignites sparks in my veins. My mind reels with conflicting needs—anger at the Red Purna, longing for a fleeting release. This man is both danger and ally, a liar I can’t fully trust, yet I crave the taste of his cunning.
He cups my face, dragging me into another bruising kiss. We devour each other’s breath, hands roaming with unrestrained greed. My heart pounds so loud that I barely notice the creaking of the floor or the muffled wind outside. Everything narrows to this moment, my blood sizzling, my control straining. Eryx’schaos-laced aura skims my senses, swirling in a dance that merges with my own arcane pulses.
I break away, panting, locking eyes with him. “Don’t think this means I won’t cut your throat if you betray me.”
He smirks, voice thick with lust. “Likewise, little savage.”
A hunger-laced laugh escapes me. I tear at the belts cinching his tunic, slipping them free. He leans in, teeth grazing the side of my neck, enough to send a shiver of anticipation through me. “Keep your teeth in check,” I murmur, though my own body arches closer, contradicting the warning.
He traces a path across my collarbone with his mouth, each brush sending pulses of desire. The safehouse’s stale air grows heady with our mingled warmth. My hands slide under his tunic, feeling the lean muscle beneath. He hisses at the contact, hips pressing forward. The tension between us surges.
I recall Vaelith’s intense gaze, how he tries to claim me in his own violent way. A flicker of satisfaction courses through me, picturing him if he knew what I do now. Let him realize I’m never bound to one man’s leash. If he’s watching from the shadows, as he so often lurks, then let him burn with jealousy. The notion spurs me to clutch Eryx tighter, a savage grin curving my lips.
Our bodies mesh with frantic urgency. He deftly unlatches parts of my gear, sliding his hands around my waist. My breath hitches as he lifts me, pinning me to the wall. A husky sound rumbles from his throat. “You’re trouble incarnate,” he murmurs, kissing me in a wave of rough hunger.
“Then we’re well-matched,” I reply, hooking my legs around his hips. My entire being throbs with the release of tension. The dusty walls of the safehouse fade away, replaced by the single flame of our shared chaos.
His mouth descends to my neck, lips and teeth forging a heady blend of pain and pleasure that sends jolts through me.I bury my fingers in his hair, clutching him closer. Our breath mingles, each exhalation laced with our mutual craving.
He slides his hand down, fumbling with the fastenings of my trousers. I let out a strained laugh, twisting my hips so he can tear them aside. The sense of danger crackles, an unstoppable fuse. At any moment, guards might discover us, or Vaelith might sense betrayal. But that risk only sharpens the edge of our passion.
We collide again, mouth to mouth, body to body. My nails rake across his shoulders, drawing groans from him. He braces me, pressing me harder against the wall. Heat floods my core, an insistent ache coiling in my belly. Our tongues tangle, each of us refusing to yield control. I love how he tries to match me, as if we’re equals in this swirling madness.
Without warning, he lets out a guttural sound, lowering me onto a broken table near the center of the room. The wood creaks in protest. “This might not hold,” he warns through clenched teeth.
I clamp my thighs around him, a smirk forming. “Then we’ll break it.”
The next moments blur: the table groaning, my back arching, the faint sensation of splinters under my palms. Our motions are frenzied, each thrust an unleashing of pent-up rage and lust. I bite back a moan, determined not to seem vulnerable. He seizes my jaw, kissing me with bruising ferocity. The dusty air swirls around us. My heart pounds so violently it feels like it might burst.
We find a brutal rhythm, my magic skimming the edges of chaos. His breath catches in ragged gasps. I watch his eyes, enthralled by how they darken with each shared pulse. My nails dig into his flesh, marking him. If Vaelith has any illusions about owning me, let him see I have other alliances. If Zareth thinks he can break my mind, let him see I can forge stronger bonds.If Eryx imagines I’m just a tool, I’ll remind him I’m the one orchestrating this.
Time slips away, replaced by the crescendo of our release. With a low, strangled groan, he tips me over the edge into a wave of pleasure that steals my breath. I bury my face against his shoulder, muffling my cry, trembling with the aftermath. He follows, muscles rigid, exhaling a savage hiss. The table cracks ominously beneath us, but mercifully holds. We remain locked in that moment, hearts hammering in sync.
At last, he eases off, both of us panting, sweat shining on our skin in the candle’s faint glow. My mind reels with endorphins, but I force myself to remain alert. Aftershocks of pleasure coil in my limbs, a reminder of how dangerously we feed each other’s hunger.
He leans his forehead against mine, breathing ragged. “Gods, you’re… unstoppable,” he manages between breaths.
I bark a low laugh, sated but still defiant. “And don’t forget it.” I shift, feeling the protesting creak of the table. My clothes hang half undone, I’m coated in dust, but adrenaline hums, sweet and potent.
A flicker of motion near the doorway catches my eye. My head snaps around, heart pounding. For a split second, I glimpse a silhouette: tall, broad-shouldered, a faint reflection of torchlight on obsidian skin. Vaelith. He stands in the corridor’s gloom, half obscured by shadows, presumably having followed me. A jolt of savage satisfaction wrenches through me. He found me in the arms of his rival conspirator. I see the tension in his posture, the clenched fists. Jealousy, fury… it’s all there. My chest twists with triumphant cruelty.
I lock eyes with that silhouette for a razor-edged moment, letting him see how thoroughly I’ve claimed Eryx in this fleeting act. Then, as if on cue, Vaelith disappears into the darkness, swallowing any confrontation. My heart races, mind ablaze withthe knowledge that he witnessed us, that I hold yet another blade in this war.
Eryx frowns, noticing my sudden distraction. “What is it?”
