Page 123 of Of Rime and Ruin
My heart squeezes tighter still, and I wonder if tonight will be the night it finally explodes. How ironic, that the female I’ve kept prisoner would be the one to captivate me so entirely.
As I watch her turn, I play out the future in my mind, where she and I spend many eventides on this dance floor, in this room. Nahla, seated next to me in a matching fur-lined throne. Nahla, answering the requests of my people with exceptional grace and kindness. The leader they’ve been craving for years. The leader I’ll never be able to give them. Except if…
Queen Nahlani of Frost.A chill runs the length of my spine. Yes. That’s what I want. Behind her, my throne hides in shadow, and I’m inclined to pick her up right now and see how good she looks on it.
Nahla twirls into my embrace, and we resume the beat effortlessly. “You’re good at this,” she says, dipping her head as her cheeks turn pink.
I shrug, even as my stomach roils with nerves. “Were you expecting me not to be?”
“What a cocky thing to say.” Her lips curl in a coy smile.
“But you like me this way,” I counter. My hand splays across her back, pulling her closer still. Her breasts touch my chest, skin warm with a fresh blush.
She peers at me. “Yes,” she whispers. Her hand slides up my arm to rest on my neck, warm fingertips pressing lightly into my dormant gills. “Yes, I do.”
I swallow against the pressure of her touch. “That’s good news. I wasn’t sure for a moment.”
“Aethan,” she says, and her gaze softens. “I’m fine. You didn’t hurt me. Not like that.”
The Beast’s memory floats in, uninvited, and I’m forced to watch the replay of my abuse. The tearing of her soft skin between my claws.
I slow us to a sway, and the violinist transitions into a somber ballad. New music swells around us, matching the melancholy in my heart.Fuck, I’ll never be worthy of her. Never.
“Nahla.” As I cup her face in my hand, my thumb brushes the crest of her cheek. “Nahla, I’m—”
She leans into my touch. “I understand why you did it, but please, next time don’t shut me out, okay? Let me help you.”
But she can’t understand, not until she knows the full truth. I search her eyes, checking for a hint of terror and finding none—she doesn’t know I’m a murderer. And she never will.
Relief lifts my stomach for a moment. I still have time to fix everything. Tonight is for her—we’ll dance and kiss and fuck, and I’ll grovel at her feet until she sickens of me—and then tomorrow I’ll go to Lucas. I’ll endure the pain, and I’ll get thefucking job done, for Nahla. For my kingdom. It’s the only way I can ensure their future is safe.
“There won’t be a next time, Nahla.” My jaw flexes. “I’m going to fix it. I promise I’ll try to deserve you.”
“You won’t have to try too hard.” She gazes at me with warm, trusting eyes. Her kissable lips part to reveal the soft glint of her teeth.
Dipping my head, I capture her mouth. The room fades away as I lose myself in her taste, her touch, and her tongue. Her fingers slide up my face, clasping around my neck and deepening the kiss with a desperate whimper.
Our tongues clash together. Every gasp, every shiver—I claim them all. Fuck, she’s perfect. I clutch her to my chest as my hands explore her waist, her hips,that ass. We mold together, two pieces of a whole.
Her dress is fantastically tight tonight, a delicious slit running the length of her thigh. Tempting me. I hook my hand beneath her knee. She gasps, breaking our kiss.
I waste no time. With a firm grip, I sling her over my shoulder and saunter into the shadows.
“Leave us,” I growl from the side of my mouth. The music stops, and the violinist ducks his head and hurries for the exit. Not that I’d mind an audience, but Nahla would, and I am nothing if not bound to please her.
She drops into my throne with a squeal and looks at me with wide, excited eyes. Fucking adorable. My cock hardens, pressing uncomfortably against my pants, but it’ll have to wait.
I have a higher purpose in mind.
“Spread your legs, Sunfish.”
She obeys wordlessly. Her gaze locks on mine as she pulls the dress higher, tortuously slow, and the slit in the fabric parts over her thighs. My pulse thunders in anticipation. I buckle before her and drop into a kneel. She deserves all the worship I cangive her—Nahlani, the queen of my fucking heart. I trail my nose along her thigh, inhaling the scent of her arousal as I nuzzle closer to her center.
“Oh gods,” she whispers. Her fingers twine into my hair. “Aethan.”
A flash of foreign emotion brushes my mind: desperate, aching lust.
She’s ready for me. With a grin, I shove her knees wider, revealing her sex.
