Page 68 of Slaying the Shadow Prince
‘This is amazing,’ she said between mouthfuls. ‘Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome.’ He took a sip of his wine. ‘This isn’t half bad either…’
‘Half bad? It’s amazing. I think the label says it’s from beyond the Veil?’
Talemir reached for the bottle, tilting it to the fire so he could read the script across the square of parchment. He let out a low whistle. ‘I’ll be damned,’ he murmured. ‘It’s from Valia…’
‘Where?’
‘Valia, in the Upper Realm. Remember that first book I told you about? The one about the society of women warriors?’
‘Mmm?’
‘They’re the Valian kindred. Famous for their fearless warriors and their wine.’
Drue laughed. ‘A territory known for love stories, warriors and wine sounds like your kind of place.’
‘Can you think of a better combination?’
Drue’s eyes met his. ‘No, I don’t think I can.’
Talemir clinked his drink against hers, winking. ‘Glad we’re in agreement, Wildfire.’
He heard her breathing hitch at the use of the nickname, and as their glasses chimed between them, her perfect body seemed to go taut.
‘Everything alright?’ he asked, trying to keep the wicked smile from his lips.
‘No,’ she said.
Talemir froze. Had he misread the situation so badly?
But Drue placed her glass on the floor and shifted to her knees, eyeing him with a hooded gaze. ‘There is some unfinished business between us, Warsword.’
‘Oh?’ The sight of her on her parted knees, wearing his shirt over her naked body, was more than enough to fuel the desire that was already simmering below the surface.
‘I want to see you come undone.’ Her throat bobbed as she inched towards him. ‘As you undid me…’
At those words, Talemir went molten. ‘You can have whatever you want from me,’ he said, suddenly hoarse, his breath catching.
When she reached him, she set aside his drink and bowl and pulled him to his knees, tugging the blanket at his waist, the heavy fabric falling away to reveal his tented undershorts, his cock throbbing almost painfully beneath.
Gods, he wanted her. Had wanted her from the moment she’d threatened to carve out his heart on the northern perimeter. There was no need for that now – she already held it in her hands. It belonged to her.
Drue stared at him, her blue eyes brimming with lust as they roamed over his chest and rippled abdomen. Her tongue swept across her lower lip as her gaze dropped to the V-shaped dip of sinew and beyond…
‘See what you do to me?’ he murmured, watching her as she took in the sight of his straining erection.
He bucked as she palmed the hard length of him through the material, swearing under his breath at the bolt of pleasure that shot through him at the basic contact. With her hand still on him, Drue tilted her face to his and kissed him.
Talemir groaned against the lush curve of her lips, his blood heating as her mouth opened for him and her tongue brushed his. He cupped the sides of her face, holding her in place as he kissed her, savouring the taste of her and the way her body answered to him.
He could feel the fabric of his undershorts growing damp at the tip of his cock as she gripped him through the material, pumping once, twice, drawing a moan from the back of his throat.
Then the waistband was being drawn away from his blazing skin and he sprang free, heady and heavy, the need for her like a raging current, sweeping up everything in its path. She dragged the undershorts down his muscular thighs, leaving them bunched at his knees. He didn’t care; he’d rip through them if he had to.
Talemir dropped his hands to the buttons of her shirt, nearly moaning again at each inch of her as it was revealed. She was the most glorious thing he’d ever seen. The fabric parted down her middle, revealing a column of golden skin before falling from her shoulders and gathering at her arms.
Her breasts were perfect. Round and full, with tight pink nipples that hardened under his gaze. As he cupped her in both his hands, his calluses scraping against her soft skin, Drue gasped, and he leant in to kiss the hollow of her neck, feeling her pulse flutter beneath his lips.
