Page 94 of Trials of Dusk and Dreams
The voice is in my head. I tense, then realize who it is and exhale.
“What do you want, Styx?”I send back to him.
The brush of his presence filters in, sucking more air from the stifling space.
Willow giggles. She glances up at me and then mumbles, “But he’ll be even grumpier.”
My brows lift. “Are you speaking to Styx?”
“Maybe.” She swipes a fingertip across my tip. My cock jerks.
“Gods-dammit. Stop that.”
“Is that what you really want?” She lowers, sinking carefully onto her knees. “Help me understand, Bodin. Why did you sleep in the stables?”
“I—” Bite my inner cheek until it bleeds. The coppery taste triggers a primal hunger in me. My hands drop, slip under her arms, and wrench her back to her feet. I pin her against the frame and growl, “Stop courting danger.”
Her worried eyes dart between mine. “You’re actually afraid for me—that I’ll get hurt.”
It hasn’t escaped my notice that Styx has gone quiet or left. Typical, he swans in here to ensure we’re not dying, causes havoc, and then leaves. I squeeze my eyes shut, but I can’t answer Willow.
“Is it something to do with your nightmare?” she prompts. “The one about the feathers?”
Somehow, I nod.
“Oh, Bodin.” The pity in her voice doesn’t have me fuming. It has me pushing against her until her nose hits my chest in some kind of bastardized version of an embrace. She inhales deeply. “Crimson, you smell so good.” There is a beat of silence. Then, “I’m not going to break, you know.”
It’s my turn to gasp. How can she—I frown at her soft, compassionate smile.
“I saw your nightmare, remember?” She rubs idle circles on my lower back. “Are you remembering things from your past?”
“Yes,” I grunt. My frown deepens. “Since you, since Itastedyou, fractured memories continue to plague me. You say you won’t break, but you don’t know how hard I can push.”
“It’s my fault.” She tenses.
An apology?
“No.” I take her chin a little too forcefully. “Don’t think that. This is me—myfeelings, Emrys’s, Varen’s, all of us—our shared trauma is not your responsibility, nor is it your duty.”
“I know.” Her eyes glimmer in the shadowy light. “But it’s my honor.”
I blink. “What do you mean?”
She presses her lips to my heart. “I want to help you heal. I want to—” She inhales against my skin, sucking in my scent and groaning on the exhale. “I want to be close to you, to take care of you, and to serve you.”
“Queens don’t serve. They rule.”
“Matesare equal.” She slides down my body again, kissing my clenched stomach as she lowers to her knees. Fuck me, I let her.
I let her tongue swirl over my skin. I inch backward and greedily watch her reaction as she comes face-to-face with the bulge straining my breeches. Her eyes widen and fill with heady lust.
“You want me, Bodin,” she murmurs, plucking open the buttons until the tip of my cock shows.
Don’t look. Don’t watch her fulfill your wildest fantasy.
Fabric scrapes down my hips. I squeeze my eyes shut when my erection springs free of its captivity, heavy and thick. I groan at the wet sound of her licking her lips.
“You can’t deny it.” Hot breath tingles the tip of my cock. “But you can tell me to stop. You have that power now. You have a choice.”
