Page 75 of Fate and Flame
He moved a finger across the sensitive bud between my legs and desire pooled within me, that ache grew as he rubbed, his eyes burning into mine as he watched me squirm. He dropped to his knees and pulled me to the edge of the table, his mouth closing over me. The scratch of his trimmed beard along my thighs caused a moan as he pushed my legs open, stroking me with his tongue. His dark hair fell forward, covering his brow and I squirmed again and he used his magic to pin me into place. My body was his to devour.
He drove a finger inside of me and released his magical hold as my back arched off the table. I thought he’d keep going, hoped for it, but just as I felt that climax building he pulled away, leaving me yearning. He lifted me from the table and purred into my ear as we crossed the room, crashing into the deep windowsill, as promised. He ripped the wrap from around my waist and slid it behind my back. I disintegrated his clothing, the only bit of magic I would allow myself. He held onto both ends of the fabric, twisting it around his wrists as he pulled, holding up my hips as he plunged, shoving me backward into a pile of discarded books that tumbled to the floor.
I wanted to laugh but couldn’t as he withdrew so slowly and then slammed back into me. His muscles strained as he struggled to keep the slow and powerful pace. I dug my nails into his arms as he growled, slamming into me again as my hips hovered in the air. Over and over until we were both on the brink of destruction and then he pulled away again, breath ragged as he lowered me, then took my hand.
That ache he’d created in my body built even as we stepped through the library, his fingers brushing my back as he guided me to a ladder leaning against a shelf along the wall.
“I will never get enough of you. There are days when I wonder if this overwhelming pull to touch your skin, to taste your lips will subside, and then I think of these moments and know it never will.” He kissed my shoulder as he pointed to a lower rung of the ladder. “Hands here.”
A wicked smile spread across my face as I bent over, holding tightly to the step as he positioned himself behind me. Hands on my hips, I sucked in a breath as he pushed forward, every inch of him stroking me as he moved. He did not breathe as he took me, kneading with his hands as I hung my head and thanked the gods for a powerful male that would always keep me guessing.
There was no such thing as gentle anymore as his body slammed into mine. As I felt that growing sensation of the most incredible orgasm, I held my breath, knowing he would deny me once again as we lived through this scandalous fantasy. I wanted only more of him. He stepped away, as predicted though, and I stood, legs quaking.
He took my face into his hands, kissing me gently as our hearts pounded in unison. “I love you so much it hurts.”
I wrapped my hands around his neck, consuming him with my tongue as I kissed him. He lifted me from the ground and pressed my back into a bookshelf, as he entered me. I knew this would be the final time. That desperate look on his beautiful face was undeniable.
The stacks rattled as he moved in and out, still watching me as he always did before I shattered. And this game he’d played would be my utter undoing as that pressure built and built, as my legs trembled while I teetered over the edge of endless pleasure. A single roar from Fen and that was it for me, for him as well as he pressed me harder into the shelf, and we both climaxed, every bit as desperate for each other as we always had been. Even from the very beginning when I’d tried to deny him.
Later, I stood with Fen, Gaea, and Greeve in the kitchens. The air was filled with the thick scent of salted gravy and honey butter. Meat stewed in a pot and I was crushed we wouldn’t be here to eat it. Loti promised to save me some of the midday meal and the soft spot in my heart for her grew. She’d become a mother to our group in more ways than one and I was constantly grateful for her. And the lemon tarts she had wrapped in embroidered cloth and stuck in my empty pocket.
“So, what’s the plan?” Gaea asked, dressed in black, matching Greeve, who was armed to the teeth and emanating death incarnate.
“How do we get a private audience with the king?” I asked Fen, who was snacking from a fruit bowl on the counter.
“You’ll enter the castle from the front, just as we always have.” He looked to Greeve. “Find Pret. Tell him I’ve sent a messenger for a closed meeting.”
“Do we mention I’m your mate?” I asked, grabbing my own handful of red grapes.
“I wouldn’t. Don’t give him a reason to think he has anyone special within his grasp.”
“So, you’re saying I’m special?” I asked, stepping into his arms.
“Had I forgotten to remind you?” He bent down, kissing me slowly.
Gaea cleared her throat and I smiled against his mouth.“See you soon, King Fancy Pants.” I looked to Gaea. “See? It just doesn’t have the same ring to it.”
“We can work on it,” she answered, thrumming her fingers on the counter. She was just as eager to go as I was. I got the feeling Gaea wasn’t one to stay in one place too long if she didn’t have to. I’d caught her long glances at my fearsome friend and worried for him. At the very least, Gaea would not be tamed. Maybe that was why we got along so well.
She took us both at the same time. I’d worn the suit Nadra’s mother had made for me to travel in, hoping it would deter any lingering thoughts of capture. Something felt off with the magic, but I didn’t give myself the time to wonder about it. I left my sword behind, but my favorite knives were well hidden, the familiar bite of metal not quite warming my heated skin.
Standing outside the Marsh Court castle again was jarring. Like taking a long step back into the past. A big part of me wanted to run down the hill behind us and visit Nadra and her mother in the seamstress’s shop, but we had business to take care of and this trip wasn’t for memory lane. I missed Nadra though. She was the only one I had left from my past.
“Stay close,” Greeve said under his breath as Gaea and I shared a look.
We walked up to the castle gates and Greeve introduced us as royal messengers from the Flame Court. We were given easy permission to enter Coro’s castle, even taken to a sitting room with vaulted ceilings and ancient paintings on the wall, after being asked to wait.
“I’ve been told to seek Pret specifically,” I said to the guard, my chin high and face entirely unamused by him.
“While that might be true, Pret is no longer serving His Majesty King Coro. You’ll need to wait for Hivan to make your requests.”The guard walked away with a bounce in his step, clearly amused to have the upper hand.
“Pret’s always been a sympathizer to the rebellion. I can’t say I’m surprised things are changing in the north,” Greeve said.
“This isn’t the north,” Gaea and I answered in unison.
“You know what I mean.” He paced the floor, weapons clinking against each other as he moved.
“He’s going to recognize you,” I told Gaea an hour later, lounging across the floral-printed settee that matched the dusty drapes. We had agreed not to discuss anything important while waiting, but this was obvious.
