Page 37 of The Coveted
He chuckled softly, stroking my cheek. Amusement flickered across his features, but underneath lay something dark. “You may not touch yourself until I return. Nor should anyone else, for that matter.” He frowned for a moment.
“You cannot be serious.” I’d never felt so out of control, sodeprived… my every nerve ending was alive and sensitive in the most uncomfortable of ways.
“Oh, I’m very serious,” he hissed, glaring.
I shook my head “Well, yes, obviously no one else. I mean… leaving me likethis.” It felt like I would’ve done anything, literally anything, to make him touch me again. When he released my wrists, I had to stop myself from reaching for him.
“It’s frustrating, isn’t it? How do you think I felt learning you’d agreed to be Sebastian’s date? And I heard it from someone other than you. How do you think I felt watching him reach for your hand and flirt with you all dinner long? I have to watch it all, and I can’t do anything. I can’t even speak to you without Nathaniel seeing it as evidence for treason.” His face hardened, all humor drained from his eyes.
I sighed. There was nothing he hated more than being out of control. And now, I truly understood the feeling. “How is any of that my fault?”
“I didn’t say it was.”
“But you’re punishing me for it.”
“Yes.”
I let out a breath before clenching my jaw, glaring at him. I didn’t even care that I probably looked like a petulant child. It made him grin, at least.
“You’ll survive,” he teased, trailing a hand down the length of my body. He chuckled when I trembled slightly from the shiver of his fingers along my skin. When he trailed back up, skimming along until he found my nipple, I swatted his hand away.
My body grew cold as he withdrew and stood, every inch of me feeling his absence. I couldn’t decide if I liked this new game of his. It felt darker than the rest, born from mutual jealousy, restraint, and denial. As if the darkness that seeped through the walls of this golden castle now followed us into the bedroom.
I stood from the bed, and Daelon’s breath hitched as I stood naked before him. He reached for me, and I again pushed his hand away. A smirk made its way to his lips, and he cocked his head as I stepped forward. I grew closer until I was nearly pressed against him. He was so still I wasn’t sure if he was breathing as I slowly reached my hand to his chest. I trailed my fingers downward, reaching lower and lower until they were at his belt. And lower still.
Our eyes locked in a standoff, and I said in a tone that was soft but clear, “You’re mine, too.” A low rumble escaped his lips as I teased him, making my touch as unsatisfying as his was for me. I smiled triumphantly as his body responded on cue, but I kept my tone fierce. “And I think it’s only fair for you to abide by the same rules.”
His features flitted with a mix of surprise and amusement. His eyes never left mine as he lifted my hand and brought my knuckles to his lips. He released me with a sigh.
“Well played, Áine,” he whispered. “But I really must leave now.”
Dread pooled in my stomach, the fire he’d lit only growing stronger and more desperate. I couldn’t ever let him know just how much his denial stoked the flames. “I don’t want you to go,” I settled on, my voice thick.
“I know, baby. We both have to do what we need to do to live another day.” He scooped up my dress from the floor and tried to hand it back to me.
I shook my head. “Nope. I’ve had enough for one day. I’m sure they’ll be too hopped up on elixir to even notice my absence.”
He sighed, and I knew he was debating whether to force me to go or not. He seemed to remember his dominance rarely worked on me outside the bedroom because he lowered his arms. “Fine. But I’m serious, Áine. Focus on court life and nothing else the next couple days.” He laid my dress neatly over the tall, green chair by the window.
I nodded before letting him lock me into an embrace. I rested my head on his chest, comforted by his familiar scent. He smoothed his hands through my hair and then kissed the top of my head.
“Because if you don’t behave, I’ll find new, more inventive ways of punishing you,” he said as he pulled back, and my stomach clenched. I silently cursed him, begging my power not to give me away as I felt it dance manically all around us. His eyes lit up in surprise as my lips curved into a silent challenge, and I stepped back. The look we shared should’ve actually set the whole castle aflame, the invisible tension palpable and taut as we each refused to act on our desire.
There had to be something seriously wrong with me. Because I’d never wanted to misbehave more.
Chapter12
Iwas nowhere close to tired, and I wasn’t quite sure what to do now that I was finally alone. I wanted to explore the grounds, but I didn’t want to run into any of the guards, and I definitely didn’t want to stumble into whatever witch orgy the nobility had planned.
Wait. I knew a way to do just that. Astral projection might’ve been difficult and dangerous for other witches, but it came naturally to me. And it was time I enjoyed its perks.
I crawled under the duvet and got comfortable, casting aside the thoughts that swarmed my mind. About Daelon and our possibly twisted games. But also, all that I had learned about Lucius, and in turn, about me and my purpose. I tucked all of my worries and puzzles away into a locked box in my mind for later, just as Daelon had taught me. It was the only way to go deeper into a trance. Next, I relaxed each muscle one by one, letting a soothing frequency from my power trickle in through my crown. It bathed the rest of my body in relaxing energy, my mind filled with images of serene landscapes and experiences: Steph knitting on the couch in our old apartment, my mothers singing to me in the meadow, a monk on a high mountain peak, a woman in prayer in a cathedral, Nick and Rena laughing in the snow, Daelon and me meditating in the basement of the cabin, a beach with gently rolling waves and warm, multicolored sand…
Something clicked into place like an ancient key in a cosmic door. My body began to vibrate as my consciousness slowly detached from my physical body. When I opened my eyes, I was floating above the bed. Everything in the bedroom was slightly off color, including my astral skin, which glowed faintly silvery blue and had just a hint of transparency.
With ease, I transported myself to the hallway in front of the throne room and dining hall. In the astrals, teleportation and most other tasks didn’t even require magick. The realm itself was easily malleable and open to influence. It was like an ethereal playground.
The halls were empty except for a few servants cleaning up after dinner, but the sound of raised voices drew my attention toward the far end. I jumped to their location, just around the corner, in the direction of Amos’s chambers.
