Page 51 of Of Vows and War: Special Edition
“More.”
By the time I licked up my final success, tears were running freely down her face and her body was coated in newly formingbruises. I watched her come down from the orgasm with a smile, my tongue swirling inside of her before sliding out and up, flicking her swollen clit. She tasted like victory.
When I stood, wiping my mouth, Dima watched knowingly. The shadows holding her down dissipated, but her hands remained where they were.
“Get off my ship, Storm. You can come back when you have learned better.”
And then I left, slamming the door shut behind me.
I darted up the stairs, still somewhat unsatisfied. Which was made worse by the sight before me.
CJ sat in front of Lian, moving her lips slowly in time with the sign for ship. Lian watched her with greedy eyes, copying the sign perfectly. For some reason, the image of such a thing made me angrier than Dima’s comment about my worthless father.
I put my salty fingers into my mouth, whistling. CJ’s head whipped towards me. She stood abruptly, clearly noticing the stiffness to my demeanor. The anger that swarmed me.
“What are you doing, CJ?” I signed. Briefly, she glanced down at the fae who merely sat and picked at her nails. Then she was slumping forward, knowing she would receive little in the way of help.
“Lian wants to learn sign so she can be of better help to us. She is skilled with her Air power and a quick learner. Over the last two days she has already learned twenty-eight signs.” The look of pride on CJ’s face would have been comical if it were not utterly absurd.
“Why would we need her help? And why learn sign when she can hear just fine? You are probably helping whatever ulterior motive she has!” The fingers on my right hand cramped, forcing me to stop signing momentarily. A growl sought freedom from behind my ribs, the sound probably coming out strained. What I would give to throw all three of the outsiders over the side ofthe ship and forget about them. “Get to work, CJ. Do not let me catch you helping her again.”
CJ practically ran away after offering a hasty explanation to the blue-haired female, not so much as sparing either of us another glance.
“What is your problem?” Lian asked. Since she realized I could read lips, I noticed that she spoke slower. She was uncomfortably observant. “If I can be of more help, you should let me. It is petty and ridiculous to not take the aid you are offered.”
“What I do with my ship and my crew is none of your business. If you need to know sign to pull your own weight, then you are an even bigger idiot than I thought.” She watched, squinting at my moving hands as if she could understand what I was signing.
“I want learn,” she signed back. It was a simple set of broken words, and she signed them embarrassingly slowly. Yet she lifted her chin, staring at me with a challenge that made my heart race, despite the fact I did not trust or like any of them in the slightest. With three quick whistles, I called Ro to me.
“Captain?” she asked, ignoring Lian completely. It was one thing I liked most about her. She did not care about anything other than the success of this crew.
“Translate for the idiot.”
With a laugh, Ro nodded, facing Lian.
“If you want to learn, then you can learn from me,” I signed. Ro spoke aloud as I moved my hands, but Lian’s eyes never strayed from me. She was trying to understand. How absolutely infuriating. “Lessons do not come free, though, Blue. Every time you take me down, I will afford you a new sign.”
Another bark of laughter came from Ro, the sound vibrating against my bare feet. Oh, how I loved a challenge. Anything newthat did not require constant vigilance and planning. Something I did not have to stress over.
“That is ridiculous, I am not fighting you to learn—”
I stopped watching her lips and dove forward, tackling her to the ground and forcing her to roll beneath me. A bit of laughter left my lips as she stared up at me in astonishment. Knowing I likely was facing off with someone who knew how to fight, I took the advantage and slammed my fist into her face.
Gods, it felt good to make someone bleed.
Lian spit blood into my face, pulling her arm to the side and then jabbing it into my neck. Pain erupted in my newly healed throat, but I ignored it in favor of throwing shadows in her face and willing them to become solid. She bucked beneath me as she suffocated.
Too easy.
As if she could hear me, Lian stilled. Before I could claim my victory, though, I felt the slice of a blade in my thigh. I fell backwards, gripping at my leg and holding my breath to minimize my movements.
Ro opened her mouth, probably screaming as she watched me fall. She was at my side in seconds, on her knees and inspecting the wound. Shadows wrapped around my thigh just above the bleeding cut. Ro continued to tighten her shadows, but all I could do was stare at Lian as she stood above me and wiped the blood from her nose.
Henry appeared behind her, grabbing her cheeks and inspecting her. Were they together? He had seemed infatuated with the mortal princess over the last two days, but maybe that was for his own gain in this coming war. Perhaps what he really wanted was the little fae before me.
Maybe she wanted him too. Though he was not as handsome as the idiot prince, he had an aura to him. A comforting presence if one wanted it. If I had any interest in males, I wouldhave wanted someone meaner than he seemed to be. More challenging.
It looked as though Lian would disagree. How irksome.
