Page 42 of Fated Unkindness
“It seems since I woke up without memories and ran into Trent, my concerns have been of only you.” I give him a coy smile. Reaching up, I brush my hand against the stubble on his jaw. I'm concerned about other things, obviously, but I can only process one thing at a time right now. And right now, it’s that of our bond—the one thing that has happened that I feel a complete rightness about. “I want to have a bonding ceremony. I want to finish the bond with our blood and our bodies.” As I finish the sentence, I can feel the hard press of his solid length between my legs. I grind down on it, and he grunts under the pressure. A twitch pulls up the corner of his mouth.
“I want you to be sure. I—You need to be…” His breathy words are cut off by my lips. The kiss is unhurried, deep, and passion-filled as I work my fingers into his hair.
“There is nothing. I’m. More. Sure of.” The space between words is intercepted by the joining of our lips. He deepens the kiss, the passion of it causing liquid heat to pool at my core. Through this kiss, I can feel his acceptance of what I said I wanted, but I need to hear him speak it. “I want to be sure that is what you want too, before wedo this.”
He lays kisses along the length of my neck and stops at my collarbone. I feel him laugh, the deep rumble of it vibrating all the way down to where his cock presses against my center. “I was ready to take you the moment I saw you. The moment you walked through the door of the Inquisition center, the very day you fell into our lives. I fought the pull I felt for you every day since, Raelle, but I refuse to lose another day.” He kisses my shoulder once more before continuing, “When you woke me from that curse and took my hand, allowing me to pull you from that window… I was owned by you. I will not refuse the pull I feel to you. Not anymore. Since I’ve accepted that, I’ve realized the shadows I’ve hidden in all this time were cast away. You brought a light into my world when you came for me as I lay on my deathbed. You are the flame that drew me home and burned away the darkness that I was shrouded in.” A tear rolls down my cheek, and he kisses it away before I even register that I'm crying.
I don't understand how Dax thinks himself unworthy.
“I have a request,” I say as I pull back so I can see his full face.
“Anything.”
“I want the announcement of my lineage to come during the ceremony, and I want it to take place tomorrow at sunset.” His eyes shift between mine. He must find what he's looking for because he reaches up, cupping my jaw and pulling my face to his, and he kisses me once again. His lips curling into a smile.
“Yes, my Queen.” He says into my lips, then bites down hard on my bottom lip, causing a gasp to come from me. “Let's get back to the castle before they send scouts looking for us.” He says before he parts my lips with his tongue in a passionate kiss, making me ache for him. He scoops me up in his arms as he stands. His wingsglimmer into existence, and he bends at the knees, propelling us up into the night sky. I laugh at the way my stomach drops from the sudden movement. “I love the sound of your laugh.”
“I can’t wait until I can fly too,” I admit with a smile branded on my face.
“I will miss holding you when I fly.”
“Perhaps we can take turns,” I jibe.
“That's cute.” He rolls his eyes, and I laugh harder.
His wings beat at a furious speed as he flies us toward the castle, the stars blurring at the speed, but I only watch Dax. The beauty of his features, his strong jaw dusted with stubble, the set of his perfectly shaped dark brows, full lips, and the way his hair seems to always fall into his hazel-green eyes. He is perfect, and I can’t believe he is mine.
Chapter forty
Arriving back in Ravendeneis chaotic. The regime is a fucking mess, with most of the higher-ranking generals killed or not yet returned from the last mission we went on. The failed fucking mission. A growl builds in my throat and escapes as I ponder all the trouble this has caused me. Those Raskin’s fucked everything up, and Trent and the others getting away really took a shit on my plans. Flynn tells me that there has been unrest amongst the townsfolk and the regime due to loyalties to the Fornax-Ravendene siblings, who are now missing.
Fucking perfect.
I've already sent a messenger to Demetrey to notify Eleonora. I need to know if she has any ideas about how to get this shit back in our favor. She has only been sending a “trusted advisor” in her place for at least a year or more now, and it's getting tiring, especially since I have not even seen the witch’s face. She'salways cloaked and has a masking spell in place, so all I see are shadows within the cloak. I fucking hate it.
I spent the majority of the night elbows deep in the shit that is my life and trying to get this place back under control. By the early morning hours, as the sun is just cresting the horizon, I manage to lay in bed. I sink into the mattress, my body spent and my mind utterly exhausted. With a long exhale, I close my eyes and fall asleep without any trouble for once, and no dreams haunt me. Though I knew I was not going to get much sleep, I was looking forward to having breakfast with Ambriel. That sassy beauty has gotten under my skin in ways no one ever has. Her constant questions and incessant snark refreshing in a way I didn’t know I would like.
Sleeping like a rock for a few hours did little to expel the exhaustion. I woke up to get ready for my breakfast with Ambriel an hour ago. As I step out of the shower, there is a knock at the door. I groan. What now? Can no one else handle whatever it is they've come to bother me with? I wrap myself in a towel and saunter to the door, opening it wide. I expect Flynn, but when I see the feisty, raven-haired Ambriel standing next to a red-faced Flynn, I just about choke on the air I'm breathing. Ambriel stands in front of him, hand on her hip and a look of defiance on her face.
“I'm sorry, sir, she blasted past me and I—I … She, well… She insisted that she come directly to you instead of waiting in the dining room.” I quirk an eyebrow up at her.
“Is that so? Well, dear? Would you like to come in while I finish getting dressed? You’re welcome to help.” My lips twitch up at the corners when I notice her gaze dart to my towel.
“Pass.” She rolls her eyes. “But I would like you to know that I’m here, and I won't be waiting forever for you to get all pretty, so…. If you aren’t down timely, I will just take my food to go.”
A grin lifts my lips fully, and I tilt my head to one side, taking my time to look at her head to toe. Thinking about all the naughty things I would love to do with that tight little body and that dirty mouth. She bites her lip, and the sight of it has me getting hard standing here in my fucking towel. Hell.
“Best get ready then, shouldn’t I?'' I wink and close the door. As it clicks shut, I hear her barely stifled laugh through the thick wood. I cross the room to the closet and take myself in at the full-length mirror. You can clearly see the hard length of me pressing against the towel wrapped around my waist. “Get your shit together, Cano. Getting a fucking chub just at the thought of a mouth around your cock. What the fuck?” I chastise myself.
I dress in my usual casual attire: dark brown breeches, white linen tunic, my dagger sheathed at my chest, and a short sword at my hip and boots. I scoop some wax from a small jar and run it through my dark hair, slicking the longer hair at the top back so it stays out of my face. Before heading downstairs, though, I stop at the small table by the entrance and pick up a small box, a gift I had brought up from my personal treasury, an additional thank you to Ambriel for her companionship on our trip back to Ravendene. I shake my head, stuffing the box into my pocket.
When I arrive at the dining room, the table is empty, but I hear a tisk-tisk from one of the chairs in the sitting area in front of the large fireplace. Ambriel's legs dangle over the side arm of the chair as she sits sideways. Legs crossed at the knee, the one on top bouncing…
“You almost didn’t have a breakfast date.” She kicks her bare foot, pointing at the other chair with her toes. “Sit.” She commands it, and the corner of my mouth ticks up at her tone.
“Shall we have breakfast brought in?” I ask her as I comply with her demand and sit in the chair. I can see her face now, and she is smiling with smug satisfaction. I raise my eyebrows at her, and she just shrugs her shoulders.
“Sure. I could eat.”
