Page 52 of Magic Claimed
He brought a small table and set the tray on it. It contained two stuffed bowls of oatmeal, bread and fruit, and two steaming cups. I would never get used to the amount of food offered to me.
“Did you sleep well?” His voice was husky and warm.
My body had rested. It was the nightmares that I didn’t shake. “Yes. Thank you.” I sat, tucking the blankets around me. I’d destroyed the robe when Alerick had forced the Change and I hated to think that such a beautiful garment was gone.
Jarom, on the other hand, didn’t seem to worry one bit about his naked state. My gaze drifted down his body as though he were a magnet. He turned a stomach lurching smile on me. “There’s no need to feel shy around your mates.” I bit my lip, my cheeks heating. His smile morphed into a smirk. “You like what you see.”
I scoffed. His lighter side was going to take some getting used to. “What makes you think I like what I see?”
He leaned close to me, his scent enveloping me. I inhaled deeply. “Because your nipples are poking through the blanket and if I touched you in that sweet spot between your thighs, I would find you wet and ready for me.”
He couldn’t possibly know…his chuckle had my eyes snapping to him. There was that edge again. He enjoyed provoking me, the ass.
I clutched the blanket at my chest. “I refuse to be drawn into this conversation.”
I glared at him as he handed me a bowl and removed the silver dome. The aroma of sweet porridge made my stomach grumble. A dollop of cream and a splattering of crushed nuts topped the porridge. They were tempting me with everything. Their bodies, their caring and their food. I’d miss this side of them when I left. My throat grew hot and tight and I blinked away the pressure behind my eyes.
The laughter faded from his face, making tension lines form around his eyes. “Eat, Serafine.”
We were alike, he and I, and now he saw too much.
“Why do you have so many tattoos?”
Jarom picked up his own bowl and ate as though this was his first meal in forever. Three bites and he was halfway through the bowl. I thought I’d offended him with my question before he spoke. “I’ll tell you if you eat something.”
I had to eat around the stone in my stomach but managed a nibble. The sweetness exploded on my tongue, coating my mouth in goodness. “Who is your cook? This is delicious.”
“It’s just porridge,” Jarom said.
“Just porridgeto you is a meal from heaven for me, believe me.” I made a note to savour every mouthful to make the most of it while I could.
A flash of darkness crossed his face. I tensed as the stone in my stomach grew heavier. I still had to be careful what I said around Jarom. A sleek brow rose as he regarded me, and I realized he was waiting for me to eat. I took another bite, but the porridge had lost some of its appeal. Food was fuel and I made myself swallow.
“Anise made it,” he said.
“Anise cooked?” I was confused. She’d left with Eike last night. I ignored the stab of jealousy and focused on Jarom. That didn’t help either.
I set the spoon in the bowl, my stomach turning. “She’s very talented.”
“Jealous, little prey?”
He looked far too smug for someone who was half covered in ink, sitting naked on the couch next to me. “Put some clothes on,” I snapped.
His smirk returned and his eyes gleamed. He leaned back, giving me a perfect view of his body. All of it. My mouth went dry. “She found these images in the books in this room. I liked them. I asked her to ink them onto my skin, which she did with magic.”
Those tattoos were all over his body. I knew they swirled over half his back. It was as though he’d been dipped in an etching. Each stroke was so delicate and perfect I could imagine Anise leaning over him, staining him with every fine line, working by firelight late into the night.
“It must have taken a long time.” The sweet smell of the porridge was too cloying. I put the bowl back on the tray.
Amusement flashed across his face. He slung a long, muscled arm along the back of the couch. His fingers caught one of my wayward curls. “What if it did? What if she spent hours on me? Days. Nights. What would you say when I asked her for more, knowing her hands were on my flesh?Becauseher hands would be on my flesh.”
“You’re an ass, you know that?” I tugged my hair from his grip. “How long am I going to be stuck here with you?”
He laughed, the sound light and carefree. “You don’t want to, but your actions tell me you care more than pretty words can. There is no mistake with you, little prey. To answer your questions and to ease that raging jealousy of yours, I merely chose a picture and Anise used her wand to transpose the image onto my body. She didn’t touch me. She didn’t see me naked. She directed the magic to where I wanted it to go. I can show you the books I chose the images from if you like to sate your curiosity.”
“I’m not jealous!” I wound the blanket about my body and stood from the couch, or I tried to because his fingers closed about my wrist and I tumbled into his lap. I struggled, but he was too strong.
“You are. You haven’t eaten and I’m not caring for you properly as a mate should.” He dug his own spoon into his bowl and brought it to my lips. I was a‘mate’to them. A‘duty’. Their actions‘have to’.
