Page 65 of The Curse of a Kingdom
Raw and on edge, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She should get her robe and meet him outside to talk about what had almost happened yesterday. Ask him details of what Devon and he had discussed.
Her body had other ideas. The pleasurable heat of desire that had started in her stomach spread to the apex of her thighs, making her lose her train of thought.
She smiled and took her time to untie her clothes, and with each brush of her finger over her skin, the desire grew wild. It didn’t feel like her fingers were the ones grazing her skin but his instead, rough with calluses and holding the promise of more.
She had memorized his touch long ago. Was it wrong to tease her mate when he didn’t know he had no choice but to want her? To hell with that. Life wasn’t fair. They had a history that had been stolen from him—from them. She needed to get him on board.
Nava pushed the garment off her body, and after a calming breath, she peered behind the waves of her dark hair and the gauzy fabric of the curtains. Across her terrace, the shadow of a large body loomed behind the banisters, two large wings spread wide.
His bright green eyes lit within the night. She couldn’t help the coy smile that grew as she pushed her drawers down the curve of her backside, dropping them to the ground with an unceremonious thump.
She gasped when the inferno in her stomach bloomed. His desire pushed through the bond like wildfire, incinerating everything and leaving her breathless. If she focused enough on her memories, she could recall the scent of his skin. Pine, leather, and something that was solely him. Naked and burning for him, she closed her eyes, drunk from the arousal that devoured her. Nava brought her fingers between her breasts, past her stomach. Her moan would have been embarrassing if she’d been in her right mind.
She didn’t want to miss a second of his reaction to her, focusing on his shape outside. The silver light of the night rimmed the silhouette of his body, marking the sharp contours of his muscular arms as he held himself stiffly to the banisters.
Her mouth tasted sweet with anticipation, her body drumming as heat pooled between her legs.
His wings beat, and in two powerful movements, he was up over his balcony and landing on the very edge of hers. Her heart skipped a beat, but she didn’t cower or pick up her discarded clothes. Meeting his gaze, she moved one of her hands past her breasts and down her navel, her skin forming small goose bumps and reacting to her touch.
His chest heaved, and she could tell—couldfeel—his all-consuming need. He was burning for her and just holding himself back. Arkimedes was outside looking in, but here with her as well. She could almost feel the warmth of his body behind her as the weight of his hands pulled her to him. Her body hummed and the softness of her fingertips became rougher and more desperate over her stomach. She recalled how it felt to be his.
Nava had a very good imagination, and memories of the last time his hands had dipped into her soft warmth were still vivid in her mind. She took a shaky breath and massaged one of her breasts with her hand, bringing the other down to the place where she ached for him.
She gasped with the touch, and Arkimedes flinched outside, taking a step closer to the doors, his face becoming clear. His irises were no longer bright and green. Chills ran through her body; she expected he would barge in at any moment and take her. He might be even surprised that she would let him.
Arkimedes stopped, and his whole body went rigid as he held himself from taking a step farther. Nava’s lips moved on their own into a slow, lazy smile, and she dipped her fingers inside herself.
Moaning, she leaned against the door, hoping Fael wasn’t able to hear her but not caring enough to stop since she wanted her mate to be affected.
Her body melted with the movement of her fingers over her most sensitive spot. She recalled the memories of his lips trailing down her neck and her back. The weight of his hard body pressed against her backside as his fingers entered her in and out, and she forgot it wasn’t really him doing it.
Soon she was crossing the edge, gasping for air as she came under her touch. She opened her eyes and met his gaze. It wasn’t hard to see all the places where he was affected by her. His wings flexed in the air, and the wind moved outside. Nava grabbed one of the sheer curtains and pulled it closed, not blinking or looking away.
Standing still and giving him a full look at her naked body, she smiled before turning around and walking off to the washroom, putting an extra wave in her hips and sensing the weight of his eyes on her until she disappeared into the room next door.
CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
NAVA
Three fae paraded into Nava’s room the next morning, wearing light dresses made of billowy fabric that skimmed their lithe frames. Two carried the yellow monstrosity Marni had made for her, and Nava itched just at the sight of it. Their sapphire eyes fixed on her, dancing with mirth.
Nava sat by the fire; even though she was running hot, the fire produced no heat, and the sound of crackling wood somehow soothed her. With a thump, she closed the book Leela had snuck in for her earlier in the week and made her way toward the door, ignoring the fact that bees had been crawling over the walls of her bedroom ever since she’d woken yesterday morning and had doubled during the night.
It was worrisome, and she was trying to ignore it for now since she wasn’t feeling threatened at the moment.
Fael peered in from the hall, his brows raising as he took in the gaudy garment. “I don’t think I have ever seen anything as terrible as that.” His white teeth made an appearance, showing a straight smile and crinkles to the side of his eyes. “Marni hates you even more than I thought possible.”
The three fae wearing burnt-orange clothes, who Nava had at first assumed were servants of the castle, might indeed be the seamstress’s minions, as their garments were not orange but different tones of red. They huffed a laugh as they crossed in front of Nava, eyeing her mockingly. She waited with a mask of indifference plastered on her face until they had left her room.
“What did you do?’ Fael asked.
Nava brought her hand over her chest, her lips parting in offense. “Why do I have to be the one doing something? She is evil!”
Fael laughed, nodding. “True, but still . . . what did you do?”
“I threatened her, but that was after she pricked me multiple times—and she had already chosen the fabric by then.”
“She pricked you?” His face fell as he straightened to his full six-feet-plus height. “The prince won’t be pleased to learn this.”
