Page 4 of Empire of Wrath and Ruin
"Beautiful," he murmured, his voice a low rumble that seemed to vibrate through my bones. "Even marked by them, you're beautiful."
His hand reached out, hovering just above my skin, not quite touching. I could feel the heat of him, so close yet not connecting. My body betrayed me, arching slightly toward his touch despite my mind's protests.
"You don't have the right," I whispered, but the words lacked conviction even to my own ears.
A cruel smile curved his lips. "I have every right." His fingers finally made contact, tracing a line from my collarbone down between my breasts. "The mate bond gives me that right."
I shivered at his touch, hating my body's response, the way my nipples hardened under his gaze, the warmth pooling low in my belly. "A bond I never asked for."
"And yet here you are," he countered, his palm now flat against my sternum, feeling the wild beating of my heart. "Your body knows the truth your mind refuses to accept."
The shadows shifted, loosening their grip on my wrists only to wrap around my waist, lifting me from the ground. I gasped as they carried me across the small cave to a platform carved from the living rock, covered with furs and woven blankets. The shadows laid me down with surprising gentleness, spreading my arms and legs wide, pinning me in place.
Taveth stood at the foot of the bed, watching me with those pale, hungry eyes. Slowly, deliberately, he removed his leather vest, revealing a torso covered in scars and intricate tattoos that seemed to shift in the flickering candlelight.
"Do you know what happens to mates who deny the bond?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.
I shook my head, unable to look away from him.
"Madness," he said simply. "The need consumes them until there's nothing left but hunger and rage." He knelt on the edge of the platform between my legs, the furs dipping beneath his weight.
"What if I don't want this?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper as his weight dipped the furs beside me. The shadows held me firmly, cool tendrils against my heated skin.
His eyes flickered with something dangerous. "Your body betrays you, Little Flame." His fingers traced a path along my inner thigh, and I couldn't suppress the shiver that followed. "You can lie to yourself, but not to me."
I turned my face away, unwilling to let him see the truth in my eyes. The mate bond thrummed between us, an invisible cordpulling tighter with every passing moment. I could feel it like a physical thing, this connection I never asked for, never wanted.
"Look at me," he commanded, and when I refused, his hand grasped my chin, forcing my face toward his. "I said, look at me."
I met his gaze defiantly, even as the shadows tightened around my wrists. "This changes nothing. I have responsibilities, people who depend on me."
"And I have waited lifetimes for you," he growled, lowering his face until our breaths mingled. "Your Empire took everything from me. They will not take you too.” His hand moved to my thigh, fingers tracing patterns on my skin that left fire in their wake. "Your heart races. Your skin flushes." His hand moved higher, stopping just short of where I ached for his touch. "And I can smell your arousal."
His hand moved higher, and I couldn't stop the gasp that escaped my lips when his fingers finally brushed against my core. The contact was electric, sending jolts of pleasure through my body that made me arch despite my determination to resist.
"There," he murmured, satisfaction evident in his voice. "The truth your lips won't speak."
His touch was gentle at first, exploratory, as if mapping every curve and hollow of my body. The shadows holding me shifted, pulling my legs wider apart, exposing me completely to his hungry gaze. I should have felt humiliated, degraded, but instead, a terrible excitement coursed through me.
"I hate you," I whispered, the words lacking any real conviction.
"No," he said simply. "You hate that you want me."
"You can't just..." I started, but my words dissolved into a gasp as his fingers slid deep inside me.
"I can," he said, his voice dark with promise. "And I will."
He lowered his head then, his white hair spilling across my thighs like moonlight. I knew what was coming, tried to preparemyself, but when his mouth fastened around my clit, a cry escaped me before I could stop it. His tongue was hot and insistent, tracing patterns that made my back arch against the shadows' restraint. Tongues of darkness swept up and over my breasts, flicking over my nipples, mimicking the motions of his own tongue, and I moaned his name.
The shadows caressed me everywhere, cool tendrils sliding across my skin like dozens of ghostly fingers while his mouth worked between my thighs with devastating precision.
"Taveth," I gasped, the name torn from my throat as pleasure built inside me, a rising tide I couldn't fight.
He hummed against my sensitive flesh, the vibration sending shockwaves through my body. His hands gripped my thighs, fingers digging into my skin hard enough to bruise. The pain mingled with pleasure, heightening every sensation until I could barely think.
"That's it," he murmured against me, his breath hot on my wet flesh. "Say my name again."
I bit my lip, trying to deny him that satisfaction, but when his tongue flicked rapidly against that sensitive bundle of nerves, my resolve shattered. "Taveth!" I cried out, my hips bucking against his mouth.
