Page 6 of The Dark Elf's Secret Twins

I cannotbelievehe did that! I could have taken care of myself, easy. The stupid, brutish guard with the obsidian eyes has overstepped his boundaries once more. I don’t care how honor works in dark elf society, I am a human and am completely capable of taking care of myself, thank youvery much.

“Gods!” Lykan’s deep voice is loud, reverberating through my skin. “Can’t you manage to stay out of trouble for just one fuckingminute?”

His teeth are bared and he’s leaning into my space. He’s posturing. So typical of the dark elf men, especially those of the miou caste. They think they’re so much better than us humans but somehow it’s alwaysthemwho feel like they have to push us around to prove a point.

The tension between us is thick enough to spread on a slice of bread. I can practically feel the air crackle around us as we face off. I may be a head shorter than him but I refuse to let him try to intimidate me. Standing at my full height, I bare my teeth right back, getting into his face as best I can.

“Listen,hockass,” I tell him, teeth clenched. This close I can see the fire in his dark eyes and it’s almost enough to scare me.

But I’m not easily frightened. Even by smoldering dark elves who smell like a campfire under a starry sky.

“I am completely...more than completely capable of taking care of myself,” I finish. He quirks a single eyebrow at me and I feel heat burn through my veins.

“Didn’t look like it,” he grunts out. His eyes narrow and I find myself wanting to push, to prod at this man. I want to see what might happen if I get too close. What might transpire if I rile up the beast?

Throwing caution to the wind, I make my move.

“Well then maybe that’s the problem,” I say, leaning further into his space. “You keep trying to step in but you don’t even give me a chance. You really ought to butt out and quit acting so high and mighty.”

“Your safety is my responsibility!” he says, voice echoing off the walls.

“Please,” I say with a scoff. “Like you’resoimportant. I’ll have you know that I can handle anything that life throws my way.”

Lykan’s face twists, his mouth settling into something between a sneer and a smirk. “Really now? Anything?”

His tone is dangerous. I should know better. I should back off.

But...before I can even process it happening, his hand shoots out and pins me to the wall by my throat, pressing down hard. A thrill runs through me and I swallow hard, saliva pooling in my mouth.

He stares down at me with narrowed eyes, as though I’m cornered prey and he’s the predator. “Prove it,” he says, no give to his grip. I’m stuck and we both know it. Our eyes are locked, staring as though daring the other to break contact first.

I swallow again, weighing my options. In strict hand-to-hand combat, yes...I’m no match for Lykan.

But there are other ways to bring a man to his knees. Lykan has severely underestimated my survival skills.

Instead of bringing my hands up to his to pry them away, I reach out to his sides, my fingers ghosting over him. Carefully, I explore what I feel, fingers moving over the hard-edged muscle under his tunic. He takes in a sharp breath of air but if he’s affected by my touch, he doesn’t show it.

This close I can see the sweat dotting his brow now. This close, if I close my eyes I can smell the aroma of ash and smoke that seems to permeate his skin. It’s as though he’s so angry all the time that it emanates from every pore.

My fingers continue to move, careful as possible as I trace the outline of his biceps. I keep my touches light, my fingers nimble. I’m playing a dangerous game like this, provoking the beast. But I don’t care. I’ve never really been afraid of the power of men.

Having a mother like mine meant that I saw the darkest sides of the world I live in first hand. I saw the way they treated her and understood that they would do that to me too if I wasn’t careful. Playing with fire comes second nature to me now.

Lykan never takes his eyes off mine but I can tell from the way his brows furrow that he’s confused as to what I’m doing. His grip tightens even more and I let out a tiny moan, biting my lip as I look up at him through fluttered lashes.

“What...”

“Shh,” I whisper, moving my fingers further up to trace over his broad shoulders. I’ve never touched him before and now I wonder why. He feels so strong, so powerful. He could easily shatter me.

The thought should scare me but somehow it turns me on. My core grows damp as I think about all the ways he could toss me around in bed.

I shouldn’t do this but it feels so good. Would it really be so bad if something were to happen between us? Maybe it could get all this tension out of our systems.

Continuing onward, I trace down over his shoulders to his collarbone and then down over his covered pectoral muscles. They tense under my fingers but when I look into his eyes, the black is slowly clouding over.

Without really thinking about it, my nail flicks over his erect nipple and I struggle to contain the moan that threatens to erupt. I lick my lips, cocking my head as I press against him, feeling the evidence of his arousal straining against his trousers.

“Oh,” I whisper, my stomach muscles clenching. It’s bigger than expected.

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