Page 62 of The Demon Court

Her mother’s voice whispered in her head. That she could use this moment to reel him in, to really get him under her thumb. And weeks ago, she might have. She would have teased him, flirted until he was on his knees before her and then she would have felt the guilt later on. But right now? She didn’t want to manipulate him. She just wanted him to understand.

“I think you’re afraid of a lot of things,” she whispered, so close she could feel the heat of his lips on hers. “I think you’re afraid of me.”

“You?” He laughed, and the air breezed over her face, smelling of sweet wine. “A slip of a woman with no power?”

“Who offers you something new. Neither you nor I understand it, but we both felt it the first time we bumped into each other. It’s been changing since I came here, growing and warping into something neither of us can deny. Hasn’t it? You’ve felt it. There’s a change, and that’s terrifying to someone who has lived the same way for centuries.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“But I do.” Of course she did. That’s why it scared him so much. “Like I said when we first met. I’m the beginning of something new.”

A low sound rumbled through his throat. For a second, she thought she’d pushed him too hard. But then he searched her gaze like he was looking for something important. Something that would change this moment for the both of them.

Selene didn’t know which one of them moved first. She only knew that one moment she was staring up into his eyes and the next, she’d wrapped her arms around his neck. Their lips crashed together, not gentle at all but a biting, crushing meeting of lips, teeth, and tongue. This was a punishment for two people who had denied themselves for far too long.

His mouth slanted over hers, his tongue sliding against hers in a delicious glide that made her moan into him. His hands remained pressed against the door, his muscles locked underneath her palms. Selene kept her own locked around his neck or she’d press them to whatever warm skin she could find. But she remembered what his back felt like. She remembered the flex of his muscles underneath her touch, and how strong he felt.

Lust let her lead them for a few moments, and she’d thought they were kissing each other. Until he finally kissed her back.

He stole her breath from her lungs. Lust devoured her with every stroke of his tongue, every bite against her bottom lip, and every guttural groan that he poured down her throat. He kissed her like a man who was starved for any attention from her, as though he’d been waiting for this for years.

She clung to his shoulders, trying desperately to keep up. But he didn’t seem to even want her to participate. His kiss was meant to punish, to show her just how much she wanted him, even if she didn’t know it yet.

It took everything in her not to moan again as his tongue thrust against hers, the slow movement mimicking what she really wanted him to do to her. Her stomach clenched, her whole body seizing up as though it knew what was next.

Her pulse thundered in her throat, between her thighs, all over her body in little pulses that she had to thrust underneath the frozen lake inside her even though she wanted to feel them, damn it. She wanted to feel this. Hiding those emotions felt like she was denying what was between them, and that was the last thing she wanted to do.

They parted, and she felt the swelling of her lips and the strange sensation between her legs. She was already dripping for him, so wet she could feel it slicking her thighs. If he would just place one hand there, he would know. It wouldn’t matter how much she hid her emotions. He’d be able to tell, to feel, to release her from this lie.

His fists slammed into the door. Once, twice, three times. She never flinched at the sound, even though her heart quaked in her chest.

Lust drew back, his eyes blazing with anger. “I cannot feel you. I still cannot feel you! Why can I not feel you?“

A pulse of his power rocked through the room, rattling the door behind her, but she still had to endure it. To shove all those emotions until the power inside her nearly overflowed, but she didn’t dare let him know how she felt. She didn’t dare let him realize how much control he had over her.

Lust’s chest rose and fell with rapid, angry breaths. As he raised his hand, she thought his grip would leave bruises. But he scooped his hand underneath her hair and cupped her neck with such infinite gentleness that it almost brought tears to her eyes.

He pressed one more kiss to her lips, long and lingering and ever so heartbreaking, before he swung her around and left.

The door closing behind him felt like the snapping of heart strings.

ChapterTwenty-One

Lust knew he had no right to be angry. He’d done all that everyone asked of him. He’d hosted a feast for his brother. He’d brought Selene there for all of his people to look at, even though she’d embarrassed him the last time he’d done that. And he’d suffered for as long as he deemed necessary before bringing her back to their room.

No one thought he would do more than that. No one expected more from him, and yet it felt as though the weight of all their expectations rested on his shoulders. Heavy enough to push him flat onto the ground.

Greed wanted him to take what he wanted, no matter the cost. Selene wanted him to be a softer version of himself, to bend to her whims even if it cost more than she was willing to pay. His people wanted what they had always had, and they did not desire to see that change.

What did he want?

He stalked into the room that he used as a temporary bedroom when he needed it, now that he’d given his own space to Selene. Tugging at his hair, he nearly pulled it out at the roots while he thought.

What did he want? Lust had never thought he’d have to ask himself that question. He took what he wanted. He did what he wanted.

Kings of their kingdom did not have to ask themselves what pleasure they wished to indulge in. He could have whatever he wanted. Women, subjects, food, wine, all the necessities of life.

So why did it feel like he was suddenly lacking?

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