Page 77 of A Kingdom of Shadows

No longer able to hold back, I rush at him, pulling at the collar of his shirt and bringing his mouth to mine like two comets colliding. I don't know how we land on the ground, but I am suddenly beneath him, grabbing at every inch of his body. Our sighs and moans echo in the maze as his grip on my thighs becomes tight with need. Passion explodes between us as we kiss and fight for more.

"I thought you wanted to punish me." I smile against his lips, trying to untuck his shirt.

A funny noise rumbles in his sternum, vibrating to my core. "I changed my mind." I gasp as he rips my pants—destroys them to the point where they are shredded pieces of material on the ground. Palming one breast in his right hand, he leaves open-mouthed kisses along my collarbone, shattering my sanity.

He lifts my legs and slides his hands around my thighs. I can no longer breathe; I can no longer focus. His dark gaze alone as he looks up at me from between my legs has my heart going out of control. His fingers squeeze my hip bone, and a moan climbs up my throat as his mouth moves to my center, drenched in arousal.

With one stroke of his tongue, my hands fist the grass as I arch my back, panting. He is incessant as he ravishes me without giving me a chance to talk or rage at him. I can feel my strength ebbing away as his fingers burrow into my thighs. I am breaking in the best possible ways where only he can put me back together.

A cry shreds at my throat as he works his finger into the mix, and I know I am ready to shatter.

I push against him, and the chuckle he releases lights the flame of my incoming orgasm.

"Come on, Goldie. Show me how much you despise me."

I'm gasping as he uses his finger to speed up inside me and his lips seal over mine. The climax explodes throughout me, and my walls clench around Darius's fingers. He groans into my mouth as I breathe into his. My body quakes, and I can barely calm myself as he kisses me softly, savoring this moment.

Chapter Thirty

"Miss Nara, do you like bread?"

I smile, sitting by the vanity inside my chambers as I brush my damp hair. Looking at Tibith through the mirror, I say, "Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?"

As he flumps his bottom onto the floor, he crosses his arms and pouts. "Aias has said he does not."

"Well, then Aias is missing out."

He nods so quickly and heavily that he loses his equilibrium when sitting. I chuckle, gently staring at him. Just the idea of knowing he is here alive sends a jolt of happiness to my heart.

"Tibith?" I say, thinking of my words carefully as I turn to face him. He nods. "Can I tell you a secret? But you mustn't tell anyone, especially Darius." I'm drawn back to when I woke up in Darius's cottage, and Tibith told me his secret.

I don't think you're a creature murderer anymore.

Tibith angles his head, waiting for me to tell him. I lean forward, smiling as I whisper it into his ear. I hear him gasp before there's a knock at the door, and Arlayna peeks her head through.

"I thought you might not be ready yet," she says, entering with an off-shoulder emerald gown. Lace borders her arms, intricately designed to look like flowers, as the silk of her dress spills across the floor behind her. In one arm, she's holding a crescent-shaped mask—one that flares at the edges like the sun—and a silver gown in the other.

I gaze at it with one brow raised in alarm. "Is that—"

"Your dress?" She lifts it and then starts marching toward me. "Yes, I got it from my mother. Now what are we going to do about that hair?"

I blink. I wasn't aware this masquerade required a princess to help me get ready. "I already have a gown."

She looks behind at the washed-out blue kirtle and hums. "That's an unfortunate pile of clothing."

Excuse me?

My mouth half opens in protest and amusement, but she sets everything over the chair and looks at my robe before ushering me to try the dress on. Tibith blinks at the both of us and finds comfort in climbing up the bedpost to rest on the so-called pile of clothes. Once I return from the bathing chambers wearing the silver dress, I pause by the threshold, gazing at the shimmering heart-cut bodice. It pushes my breasts up and cinches at my waist before layers of gossamer spread outward. I place my arms out in front, looking at the sheer batwing sleeves and how, in essence, this whole gown is just perfection. And if I look close enough at my bodice, it's decorated like the craters of the moon, darkening and then lighting with the sconces of my room.

I glance over at Tibith, now sleeping on my old dress, and then at Arlayna's pursed lips as she studies me.

Her sapphire circlet sits across her forehead, and her obsidian curls are in the most gorgeous half-updo—braids, pearls, and gold shimmer. "Decent," she notes, and I chuckle, ambling towards the vanity chair and sitting down as she rakes her hands through my long tresses. "Your little Tibithian loves to sleep, doesn't he?"

I glance through the mirror again at him as he makes the slightest cooing noises while napping. "He also loves to steal and eat bread."

She nods, gathering my hair up. "And Darius?"

My eyes cut to hers.

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