Page 63 of Fate Unchained

She walked around the table, and he slowly, lithely, stalked her.

Her heart pounded, but she had all his focus, his entire being, narrowed in on her. Exactly what she wanted. “Did you find out where Boris went?”

A step toward her. “I found the alley we saw in the scrying bowl. It’s not far from the palace.”

She was having trouble catching her breath. “So, it could have been Morana he was meeting?”

He nodded and prowled forward. “I followed the scent of spawn, but in this form, my senses aren’t as developed. It’s dark enough now, so Zann and Finn are topside and tracking it. That means I could return to check on you.”

“How do you think he got here so quickly? Can he create a portal, too?”

He stepped closer. “I’ve never met a chort before, so I don’t know. He may have magic similar to brownies. They can pop in and out of places whenever they want.”

She nodded. “Yes, I’ve heard that.”

“If he took the leshak with him, then he’s more powerful than I thought.”

It was as if she could already feel the heat of his body against her. She backed down one of the stacks, and though it was darker here, Kyril’s eyes glowed brighter. “Are you going back out to help them, or are you done for the night?” She scooted another step into the darkness of the stacks, luring him into the shadows.

“I think I need to stay here and watch you closely,” he said.

She swallowed. “Is that so?”

He moved so fast he was a blur. He pinned her against the stacks, one hand grabbing a shelf near her head, the other landing on her waist. Caging her in. “It depends on what you’ll let me do to you in your library.” His mouth was on hers in a flash.

She moaned and melted into him, winding her arms around his neck. His lips were hungry on hers as if all he’d ever wanted to do was kiss her again. His hand went to her lower back, pulling her against him.

She rolled her hips, brushing against the straining bulge in his trousers, and he groaned. She drew back. “Call me lalee again, and I’ll let you do whatever you want.”

His gaze turned feral, his eyes going pure black. He said a long string of words in Vulk, ending in lalee, and his mouth claimed hers again. His lips—his tongue—were overwhelming, sweeping her away with need. Her hands went under his shirt, skating over the hard planes of his muscles. She needed to touch his skin.

It was Kyril, but in human form. No claws, no teeth, but otherwise, he was the same. Still filled with fierce need but with a slightly different body to explore. Without fur, could he feel her touch even more?

She trailed her fingers along his ribs, and he sucked in a breath.

He flung his shirt off, then turned to hers, untucking it from her lined breeches and trailing his hands up to her breasts. He thumbed over the fabric of her bodice, toying with her nipples. Her head fell back.

The titles of the books across the aisle winked in the low light, and she stifled a laugh. She was in the romance section. She unlaced the side of her bodice and let Kyril strip it off her.

He lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Heavens, he was so strong. He kept her propped against the stacks as his mouth lowered to her breast. His tongue lashed over the tip. Pure ecstasy. Heat shot through her veins, and need centered between her legs. Her back arched, and she rolled her hips against him, feeling how ready he was.

He growled, and it only added to the fire inside her. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders.

He set her down and fumbled with her breeches, finally getting the clasp. One sweep, and he pulled her breeches and knickers to her ankles. She kicked off her boots, then reached for his trousers. He froze, not even his chest expanded with his breath. As if his entire world depended on her hand reaching down and releasing him. She did.

Then she ran.

It wasn’t to get away from him. It was because she wanted him to lose it. Lose control. She wanted him to pin her again. Like he had in the cave when he tried to get the pages from her hand. Racing down the next stack, her feet skidded on the wooden floor, but she sprinted on.

She didn’t make it far. He sprang. Silently. He grabbed her waist and whirled in one gentle, slow motion, bringing her to the floor on top of him. But not for long. He rolled, pinning her beneath him.

With a growl, his mouth claimed hers. There was no patience. It was like he was starving for her. Only her. Which was good, because she needed him inside her. Now.

He moved down her body, one hand landing at her hip, holding it in place. He parted her thighs wide. “Soon, I’ll memorize every inch of your skin with my mouth, but today, I need you too much.” His breath fanned her inner thighs.

She groaned and tried to tilt her hips toward his mouth, but his hand kept her in place.

He paused, his gaze locking with hers. “You want me.” He leaned forward and licked slowly, his tongue teasing just where she liked it best.

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