Page 128 of His Darkest Desire

Yes. Yes, it was all that and more, and he’d never understood it until that moment. Never could he have imagined so small a word meant so, so much.

And when he stared into her eyes, he saw it shining in them, just for him.

Vex kissed her, slowly and tenderly, savoring her taste and feel. Something new was building in his chest. The last secret he’d kept, the last part of himself he’d hidden. But he knew it was time. “My moonlight… What the queen forced from me through coercion, I give to you freely.”

He turned his face so his mouth was beside Kinsley’s ear and whispered the name he’d only ever spoken aloud once in his life. The name nestled at the center of his soul, the name that comprised his being, that tethered him to the very universe.

Kinsley looked down at him with wide eyes. Breathlessly, she said, “Is that…”

“My true name,” he replied softly. He could feel the name inside her, becoming part of her, becoming one with her. “It is yours to hold, Kinsley. But I would yet have you call me Vex, for it is Vex who found you, who saved you, who was saved by you. And it is Vex who has fallen in love with you.”

Tears gathered in those beautiful periwinkle eyes, and his heart clenched.

“Kinsley…”

She closed her eyes and pressed her mouth to his, kissing him firmly, desperately, and he returned the kiss just as fervently, clasping a hand around the back of her neck. Despite his restraint, his desire for her hadn’t waned, and it resurged now with overwhelming force. His already erect cock hardened further.

Lifting her head, Kinsley shifted to straddle his waist, planting her hands to either side of his head. She locked her lustful gaze with his as she lowered herself until the head of his cock pushed into the wet, blissful heat of her cunt.

Vex bared his teeth and swiftly grasped her hips with both hands, stilling her. “I’ve no desire to hurt you, Kinsley.”

“You won’t. I want this, Vex. I need you.”

“Ah, my moonlight. I can deny you no more than I can deny myself.” Tightening his grip on her, he drew her down slowly, thrilling in the feeling of her tight sex closing over his ridges one by one, delighting in her whimper and the way her body tensed. He shuddered in utter pleasure when she was finally seated upon him fully.

“My love,” Vex groaned as he lifted his hips, pressing into her deeper still, “you are all I desire.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Kinsley ran her fingertip over the spines of the books standing on one of the library’s high shelves. She felt the indents in the bindings where cryptic runes and arcane symbols were embossed, the meaning of which continued to elude her. Though she could understand any language she heard, the writing in these books remained as unreadable as ever.

So, Vex had assumed the role of narrator. Whether snuggled up together in bed, reclining in the shade of a tree outside, or sitting in front of a cozy fire, he’d read to her many times over the last month, bringing the words to life with a mix of his smooth voice and masterful illusions. He’d made subjects that could’ve been bland magical and memorable.

Her favorite book thus far had been about astronomy. The star charts within were interesting even without any understanding of the words accompanying them, but Kinsley’s imagination hadn’t done them justice. Vex had transformed the entire bedroom that night. The walls and ceiling had faded away, leaving only the unbroken dome of the night sky stretching around them.

As he’d named the constellations, they’d brightened in the sky, twinkling with brilliance and splendor that had stolen Kinsley’s breath. They hadn’t been the stars of Earth, but of a far-off fae world, alien, wondrous, and brimming with magic. He’d sat with her head in his lap, pointing out each formation, explaining its significance, and sometimes dazzling her with almost-real images of the fantastical creatures with which those constellations had been associated.

Even after they’d set the book aside, she and Vex had remained like that, gazing at the stars of another world as he tenderly combed his fingers through her hair.

Kinsley’s lips curled into a smile at the memory as she pulled down a brown book with gold etching and turned it toward Flare, who floated beside her. “What’s this one about?”

The wisp tilted their head. “Techniques for tanning hides.”

Kinsley wrinkled her nose and promptly replaced the book. “I don’t think I need visuals for that.”

She knew enough about tanning hides to know the process wasn’t pleasant.

“How did you come to be with Vex?” Kinsley asked as she gave the tall ladder she stood upon a push. It glided smoothly along its rails to the next bookcase. “You said you met him when he was little. Was that after he lost his clan?”

“It was,” Flare said as they followed Kinsley. “These ones found him slumbering in a cave at the heart of a wood where few dared venture, sheltering from a storm. He was not the magus then. A child, lost and alone. Broken. These ones were drawn to him and watched over his sleep. When he awoke, sorrow gleamed in his eyes and quivered in his voice, but he spoke to these ones as equals, with kindness.”

Kinsley’s heart squeezed. She recalled Vex’s memory—a little boy hiding, huddled away from the terrifying flames blazing all around him. She couldn’t imagine how scared and alone he must’ve felt.

She reached out to Flare. “I’m glad you were there for him.”

The wisp brushed her fingers with a tendril of ghostfire. “This one is glad you are here for him now.”

Kinsley smiled softly. “Me too.”

---