Page 119 of His Darkest Desire

Kinsley’s eyes dipped. The heat that flared within them lured him, inviting him to bury himself in her hot cunt.

Instead, Vex walked to the desk, grabbed the chair, and carried it back to the bed, positioning it in front of his mate. He sat down and settled his palms upon her thighs.

“I gaze upon you now and hesitate.” He smoothed his hands down, hooking them behind her knees. He guided her legs to lie across his with her knees at his sides. “What could my markings do but mar your perfection?”

She looked away from him, but not before he caught the uncertainty in her eyes. “I’m not perfect, Vex.”

He hooked a finger beneath her chin, coaxing her gaze back to him. “You say that only because you cannot see yourself through my eyes, my moonlight. You are perfect to me. For me. Naught else matters.”

With tears glistening in her eyes, Kinsley smiled. “I see it. When you look at me, I see it.”

“Good.” He brushed his thumb beneath her lip. “Never forget it.” He released her chin, turned to the small table, and removed the lid from the paint jar. “Now, we’ve a matter to attend, and I’ll accept no further delay.”

Kinsley chuckled as she glanced down at his erection, which stood tall between them. “Are you sure you have the patience?”

Vex gave her a droll look. “I’ve endured an eternity awaiting this moment. A few more heartbeats shall not be my undoing.”

Or perhaps they shall.

He could feel her gaze like a physical thing, weighty and fiery. It was the promise of a touch, of the glide of flesh against flesh, of pleasure unimaginable. He could still recall the feeling of her tongue, the warmth of her mouth. By the look in her eyes, she was just as hungry for him. His cock twitched as more seed beaded on its tip.

Kinsley caught her lip between her teeth and smirked.

“Hence mates were separated for this part of the rite,” Vex growled, snatching up the brush. He dipped it in the paint. “The hunt would never have occurred otherwise.”

He leaned forward, only to start and curse inwardly when the head of his cock brushed his stomach. Kinsley laughed. Vex glared at her, but the expression quickly gave way to a smirk of his own.

Sliding his free hand to her back, he drew her slightly more upright and set the paintbrush to the skin of her breast. His smirk widened when her breath caught, and she shivered. With light, confident strokes, he painted his marks on her—swirling ivy, vines, and thorns. Her body provided all the inspiration he needed, and instinct guided his hand.

The flowing patterns mimicked her collarbone, dipping down at the center into the valley between her breasts. He trailed the paintbrush around her breasts, drawing close to her nipples but never touching them. The whisper-light touch roused her nipples to bud. He was not sure how he resisted the urge to take them between his fingers, to nip them with his teeth, to taste them with his tongue, but somehow, he restrained himself and continued.

Vex painted intricate designs on her belly, which quivered with his touch. As the brush trailed steadily lower, caressing her, he glanced up at her face. Her eyes were half-lidded and molten with lust, and her lips were parted with her soft, heavy breaths. Heat radiated from her core, and his cock pulsed in response.

He shifted his hand to her hip and slid his chair back to bend down as he painted lower still. The sweet scent of her arousal filled his senses when he reached her supple thighs. Her cunt was right before him, already dripping, desperate to have him.

Clenching his jaw, he added to the patterns, drawing them toward her inner thigh—toward the source of all that heat, of that tantalizing fragrance. Toward that heady beacon of desire. Kinsley’s body trembled, and his hand flexed on her hip, pressing his claws into her skin.

Need roared in his mind, in his soul, and instinct raged within him. He needed to claim her, dominate her. Conquer her. Have her in all ways, now.

He inhaled deeply, meaning to steady himself, but all he could smell was her. All he could feel, all he could see, all he could want was her.

Vex lifted the paintbrush from her skin and planted his hands to either side of Kinsley, curling his claws into the bedding to keep himself from grabbing her. He bowed his head and gritted his teeth. His hair fell, cascading over her legs.

“You must go,” he growled.

She lightly touched his hair. “Vex?”

“Go. Run. Hide.” He lifted his face and met her gaze. “I will find you, my moonlight. I will catch you. And when I do, I will fuck you with a savagery that will unmake you. You will beg me to put you back together. To give you more.”

With wide eyes, Kinsley withdrew her legs and climbed off the bed. Vex remained in place, listening to her quiet footfalls as she hurried away. Her scent lingered. He drew it in, his breath growing more ragged and his heart beating faster and faster as instinct roared within him.

Chase her.

Catch her.

Claim her.

The illusory moonlight flickered, and the glow of the crystals intensified as his control over his magic faltered. He squeezed the bedding in his fists. Every muscle was tense, stiff, burning, and everything in him was being pulled toward Kinsley.

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