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Knuckles rapped against her head, the noise echoing through her skull. Maia snarled, her face jerking forward to threaten him with her fangs, less than an inch away from ripping his face off.

“You still in there, princess?” he asked, his stare intent on her face. Fuck, they were too close together. Heat crawled across Maia’s cheeks, and she put her fangs away.

“More or less,” she muttered.

“You dream of Enryr?”

She shook her head, hair falling over her neck in a brush that made her shudder. “Years before that.”

“Your aunt?” he guessed. He really should have given her some space. His breath fanned over her mouth. Dangerous.Lethal.

“Close.”

“Who?”

Her chest tightened. “Why do you care?”

“Give me a name so I know who to hunt and rip to shreds when we get out of here.”

Butterflies. A whole riot of them in her stomach. “That’s optimistic. What makes you think we’ll get out?”

“We’re supposed to check in with the compound next week; if Azrail misses that, General Caliax will bring the rebel army and break us out.”

“Then they’ll all die,” she said flatly, keeping her eyes on his through sheer force of will. It hurt to think of Zamanya coming anywhere near this place, hurt to think of Evrille at the mercy of saints, not just for their sakes but for Azrail’s. He’d take every bit of blame and guilt on himself.

“Don’t be so defeatist—”

“We’re the captives ofsaints,for fuck’s sake, Bryon.”

There was a flash of a sharp, pearly canines when he spoke and—fuck, now Maia was looking at his mouth.

“Princess,” he warned.

“Hm?”

Rough fingers caught her chin, lifting her eyes up to his. The look in his eyes was so far beyond lethal that Maia’s heartbeat kicked up, a little flutter going through her wings.

“Fuck it,” he growled, and kissed her.

CHAPTER TEN

Their kiss was a battle in itself. Rough and scalding. Addictive. The nightmare still clung to her, the memory of Eosantha still clung to her, and saints it feltgoodto give into the tension that had built since Jaro said he believed Bryon was hers. The sigh that slipped free did not have her permission. But she needed this, needed something that felt good even if for a minute.

She was selfish, she was using him, but as broad fingers drove into her hair, angling her face so he could kiss deeper, a little rumble of noise in the back of his throat, she knew Bryon was using her too. He was her mate. The people who mattered knew that and would forgive her this. If they were even still alive.

The thought made her flinch, and she grabbed Bryon’s shoulders in a fierce grip as if that desperate touch could kill the thought. His response was to take hold of her hips and drag her onto his lap, her legs falling naturally around his. Fuck, he was warm, his body heat as comforting as his voice had been when it broke through her dream.

But his wasn’t the only voice she’d heard. Was she going mad? Hallucinating what she needed to survive?

“Is this even happening?” she breathed against his lips without meaning to.

“If anyone asks, no it’s not,” Bryon muttered, making her laugh.

“Ah, delusion. I’m well familiar with that technique.”

“Too much talking,” he growled and surged forward to claim her mouth again, his kiss compelling and deep, overwhelming her with the scent of cedar and rosemary until she couldtasteit. As rough as his kisses were, his hands were nothing but gentle in their care, one drifting up her back to gather her hair into a loose fist, the other splaying across her lower back, pressing their bodies together as he conquered her mouth. It was a siege, and her tongue surrendered.

When he closed his sharp fangs around her bottom lip, Maia’s entire body flashed hot. She dug her fingers into his shoulders, surrendering to the comfort however brief. She didn’t mean to roll her hips but fuck did it feel amazing. The second time was intentional. Bryon was as hard as a rock forherand that was a powerful thing. She kissed him harder, a low noise in her chest when their fangs grazed in a slow caress, her tongue sucked into his mouth. She felt that mouth between her thighs, felt its impact on her clit.