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When his tongue touched me again, I nearly came, but the relief was short-lived as he began once more, his fingers and mouth demanding my desperate participation. I curled my hands into the bedding, into Adrian’s hair, dug my heels into the mattress, ground my hips harder into his face. I wanted him deeper, wanted the release I could feel coming. My body had grown too taut, the strain was too much—all it took was his consistent pace and I came undone—but it was far harsher than that. It was a complete break. A sudden rush that drained my body of all my energy. Suddenly, I did not have the ability to hold myself up—not even my legs. They fell open, knees on the bed, shameless.

Adrian did not mind as he stretched out over my body, a smug smile on his face. He kissed me languidly, our bodies radiating heat together.

“I like to make you sing, Sparrow,” he said, reaching between us, guiding himself to my entrance, but instead of shoving inside me like I wanted him to, he let the head of his cock slide through my wet heat. The choice gave life to my limbs once more, and I wrapped my legs around him, heels digging into his ass. I drew him in until I felt his balls rest against me.

We both moaned, foreheads touching, lips hovering.

“I love this,” I said, reveling in the weight of his body upon me, the feel of him inside me. “I love you.”

I could not see his expression—we were too close—but all that mattered were his words. “All the stars in the sky, Sparrow.”

He kissed me hard and began to move, alternating between shallow and deeper thrusts. Each thrust took my breath away and only gave a fraction of it back. I let my hands run down his scarred back, corded with muscle, and focused wholly on every part of him that touched every part of me until the tension in our bodies tangled. I held on, releasing it only when Adrian came.

Twenty-One

Isolde

The next morning, I woke determined to summon Ravena and bind her magic—but with Ana still asleep, I needed help.

I found Lothian and Zann in the library. They were behind the round desk on the first floor. Lothian leaned against the counter, a book opened in front of him, while Zann stood close, his arms braced on either side of his vassal.

They both looked up when I entered, and Zann pushed away from Lothian.

“My queen,” they said in unison, bowing as best they could with the desk in the way.

“We are relieved to see you so well,” said Lothian.

I could only manage a quick, half-hearted smile.

“I require your assistance,” I said. “Would you follow me?”

“Of course,” Zann said.

The two followed me as I led them to the secret library. As we came down the floating steps, Lothian gave an audible gasp.

“I knew it,” Zann whispered.

I stayed near the bottom of the stairs while they wandered into the small room. Zann’s fingers drifted over a line of colorful spines. Lothian bent to read the titles of a stack of books on the floor.

“When did you find this?” Zann asked.

“Ana found it,” I said. “I’m…not sure how long she knew about it before she told me.”

I wasn’t even sure how long Adrian had known about it.

“I need your help,” I said. “I need to find a summoning spell and a binding spell. They need to be ones I can cast on my own, and they must be powerful.”

“Nothing would delight us more,” said Lothian, scanning the room. “I’ll start in this corner.”

We each took a part of the library and began to pore over books and parchment and long scrolls. We worked for hours, reading and deciphering handwritten texts, handing over those that were not in a language either Lothian or I understood for Zann to decode. All the while, my librarians began to organize the information, assigning categories and shelving accordingly. There were several scrolls that detailed laws for governing magic, rows of leather journals that detailed both the daily life of witches and quite a few spells. There were also extensive histories on members of High Coven and their respective covens.

“Can I see?” I asked.

“Yes, though it reads very subjectively,” said Lothian. “Whoever wrote it was only an observer.”

I scanned the page until I came to my name.

High Coven boasts a powerful seer, though she has yet to demonstrate her gift, given that a series of misfortunes have befallen Cel Ceredi. The people have become suspicious of the woman, who shows no propriety, given her earthly background. She has been known to wander away from the castle and gather herbs and flowers.