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“I’ve never met your particular type, and I hope I never will again.”

Cruel laugh. “The odds of that are good, princess.”

She exhaled a small gasp.

Low, Silt.Even for him. But her contempt got his back up.

In a quiet voice that somehow rang with strength, she said, “You—so rich in years and having squandered so many—continue to mock my likely death.” She softly added, “You don’t worship revenge,Silt. You revere grievances from the past, because you have even less of a future to look forward to than I have—and you know it.”

He pointed his finger at her, about to unleash his frustration.

But the denial wouldn’t come.

Seething, he gave her his back and stalked across the hall into his room, fighting the urge to destroy everything in sight. He paced, cursing the day he’d met that princess. His cock remained an iron bar of pain.

Another bath might help. He would call for the attendants, get this taken care of. Yet even now they didn’t tempt him. He hungered for only one thing.

Her. Kosmina Daciano.

Hewasobsessed.

Head still swimming from their encounter, he glanced down at his hand, and his gaze narrowed. The scent of her orgasm lingered on his palm. His length flared even harder, his body strung tight for her.

He brought his hand to his face to inhale her essence, his lids growing heavy. Covering his mouth, he . . . licked.

His eyes rolled back in his head.Sand almighty, yes.

With a muffled growl, he shoved his pants to his knees. He gripped himself with his free hand and almost spilled from the contact.

Shuddering, he cleaned his palm to the fantasy of tonguing her entrance . . . sucking her plump little clit . . . eating her till she came on his lips and her tight core squeezed. . . .

As her taste filled his senses, he fucked his fist, his cock burning from his callouses.So good. So good.He wanted to edge himself and wallow in this, but a merciless pressure mounted.

He dropped his hand from his mouth, readying to catch his seed. With a stifled roar against his shoulder, he spurted one heavy jet after another into his palm to mingle with the last remnants of her orgasm. . . .

Body gone limp, he collapsed back on a couch. Legs sprawled and mind thunderstruck, he caught his breath.

The fuck was that?He must’ve forgotten how good a sober release could feel.

But if he were honest—he really wasn’t—he’d admit that ejaculation had been the most explosive he’d ever known.

How? He hadn’t even taken her!

And yet.

He cast a scowl in her direction, confused as ever. Even post-release clarity wasn’t working for him. Clarity was in short supply all around.

As he washed off, he glanced down in disbelief. He’d hardened again. Hating Kosmina for that, seething with some foreign feeling of wrath, he left his room and charged downstairs to do what he should have done as soon as Enti had offered him all the delights in Nightside.

Twenty-Nine

“Good morning, Enti!” As the clock struck ten, Mina delivered sketches and a description of her dream weapon to the sorceress. She’d already gone down twice to find her, but few had been awake. The stair orgy had still been at it, which had made Mina worry about their poor backs.

Blinking at the stack of papers, Enti sipped coffee with her mask askew, looking like she too had enjoyed a long night of leisure. “Isit good? And is itmorning? I suppose we’ll have to take the clock’s word for it.”

Bleary-eyed guests now milled in the dining hall. Once they’d recovered from their excesses, Mina would question them all, digging for more details about Nightside. She’d expected to see Silt sooner or later, but he wasn’t eating, nor was he among the smokers on the balcony.

She still couldn’t believe what had happened between her and the sorcerer last night. And he’d expected to take her fully! Though Mina had made decisions about her future, she’d been about to throw everything away in the heat of desire.