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Chapter Forty-Four: Bahira

Kai doesn’t meet my eyes as he stares down at his plate. “What do you want?”

“I didn’t know Jahlee was bringing me here,” I offer lamely.

Kai doesn’t react. For the first time since I began my stay in the Shifter Kingdom, he looks truly exhausted, as if this ill-fated meal has sucked out every ounce of energy within him. No one gives him the chance . Jahlee’s words bounce around my head like an annoying fly that is desperate to not be ignored. I groan internally but stand and move two seats closer until I’m sitting next to him.

“I could help you.”

Kai’s eyes rise to meet mine, frustration and anger reflected in them. “Your job is to help me. It’s the entire purpose of your being here,” he grits out, his head tilting to the side in a movement too smooth to be anything but animalistic. “Speaking of, what are your updates regarding the blight? When will you try using your magic to heal my people?”

“I meant , I can help you with court politics,” I reply, ignoring his question about my magic. “In case your small brain has forgotten, I am also royalty. You—”

“That won’t be necessary.”

I lean forward and brace my hands on the table. “You need the help. Have you talked with anyone yet about what Magda said? How her plea for aid was denied without your knowledge?”

He narrows his eyes as he also leans forward, abandoning his chalice on the table. “That is none of your concern, Princess. You are here to do one thing and one thing—”

“You’re pathetic.” I stand abruptly from the table, the dishes clinking together from my sudden movement. Kai rises as well, his chest heaving with drawn out breaths. “You are a king, and yet you sit back as if you rule only yourself. You are weak-minded and pathetic .”

Stepping around the chair, I march towards the door, my hands curling into fists at my sides. Stupid, infuriating pric— I jolt as I’m tugged backward, Kai pinning one of my wrists between our bodies while his other arm wraps around my front, his hand going to my neck.

“Did you really think I’d let you insult me and do nothing about it?” he growls near my ear, the heat of his breath and scent of his body causing desire to spark to life low in my belly. He has the strength to end me at any moment—all he would need to do is squeeze—and I’m not sure I could fight my way out of his grip before he snaps my neck. The thought doesn’t terrify me nearly as much as it should.

“You let everyone else get away with it,” I retort, my lips parting when his hand squeezes more tightly in response.

I catch our reflection in a large standing mirror propped in the corner of the dining room that I didn’t notice on our way in. He walks us forward, stopping about five feet away from it. Shadows from the flame gems ripple on its surface, altering our reflections for the briefest second. I take in the image of us—Kai’s large presence behind me, the muscles of his arms bulging and the way a few pieces of hair hang over his forehead. His eyes still glow, a haunting beauty to them that has me working hard to swallow.

He breathes deeply, his body going rigid before he dips his head until his cheek is scraping against mine. “You call me pathetic? Weak-minded? Tell me, Bahira, how wet are you between your legs right now?”

I grit my teeth together, my eyes alight with a fury of my own as I try to jerk out of his hold. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Kai’s dark chuckle shows his canines, his grin as sharp as any blade. “Your lying tongue can’t hide the truths of your body, Princess.” With torturous slowness, he releases his hold on my neck and begins to slide his hand down my front, going lower until his fingers tuck under the waistband of my pants. I stare at his reflection, watching as his nose skims over the exposed skin on my shoulder. “I can smell how badly you want me to touch you.”

Our gazes clash in the mirror, his hand gliding to where the evidence of my want of him can’t be denied. A deep sound rattles between us when his fingers swipe at my slick entrance.

“So fucking wet. Is this all for me? I think it is, and I bet you hate it.”

I don’t answer him. I won’t— can’t —give him the satisfaction of knowing that he is right. Keeping my breathing steady is a losing battle—particularly when he plunges two thick fingers into me, his palm beginning to work my clit. He taunts me with his fingers, drawing them in and out slowly enough to draw an eager moan from me. At the sound, he smirks, pumping his fingers faster until tension builds at the base of my spine.

My free arm reaches back, and my nails dig into the hard muscles of his thigh as I struggle for purchase, the arm held behind me tingling from Kai’s grip on it. Neither one of us looks away from the other’s reflection in the mirror, the energy crackling between us caught between feral lust and unbridled animosity.

Shockwaves ripple through me at his touch—at how the fantasy of my imagination pales in comparison to the real thing. He nips at my ear, the shot of pain making me gasp before he then drags his teeth down my neck. My hips move hungrily with the thrusts of his fingers while need barrels through me, relentless in its intensity. I push my head back against his chest, my breaths quickening as the precipice of release approaches. Just a few more strokes—

He stills, curling his fingers decadently inside of me, the pressure both perfect and agonizing. Speaking into the space where my neck meets my shoulder, Kai’s animal is thickly laced within his voice as he growls one word, “Beg.”

My voice is haggard as I rasp, “What?”

“If you want to come, Princess, beg me for it.”

The fuse of my desire quickly burns away to anger, and I clench my jaw as I dig my nails harder into his thigh. There is no way I’m begging him for anything . “Fuck . You. ”

He smiles as his eyes flash a completely molten gold—no remaining brown to be found at all. “ You will .”

His fingers move inside of me again, and I bite down on my lip to stifle my moan. Blood rushes back into my hand as Kai releases it, only to grip my neck once more. There is no pain, only perfect pleasure, and I want to despise that it comes from him, like he said. That my legs are dripping with my arousal, and that his fingers are soaked with it. That he is the cause. But I can’t. Not when he’s touching me like he’s somehow seen into my mind and knows every dark fantasy I’ve always wanted to try but never trusted a partner enough to explore.

I ignore where the rest of those thoughts lead.

“Beg, Bahira.”

I could free myself and walk away right now. I could pretend this never happened and vow to never repeat it. I should do that because, if I’m honest with myself, I’m already too invested in whatever this is between us. Instead, I give him what I know he truly wants from me. Not submission but an intensity that matches his own.

“No.” I wait until his rumble of annoyance travels down my spine before I reach behind me and palm his cock over the fabric of his trousers. He’s impossibly hard, and I groan at the size of him against my hand. “Of course, you’re fucking huge,” I seethe.

Kai lets out a noise that is somewhere between a laugh and a grunt of surprise as he resumes pumping his fingers—the pace brutal and pressure unyielding. “You’re a defiant creature,” he snarls. His teeth scrape along my shoulder, sending shivers over my body.

My orgasm builds, climbing higher as heat singes me from within. I continue to stroke him, squeezing more tightly as his other hand does the same around my throat. His breathing falters, the rush of it loud near my ear where his mouth still lingers at the base of my neck.

“Oh gods,” I gasp, my thighs involuntarily clenching together right as Kai bites down on me. Pain mingles with satisfaction as my climax rushes through me. My eyes slam closed, white spots flaring behind my lids while I shout out into the room.

Kai lifts his head, his cock twitching against my palm. “That was a much better use of that pretty mouth.” He licks over his bite as he pulls his fingers out of me, bringing them in front of us.

I quickly spin to face him, wrapping my hand around the back of his head and forcing his lips to mine. Our kiss is a hot and vicious clashing of our tongues and teeth, and I use the moment to quickly untie the laces of his trousers. Once they are loosened, I smirk against his lips.

“That’s the least of what this mouth can do.” Dropping to my knees, my fingers hook into the sides of his trousers, and I slide them down enough to free his cock.

“Bahira—”

“Suck your fingers into your mouth,” I command as I wrap one hand around him, the other digging once more into his thigh. The heat of him invades my senses, everything coiling tightly until I’m nearly trembling with crazed desire. He stares down at me, his fingers still frozen in front of his face. “ Do it , Kai.”

The use of his name draws a deep sound from him, and the moment his fingers brush his lips, I lick the bead of cum off the tip of his cock. We both moan, his salty flavor blanketing my tongue and unleashing me fully. I pump my hand as I tease him, flicking my tongue and gliding my lips over his tip. His fingers curl into my hair, far more gently than I want them to. Sucking him into my mouth, I move in tandem with my hand up and down every perfect thick inch of him. His hips begin to rock with the movement, but I can tell everything is still restrained. He’s holding back like he doesn’t think I can handle him.

I drag my tongue on the underside of his cock before my mouth leaves him altogether. “I will not make you beg,” I say, my breath ghosting over his glistening head while my fist pumps him harder and faster. “But you will fuck my face like you mean it, or I’ll leave you hard for me and walk right out that door.”

He makes a choked sound before his hand tightens in my hair and he guides my mouth back to his cock, submitting to my command. Kai is relentless, unfaltering, the size of him making me gag as saliva spills down my chin. And, gods, it’s fucking perfect . I hum in pleasure at his taste, the vibration making him quicken his pace. Sliding my hand from his thigh to under his shirt, my nails dig into the warm skin of his abdomen. His muscles tighten, the impending orgasm evident in the way his hand loosens its hold on my hair so I can remove him from my mouth if I want. I suck him down harder, hollowing out my cheeks. My own desire grows savage at the way he groans in approval.

“Fuck. Fuck, Bahira. ” Heady warmth coats my mouth and throat, his cock throbbing as he grunts and jerks his hips to completion. His chest heaves as he watches me draw off of him slowly and swallow, wiping my mouth off with the back of my hand. He helps me to stand before pulling me flush against his chest, his lips sealing over mine and tongue exploring my mouth. The taste of me still lingers on his lips as I’m sure his remains on mine.

The way this male kisses is like lightning striking a forest. I’m completely consumed, unable to fight off the spark of heat and turbulent passion that is left in his wake. When we have to stop and catch our breaths, Kai tucks himself back into his pants.

“It’s a bit ironic to be in this position, isn’t it? Considering the last time fingers covered with my arousal were between us, you were furious. You must really hate this situation,” I jest, running my fingers through my mussed hair.

Kai huffs out a breath, the corner of his mouth lifting the smallest amount—a crack in his stone armor. “I thought you were taken then. And yes, you are infuriating and stubborn, like a thorn beneath my skin that I can’t quite dig out.”

I scoff, my hands going to my hips.

“But I do not hate this,” he says, gesturing idly between us. “And I do not hate you. I am grateful that you are here. That you are trying to help with the blight.”

I don’t know how long it’s been since I felt butterflies in my stomach over something a male said to me, but I have to fight the urge to lay my hand on top of my lower abdomen when the sensation blooms. “Well, I too find you nearly intolerable. But more like when you step in animal feces and can’t quite get rid of the smell.” My words get his lips to curl even more, and that thrill returns—the one I only felt before when I riled him up. “For what it’s worth, I don’t hate you either. At least, not fully.” I certainly didn’t hate what we just did either.

Kai chuckles, satisfaction rolling through me at the sound. “Fair enough, Princess.”

“My offer stands,” I say, watching as his shoulders tense. “If you aren’t too stubborn to take it, that is.”

“Tua has a system for handling the things I am not capable of.”

“Who has told you that you aren’t capable?”

Kai runs a hand through his hair, settling his features into stoicism once more. “Stop. You’ve been here for hardly a few weeks and act as if it is your job to fix anything other than the problem I’ve brought you here to work on.”

Rolling my eyes, I point a finger at his chest. “How can I even attempt to fix the magic problem when the people suffering are too afraid to speak up about it? Because they don’t trust you or are afraid of the rebels attacking them?”

His eyes snap to mine as his jaw clenches, a muscle fluttering along his neck.

“I don’t doubt that Tua has connections; I’ve seen it in the way he interacts with the people around him,” I say more gently. “But he is not the king. You are. I would also argue that the way he is doing things isn’t exactly working . So, unless you’d like to abdicate the throne and just give it to him—or to your cousin —I suggest you change your approach.”

“How do you know—” He interrupts himself with a shake of his head. “Jahlee.”

“Yes, your sister has a wonderful affinity for dropping nuggets of information at the most inconvenient of times.”

He snorts as his eyes roam my face, moving down my neck and then to my shoulder—where he winces. “You might want to heal that.” He gestures to where his teeth sunk into my skin, and my fingers lift to trail over the now tender skin there.

Turning, I step towards the mirror and angle my body so that the light of a flame gem glows over the mark. The skin isn’t broken, but it will take a few days to completely heal. Like with the wounds I sustained during the rebel attack, I’ll have to work to hide this mark until it is gone. He watches me intently, likely waiting to see the flare of my magic. I don’t blame him, I would be curious as well if I had sailed across the ocean and risked being attacked by the sirens to get a mage with raw power. I try to keep my heart rate even, knowing that his ears are sensitive enough to pick up any changes. His eyebrow arches, the question so obvious that for a moment I feel panic begin to creep in. No . No. I need a distraction, and finally, I think of one.

“Kai, I’d like to contact my family and let them know I am well. Can I speak with them through the Mirror?” I step towards the door, intent on leading him to the mirror in the experiment room, when his hand gently clasps around mine.

His eyes are dark now, the earthy brown taking back over so only small flecks of gold remain. Kai studies me again, and for the first time since my childhood, I fight the urge to shrivel under a male’s inspection. My heart leaps in my throat, the weight of my deceit and of what we just did holding it there as I force an inhale. “Of course you can contact your family.”

I let loose a small sigh, tugging on his hand to leave the dining space, but he squeezes my fingers once more. Staring up at him in question, I watch as his smirk grows and he gestures with his chin behind me. Letting go of my hand, he walks to the mirror propped in the corner, and I watch in mild horror as the surface of the glass ripples when he’s close enough.

“Are you telling me that you fucked me with your fingers in front of the mirror I’m supposed to use to talk with my family ?”

His answering grin is sinfully devious as he says my father’s name, and the Mirror starts to turn cloudy.