Page 25 of Cruelly Fated (Princes of Avari #1)

Twenty-One

KYON

I lay on the cold stone floor of the cavern, writhing uncontrollably, every muscle recovering from the violence of the shift. Breath tore from my lungs in short, ragged bursts. I stared at my hand. No, not just a hand now, but a weapon reborn. Thick and steady. My veins pulsed with awakened power.

The dragon’s essence surged through me, no longer dulled by iron cuffs or magic suppressants.

It blazed in my blood, ravenous and wild, as if awakening from a too-long slumber.

I had nearly forgotten this feeling. The raw, unfiltered strength of being whole.

No chains to blunt my instincts. No walls between man and beast. Only power humming beneath the skin.

My heart pounded, more heavily than it had in months. I flexed my fingers again, marveling at the primal heat burning at my core. At how the air now tasted crisper, the dirt beneath me pressed harder, like the world had grown teeth and was daring me to bite back.

I wasn’t merely alive again; I was lethal.

Then a new scent split the stone-cold air: human fear. Someone else was in the cavern with me. And that someone was trembling. The dragon inside me prowled closer to the surface, tasting the air… Beneath the terror lay a note of impossible sweetness. Peaches and cream.

Allie.

My head snapped toward her so fast my neck cracked.

She stood against the far wall, small and fragile in the dim light, arms cinched tight around her waist as if to keep herself from falling apart.

Wide lavender eyes like twin amethysts in the gloom fixed on me.

A few strands of hair clung to her flushed cheeks; the thin fabric of her mid-rise top quivered with every shallow breath.

She looked like something torn straight from a dream, too pure and too vivid for the ruin that was my world.

And she was terrified of me.

The dragon inside me howled, raking at my ribs. Not her. Never her.

ALLIE

Kyon’s dark eyes pulsed in rhythm with the power still coursing through him. Was the dragon under his control now? Or was it still lingering, ready to surge back?

“Kyon?” My voice trembled.

His throat bobbed. “Your voice…” He pushed himself to sitting, his profile turned towards me. He draped his long, muscular arms over his bent knees, his broad back curving over his lower body.

“What?”

His eyelids dropped to half-mast. “It’s intoxicating. Like your scent. Like your trembling body.”

A charged pause stretched between us. He studied me, his gaze sweeping over me like he was memorizing every curve…

or craving a taste. Then he dropped his head low, hunching his shoulders as if ashamed of the hunger in his eyes or, well, losing control of his dragon in a way that could’ve ended deadly…

“There’s a hidden passage behind you,” he whispered. “Reach for the boulder above your head. The steps will take you down to the gardens behind the house.”

I whirled and groped along the rock until I found the release. A flat slab gave way with a dull click. I peered into the passage, ready to flee, but hesitated at the entrance and glanced over my shoulder instead.

Kyon hadn’t moved. A vision of masculine perfection, sculpted, thick calves and powerful thighs tapering into a lean, sinewed waist, his back stretched wide with muscle, his arms corded like those of a gladiator. He resembled an ancient Greek warrior.

What would it feel like to be held by those arms? Carried by this man? Claimed by this fierce, untamed beast? The dangerous thoughts swirled through my mind, heat coiling low in my belly, while my heart pounded with raw anticipation.

I stepped toward him.

His head snapped to the side, eyes locking on mine in an instant. Desire swirled in their depth. That look alone emboldened me. I shuffled closer until a low growl rumbled from his chest.

“My dragon wants you…” he rasped.

Like…to hunt me? Or—

I bit the inside of my cheek. “Do you want me?”

A dark laugh escaped his lips as he tilted his head back, the sound thick with something I couldn’t quite name. I frowned. Had I misread everything? But then his smoldering gaze met mine again.

“Baby girl, I’ve wanted you since the moment you walked by that fence. Before you ever spoke. Before you even noticed me, while I was sitting there, praying to fae gods to make you mine. ”

My face flushed hot. His words set me on fire. Tucking loose hair behind my ear, I placed a foot forward, making a clear statement, and followed with two more steps.

Kyon growled. “I don’t know if you realize…I haven’t been with a woman in a while…”

I scrunched my nose. So, what if he was rusty? I hadn’t been with a real man. Ever.

“I feel like I have to spell this out for you, sweetheart.” Warning laced his voice.

“When I take you, there won’t be anything gentle about it.

I’m already hard just looking at you in that ridiculously short skirt.

” His jaw clenched. “I’d like to believe you wore it for me, but I was half-dead in that bed, so… ”

His tone dipped into something darker. Jealousy? He forced himself to stop, glancing away.

I gulped. “I didn’t dress for anyone. It’s for the job.”

He gave a small nod. “Still. I don’t want to hurt you. It’s best we put some distance between us.”

“It’s too late for that…” I whispered, fidgeting with my hands behind my back. “My turn to explain something.”

Stepping closer, I cleared my throat. “I want you . I’ve never wanted a man the way I want you.”

His body tensed as if my words physically struck him. His chest rose sharply, and when his eyes met mine again, conflict brewed in their depth. The muscles in his arms flexed like he was restraining himself, a fine tremor skittering across his back.

“I nearly killed you,” he said hoarsely .

“You didn’t,” I countered. “The dragon tried. But you have him under control now. I trust you.”

I stood within his reach now, close enough to feel the wisps of hot air curling around his body.

He growled again. “This is madness. But I’m a selfish man.

” His hand shot out, his strong fingers encircling my wrist with ease, scorching hot and just on the verge of pain.

With a restrained force and ragged breath, he yanked me forward.

I stumbled, landing against him, my chest brushing his face.

A low groan escaped him as he caught my thigh and guided it over his waist.

I sank onto his bare body. His thick cock pressed against my clit and I sucked in a breath.

Kyon caught the edge of my panties, winding the fabric tight around his fingers, pulling it taut.

His other hand gripped the back of my head, holding me steady as he claimed my mouth, first with a teasing graze, then a deeper kiss that sucked the air from my lungs.

His lips dragged along my neck, nipping, until I melted against him into a moaning, pulsing mess.

Then he broke the kiss, his molten emerald eyes locking on mine.

“Are you sure?” he asked, voice gruff, a barely caged beast behind every word.

“Y—” I gasped.

I didn’t even get to finish before he ripped my panties, lifted me just enough to guide his tip to my entrance, and with his arms trembling, let me lower onto him at my own pace. I braced my hands on his shoulders, eyes squeezed shut.

He was bigger than I’d imagined. Much bigger… I whimpered from both discomfort and pleasure and swayed my hips to accommodate him. Kyon hiss-growled and shuddered, restraining himself from taking over.

Fae gods… Fudge… He filled me in ways I never thought possible, curving inside and setting every cell on fire. I savored every inch of him, and when he was fully in, I moaned.

“Look at me,” Kyon purred.

My eyes snapped open.

“Good girl…” he said, blinking away the dragon’s glow in his irises.

I rose and took him in again. Kyon glided his hands under my shirt, cupping and squeezing. He kissed my neck with a hot, open mouth, triggering goosebumps everywhere. With his nose buried in the crook of my neck, he drew a lengthy inhale.

“Fuck. I need to—”

He groaned and rolled his hips into me. I gasped again, fingers curling as the pressure mounted. But my slow rhythm wasn’t enough for him. Tension set in his jaw, and sweat beaded along his hairline. He clamped both hands tighter around my waist and started lifting and lowering me over and over.

He rode me on his thick cock mercilessly, wringing micro orgasms out of me with each thrust then slowing his pace.

Was he withholding my big O from me? I peered at his furrowed forehead, closed eyes, and clenched teeth; Kyon was simply too lost in chasing his release.

Finally, with a growl that vibrated through my core, he came hard, deep, and beautifully wild.

He plunged his tongue into my mouth, one hand cradling my head to keep me from collapsing against him.

Then he pressed his face into my hair, both of us trembling, and him still inside me.

My legs quaked, barely holding me up as his release trickled out, warm and slick, coating my thighs and his abdomen.

A minute passed. Then he thickened again.

Without a word, Kyon lay back on the cold stone floor, folding his arms behind his head and giving over control to me, even though he looked like it took everything in him not to take what he wanted and how he wanted it again.

Fiery orange flecks swirled in his green eyes.

I used his chest for support, splaying my hands there, as my legs threatened to turn to mush.

His muscles flexed beneath my hands, his nipples hardening as he drew a sharp breath.

I began to move slowly, hips rolling with a mild rhythm, each stroke stoking the fire building inside me.

Heat crept up my neck to my cheeks under Kyon’s scrutiny, his stare half-lidded and hungering for me.

“Fuck, you’re even more beautiful sitting on my cock,” he whispered, voice hoarse.

His words sent more blood to my face. I had a feeling I was blushing badly as hell. I shut my eyes and surrendered to the pleasure cresting inside me. Soon I shattered with a fierce cry and collapsed onto his chest, totally wrecked in the best way possible .

He withdrew and flipped us over, a dangerous smirk curling on his lips as he slid lower. Wha—?

My back arched clean off the floor when he licked me.

His long, rough tongue dragged over the length of my slick folds, then dipped between them, triggering every nerve ending and prolonging what I already thought was the best orgasm ever.

He moved with a predator’s focus, targeting places I didn’t even know could unravel me.

My nails scraped the stone floor. And when he sucked gently, then flicked just right, I cried out his name.

“Say it again,” he purred.

“Kyon…”

He lifted my leg and began placing slow, featherlight kisses along my inner thigh, each one closer to my knee, soft but possessive.

“How are you feeling, sweetheart?”

I bit my lip, struggling to find words. To even name sensations flooding through me.

“Totally fucked?”

That glint of amusement mixed with danger entered his eyes.

“Not yet,” he said.

Hmm?

With my leg still braced on his shoulder and my skirt flipped up around my waist, Kyon scooped me into his arms and stood. He tilted back slightly, aligning the head of his cock with my heat. Gasping, I gripped his corded forearms and wrapped my other leg above his ass, anchoring myself to him .

He started slow but soon sped up the tempo, thrusting into me repeatedly. He held me like I weighed nothing. While he ground his jaw and his muscles bulged with effort, the strain was all about getting on that high, not his physical limits.

He was chasing that pleasure with reckless resolve.

And I was right there with him.

His gaze captured mine and held. Then he slammed into me harder, just once, at that exact angle that made my clit explode.

I let my head fall back with a cry as a fresh orgasm tore through me.

A few more brutal, perfect thrusts, and then he came with a guttural groan, thick and hot inside me, his arms trembling from the force of release.

When he set me down, I leaned against his chest, which was rising and falling as abruptly as mine. He tugged my skirt down, covering me, then slid an arm beneath my legs and swept me into his arms. I looped mine around his neck, meeting his scowl.

“Let’s get you down off this mountain. Somewhere we can talk,” he said, voice rough.

I swallowed hard and gave a small nod, trying to smooth emotion from my features.

Because suddenly, all of it and everything between us became real.