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“Harman says he wants to meet with me again tomorrow,” Ana tells me. “Our being related isn’t the only reason he wanted to make contact with me.”

“Of course,” I say, trying to keep my voice neutral.

“Meaning?” she asks, searching my face for some hint that I’m being sarcastic. Apparently, she can sense I still have reservations.

I shrug. “Everyone always wants something, and the Hand is no different.”

Her face twists into a dissatisfied expression. She doesn’t like my answer.

“Do you believe what my brother said about your parents?”

“I don’t know,” I say truthfully.

“But you’re willing to accept the accommodation he offers you and let Alastor take the potion Mal gave him?” she says. “What if they’re trying to poison him so he can’t ever get better and reveal their lies?”

I don’t point out that it’s unlikely the Hand has any idea what Alastor can do.

“Do you think that’s what’s happening?” I ask skeptically.

“No,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest. “But I’m just trying to figure out where you stand.”

“He obviously wants you as an ally, and I don’t think they’re trying to kill the rest of us off.

I think your brother is smart enough to realize that you would object to any proposal he made after he murdered your friends.

But that doesn’t mean I think every word out of his mouth is the full, untarnished truth. ”

“You do think he’s my brother though?” she asks, and it makes my chest ache to hear the hope in her voice.

“I haven’t seen that test before, but if you think it seemed accurate, then I trust your judgment. Besides…there is some family resemblance.”

She can’t suppress her excited smile. “I noticed that too. I felt like I was looking in a mirror sometimes.”

“Nonsense,” I say. “You’re much more beautiful.”

It’s so easy to make her blush, even now. But my flirting doesn’t distract her from the subject at hand. Not yet, at least.

“When we talk tomorrow, I’m going to ask for his help killing Oclanna.”

“We don’t?—”

“We do need help, Leon,” she says, reading my mind. “You said yourself that it would be tricky to get into the palace. I don’t know what they can offer exactly. But whether it’s contacts or manpower or even just information, we can use it. It could make this mission safer for everyone.”

“Or blow it out of the water. You saw what state they were in today,” I say.

She goes a little pale, remembering the wounded. “That just shows they’re dedicated. If the Temple’s brutality doesn’t scare them off, I’d say that’s a good thing.”

“Will you tell them about Oclanna getting orders from Caledon then?”

“I think so,” she says. “But maybe not everything. Harman might not have always gotten along with my father, but that doesn’t mean he won’t want his murderer dead. I think he’ll agree to help even without proof that it would hurt the Temple.”

Her face moves from thoughtful to serious and she steps toward me, standing on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around my neck.

“I’m sorry you don’t have answers about your parents yet. But we will get to the bottom of it.”

She kisses me, her lips soft and warm against mine, and much of the day’s tension melts away.

It’s suddenly easy to not worry about whether Harman is lying to us, about what it will mean if he is, knowing now he’s Ana’s brother.

I let her drag all those thoughts and concerns out of me, pulling me over into an abyss of desire with her.

“You’re dangerous, Ana Angevire,” I growl against her lips.

She pulls back, playfully tilting her head.

“How so?”

“One kiss from you and I’d do anything you’d ask.”

She laughs. “On the contrary, it’s me who’ll do anything you ask.”

A fire flares in me at the idea. “Promise?” I ask.

The amusement from her face is gone, her mouth falling softly open as she understands what I’m asking.

“I promise,” she says, running her hand up my chest. “What do you want me to do, my prince?”

Blood settles between my legs as she looks coquettishly up at me through her eyelashes.

“First, you need to take your hands off me.”

She pouts, and her mouth is too tempting.

I lean down and capture her bottom lip between my teeth, gently teasing it.

The surprised noise she makes only turns me on more, and by the time I release her, I’ve decided exactly how I want this to play out.

I want this stubborn, deliciously headstrong woman to remember that in this one way, she’s mine to possess.

“Go stand over there,” I order. She looks at me curiously but smiles and obeys. When she’s there, her back against the wall, I let my voice drop lower.

“Now, take off your dress. Slowly.”

A pink flush dances across her cheeks, but she doesn’t hesitate to reach behind to unfasten her gown.

She slips one arm out, followed by the other.

Then, inch by inch, she lets the fabric slip down her body, until the dress is crumpled on the floor and she stands in just a thin slip.

She kicks the dress aside and leans back against the wall, letting her hands slide across the silk fabric, up over her stomach and then her breasts.

“Is this what you want?” she asks, her voice rough. I lick my lips, distracted by the way her nipples are peaked under the thin fabric of the slip. I want to take them in my mouth.

“What I want is for you to obey me, like a good princess,” I say firmly.

Her eyes flare with arousal at my tone. “Yes, my prince.”

“Now,” I say, “I want you to touch yourself.”

She breathes in raggedly, leaning further back against the wall.

“Like this?” she asks. Gliding her hands down her thighs, she lifts the hem of the slip and slides her hand between her legs.

It’s a miracle I don’t lose all self-control right then, but I hold my desire on a tight leash, watching as she starts to stroke herself.

“I want you to touch yourself like you do when you’re alone at night and thinking of me. Fantasizing about me between your thighs,” I order.

Her strokes delve deeper inside and become more frantic, desperate to find the angle that will give her satisfaction. She releases a whimper.

“I do think about you,” she says breathlessly. “Because I need you, so bad. Fuck me, Leon.”

My cock strains against the fabric of my pants. I’m desperate to give her what she wants, but that’s not the game.

“That sounds a lot like you telling me what to do,” I tease, letting my eyes linger over her spread legs, the wet arousal slick and shiny on her fingers. The way her hand trembles. “Remember who’s in charge here?”

“You are,” she gasps. “ Please .” Her fingers thrust harder, and she releases a feral sound, squeezing her eyes shut.

Gods, that noise, the sight of her fucking herself, begging for me, is too much. With a growl, I cross the room and lift her into my arms. She wraps her legs around my waist, gripping the chest of drawers beside us as I yank my pants open with one hand and release my erection.

Her eyes meet mine as I position my cock between her legs.

They’re so beautiful, two hazel fires igniting me with every glance.

I see in that look everything she is that I find so irresistible—not just her body, or the pleasure she gives me, but the bravery in her heart, the fierceness in her soul.

I could search to the ends of the earth and still not find anything like it.

Those bright eyes close when she sinks down, letting me fill her, joining us together. A raw groan vibrates through my chest as I revel in the perfect, clenching heat of her surrounding me, but her sigh is one of pure relief.

“Poor princess,” I say, kissing the edge of her jaw. “Did I make you wait for me too long? Was I too cruel to you?”

“So cruel,” she murmurs. “But you can make it up to me.”

With one hand still braced on the furniture, she grabs my shoulder with the other, her nails digging into my flesh nearly hard enough to draw blood. The pain just intensifies the pleasure, elevating it to something exquisite as I push her against the wall and thrust upward.

“Yes, Leon,” she pants, squeezing her legs tighter against my hips. “More. I need more of you.”

Fuck , she feels so good. So hot and tight around me as I plunge into her again and again. It drives me wild the way each thrust undoes her a little bit more, her moans morphing into urgent shouts as she gets close to climax.

I try to secure the moment in my memory.

The feel and sight and smell of her. The salty-sweet taste of the sweat on her skin and sultry beauty of the sounds she makes.

I wish this time would stretch on forever—keeping me in the minutes I’m connected to her as closely as I can be, knowing she’s safe and happy. And that I’m happy too.

Her fingers tighten against my shoulder, and she mumbles something about being close.

I don’t relent, only taking her deeper. The drawers beside her shake from the force of our bodies slamming together, straining to get even closer, as if we could crawl fully inside each other if we just tried hard enough.

And then, at last, she screams and her whole body quivers against me.

I close my eyes, focusing on the feel of her inner muscles squeezing tight around my cock, dragging me toward the edge with her.

With a roar of pleasure, I claim one last, brutal kiss from Ana and then let my release rock through me, spilling into her.

Still clutching each other, panting and elated, we come down from our orgasms, smiling like fools.

Ana rests her forehead against mine and meets my gaze but doesn’t speak.

She doesn’t need to say anything—and neither do I.

All I need is to keep looking into those hazel eyes.

As long as I have those, I have a shred of peace in this fucked-up world.