Page 90 of Hunted By Fear

He quickly slides it off and discards it before quickly moving his hands back to hold me as if he’s just as desperate to touch me as I am him.

I won’t pretend I’m not a little bummed, though. Yes, getting his shirt off was probably faster like this, and I love being able to see his bare skin and the tattoos that cover most of his chest and arms, but damn it, do I wish he had his wings out.

Would it be weird to ask?

I know they had tucked them away because of the garden. Bast had explained that most things here could and would be happy to try and eat not only me but anyone, given the chance. I’d watched in silent fascination as they tucked them away, but is it still necessary?

We’re still in the garden, but this area around the blanket is pretty clear.

“What’s wrong?” Talian asks, and I hear the concern in his voice as he freezes, his hand just barely edged up my shirt. The feel of his hand on my bare skin steals my breath and makes me take longer than it should to realize he’d just asked me a question and is expecting an answer.

I bite my lip, unsure if I want to voice my question aloud or not. I don’t have wings. What if I’m asking something weird or taboo?

“Darling, whatever it is, you can tell me,” he assures me, unwilling to let it go as he leans in, pressing his nose to my throatand pressing soft, open-mouth kisses to the very sensitive skin there.

Fuck.

“I was just a little bummed that you don’t have your wings out,” I say in a rush before I lose my nerve.

Talian freezes, and I peek open an eye to find him staring down at me with a look I can’t decipher.

“I-I’m sorry. Was that rude to ask?” I stammer out, looking in his eyes to try and see if he’s upset or not. It’s impossible to tell at first, but after what feels like far too long, I watch as his eyes begin to glow and a smile curves his lips.

He doesn’t answer, and every second of silence makes me worry more until suddenly his wings snap out, unfolding to their full wingspan behind him.

My breath catches as I stare, mesmerized.

“Wow…” I swallow hard, flexing my fingers into his biceps to keep myself from reaching out.

“Wow, me?” he asks with a laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. “Nah, definitely a wow, you, Aeri. You fucking wow me more all the time.”

His fingers wrap around my right wrist, pulling my hand from his chest, and my eyes go wide as he guides it over his shoulder. I reach out, the need to feel his wings more pressing than the need to breathe, and I forget how the second my fingertips brush the soft, almost stretchy skin pulled tight between each section.

I feel his cock twitch, getting impossibly harder beneath me. Talian releases my wrist, and I lean into him until our chests are pressed together to better explore. His head drops back, and his eyes fall closed, his breathing labored, which only makes me want to touch him more.

His wings curl forward as if encouraging me to explore, and I do just that. Pushing up on my knees, I let my fingers wander up to the hard spine of them, the sharp points they end in.

“Fuck, Aerilyn.” Talian’s voice is strained, as if he’s struggling to speak. I sit back, planting myself back on his lap once again, watching his face. The way he reacts to me, looks at me, touches me…

It’s exhilarating.

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: Talian is fucking stunning, but right now, having him like this, it’s empowering.

I lean into him much like he did to me earlier, only instead, I catch the lobe of his ear between my teeth to gently nibble it.

“I need you inside me,” I say on an exhale, my voice hardly more than a whisper, but I might as well have shouted them with the way he responds.

His eyes fly open as his arms wrap around me, and he flips us, pressing my back to the blanket, gentler than should be possible with the heat in his eyes.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

With a flick of his wrist, my leggings and shirt are gone, leaving me in only my bra and underwear. I don’t have to look to know his clothes are gone, too. He presses up, hovering over me, and I take in every delicious inch of him. His skin is like a doodle pad with ink all over the place, words and pictures, but the biggest piece is a raven on his chest.

They swirl and move, and I’m not sure if that’s real or my mind playing tricks on me.

I reach for him, but this time he stops me, pressing my arms back down to the ground and easily holding them in one hand. I don’t try to get free, but I don’t need to; even without magic, it’s not hard to know he would overpower me.

“My turn, Darling.” The smile on his lips is mischievous, but before I can push back, he’s moving down my body, dipping his head to press his lips to the soft skin of my stomach right above the band of my underwear.