Page 8 of Nightingale (The Broken Kingdoms #1)

R ian yanked her from the chair as soon as his fingers drifted low, too low. He’d felt the slickness between her legs, the way that she’d been desperate. Her breathing had turned ragged as she’d watched the pair succumb to bliss to a point where even the musicians couldn’t cover the loud cry that ripped from the woman’s throat as she found pleasure.

No one else seemed bothered by it.

No one else seemed to even notice it.

Vrea didn’t object as he pulled her into the hallway and up the flight of stairs. She didn’t try to get free as he backed her into the wall and locked eyes with her. Her chest heaved and her nipples rubbed against the rough leather.

“Do you want this?” His voice was rough, low, and it only sent a spear of desire straight through her. “Because if not, then I will walk you back to your room and leave you for the rest of the night. But if you do,” He swallowed, taking her body in with an aching scan that made her squirm under it. “Then I won’t stop at halfway.”

It used to take quite a bit for her body to ignite.

Now, after years of celibacy, it seemed a couple well-said words did the trick. Her mind screamed at her to stop, to ignore the pounding lust that washed over her in a rapid douse of heat. She was on fire, she was desperate, she was going to burst if she had to wait any longer.

Vrea could pretend he was someone else.

She could imagine a handsome stablehand or a muscled guard from Niroula. He didn’t have to be a Carylimian Prince.

“Shut up.” She commanded him and did a dangerous thing. Her hand reached up and tangled in his auburn hair, which had been left down tonight. His eyes glazed as he realised she wouldn’t turn him down and he surged forward.

Rian kissed her.

It wasn’t a soft kiss, nor was it the tongue-sweeping kind that she expected. It was pepper and it was fire, and it was everything that she needed.

He was rough, demanding and she liked it.

Vrea kissed him back, just as fierce as he did and he groaned into her mouth as he slammed her back against the wall. A noise left her at the impact but it wasn’t bad. He thrusted his hips into hers and she gasped, the contact directly breaking out into frissons across her sensitive skin.

“I’ve always thought you to be attractive.” Rian ground out as he nipped her bottom lip. “Even from day one, when you were here to kill me. I saw my brother pin you to the ground and wished it was me on top of you, instead. I watched them carry you away and wanted to tell them to bring you to my room.”

She didn’t respond, didn’t want to think about forming correct sentences and phrases until he’d sunk into her. He was trying to undo the laces that held her top together, trying to free her chest and do sinful things to it. She wondered if he’d take her breast in his mouth and roll the bud around with his teeth, if he’d lick it over and over again.

Oh gods, even the thought of that was enough to send sensations rocketing across her.

“This damned top.” Rian hissed as he pulled away to study it. “Why did Castil have to dress you in leather, of all things? The last couple of nights, I’ve been able to see everything. I wouldn’t have needed to rip damned cords off of you. The first night, I could make out your perky nipples and I wanted nothing more than to lick them.” He succeeded in pulling the knot at the top, and the pressure at her sides loosened. “When it’s my turn tomorrow night, I don’t think I’ll even bring you to the party. I think I’ll tell Father that you contracted something and had to stay in your rooms for the evening.”

She didn’t know why he was telling her this.

Not when there were more important things he should have been doing with his mouth.

“Instead, I’m going to dress you in nothing and take you to my room.” Rian freed the first leather cord, throwing it aside as he began to unlace the second one on the opposite side. “I’m going to keep you there all night.”

Vrea let out a soft whimper, a sound that she didn’t even know she knew how to make but it only seemed to excite him as he pulled the second cord out and her top fell down, exposing her.

Rian’s eyes guttered, turning the blue of them to something smouldering, dark. Her knees trembled as he rolled one of her tiny breasts around in his large hand, massaging tenderly as he took her in. His fingers touched her tawny skin, dragging pleasure throughout her as he traced patterns down her sides and back under her breasts.

“I’m going to devour you.” He promised and brought his lips around her nipple as he sank down in order to reach the correct height. Her body jerked in response as he pinned her to the wall.

“Then hurry up,” Vrea groaned, his tongue swirling.

“I’m going to fuck you like I hate you.”

If she hadn’t been already soaking, that would have done it for her.

Rian, the Golden Prince of Carylim was on his knees before her, doing terribly wonderful things to her body as he suckled and licked and bit. His fingers began to untie her skirt, working at the laces one by one as he continued to kiss a trail down her stomach.

“That’s funny,” A chilling voice crept into the otherwise empty chamber. “Because last I recalled, you did hate her.”

A cold bucket of ice water doused her as her skirt came free, baring her to whomever stood there. Her skin pebbled and the hairs at the back of her neck stood on end as she recognized the male by his resonance and his resonance alone.

The very last person she desired to see her naked.

“Brother,” Rian paused, letting the fabric slide away without any attempt to catch it. “How nice of you to join us. I was in the middle of something, so if you wouldn’t mind leaving, I’d greatly appreciate it.”

The darkness parted and Vrea blinked back the light to see the worst person in either Kingdom, save for their father, standing there.

Castil.

There was a frozen rage on his face that made her inhale sharply. Because it made him alluring, in a dangerous way. Her lungs turned to lead as she just stared at him, unable to move, unable to cover herself up.

Castil’s gaze, however, did not fall lower than her chin and she had to admit a small ounce of respect and self-restraint towards him for it.

“It was my night, not yours, Rian.” He turned his focus towards his brother, simply dismissing her in a second. “What are you doing?”

Rian stood, wiped the corners and underside of his mouth with his thumb and turned to face his sibling. With a casual shrug of his shoulders, he said, “It wasn’t like you were going to use her properly.”

Hatred filled her chest at that.

White-hot hatred that felt as though the sun and moon had collided inside of her, exploding into something brand new and familiar at the exact same time.

Castil’s lip twitched but in anger or annoyance, she didn’t know. “Need I remind you that our King forbade any nighttime activities with her?”

“Please, you think he would have cared if I bedded her? I was showing her a good time. She needed it after being locked up for three years without a single soul to touch her! That’s a different sort of punishment, and even you know it.”

Vrea closed her eyes and tried to wipe any remaining ember of lust away as she required her mind at the moment. “Take me back to my room. Now.” She demanded and shoved past Rian, who seemed to feel remorseful at the way he’d spoken about her as if she’d not been there beside him.

“I’ll take you.” He insisted but she just held up her hand in refusal. “We don’t need to let this interruption ruin it.”

“Go find someone else to warm your bed for the night, because it sure as hell won’t be me.” Vrea circled around to face him, uncaring that she was naked before two males. “And don’t even think about trying to escort me down to another absurd night to celebrate my capture, because I would rather throw myself off the balcony than allow you to try this shit again.”

A coat dropped over her shoulders and she turned to see that Castil had removed his and draped it over her instead, to cover her up from others. It would take far too long to re-lace the cords of her leather garment unless she wanted to be whisked away into an unfamiliar room and had to sit still for one of them to tie it back up.

The very last thing she wanted was for either of them to be touching her.

“I’ll take you.” Castil said quietly, aiming a sharpened look at his brother. “At least that way you won’t have to worry about the pressure of bedding me when we arrive at your door.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” Rian snorted and tugged at his pants as he adjusted the obvious erection that strained the leather.

A light hand braced on her spine as he gave her no other option but to walk. She stiffened but didn’t object as she pulled the coat around her, covering everything up.

“I would.” He snapped in return and briskly sauntered down the hall behind her.