Page 54

Glancing around at the men, I see the change in their faces. A buzz of excitement surrounds us all and I hear their whispers of what it will be like to reign victorious over the enemy. What it will be like to discover the most prized treasure known to our kind.

I feel it too.

It’s an intoxicating invitation, enticing me to join the fight.

Resting my hands on the pommels of my twin daggers, I squeeze the metal, letting it bite into my skin.

But my feet stay firmly planted to the ground as I watch the violent dance before me.

That all-familiar desire blossoms in my core.

It is the only thing stronger than the need of vengeance.

Zaos goes in hard with his daggers, striking blow after blow at Grayson whose eyes finally land on me.

A feral grin splits his face as he maneuvers his sword to block another nearly-fatal blow from Zaos.

They parry again, but this time Grayson is looking straight at me.

His gaze never wavers, not as Zaos sheaths one of his daggers and exchanges it for another throwing knife, which he aims straight at Grayson’s stomach.

Grayson drops the blade of his sword just in time. The throwing knife clinks against his sword, falling to the ground at his feet.

People start to notice, following the line of Grayson’s gaze as he continues to fight.

I bite my lower lip until the taste of iron lands on my tongue.

The need to be near him, to feel his skin against mine, crashes over me like a monstrous rogue wave. That throbbing ache between my legs grows stronger and stronger, nearing the edge of painful.

Grayson looks at me as he always does—seeing straight past the wall I put around myself to the truth of what lies within.

He knows how I long for him. I can see it in his smirk.

I hate him for it. I hate how little strength I have when it comes to him. And he knows that as well.

Another clashing of their swords rings through the air making me jump.

I have to get out of here . It’s all just . . . too much.

Turning away, I push through the rows of men, ignoring the confused looks on their faces.

Each passing step sends a jolt of pleasure through me as the fabric of my trousers rubs deliciously against my sex.

Stifling a moan, I cover my mouth with the back of my hand as I finally make it to the door and shut myself behind it.

I haven’t slept in my own bed for two nights now, but I can’t stand the thought of being surrounded by his scent without having him with me.

So, I make for the smaller door to the far left of his room that leads to my bedroom.

The lanterns are lit, as if he thought to keep the room ready should I ever want to use it again.

I’m thankful for the gesture as I unlace my boots and kick them off. My body burns, but I close my eyes and take my time as I pull the ties of my corset loose—imagining his fingers are releasing me from the cinched fabric.

The corset falls to the floor. Chills spread across my skin as I scrape my knuckles along my ribcage, lifting my laced tunic overhead.

A longing I have never known settles in my heart as I strip the rest of my clothes from my body and settle between the cool sheets of the bed.

My hands immediately delve down my body, to that sacred space between my thighs, and just as I close my eyes to imagine my roaming fingertips belong to him , there’s a knock on my door.

Jolting upright, I bring the duvet up to cover my naked breasts as the door creaks open and Grayson strides through.

Bright blue eyes beneath dark brows stare me down. He is silent as the scar over his cheek crinkles and his lips widen into a feral smirk. “I saw you out there, Little Pearl. Eyeing me as if I were the most delectable treat your mouth has ever tasted.”

Grayson moves toward the end of my bed in slow deliberate steps. The sheen of his sweat glistens in the low lantern light. Darting my tongue out, I wet my bottom lip. It’s still swollen from when I bit down too hard on it.

“You called to me, Little Pearl. Without saying a word, I knew you wanted me to find you. To allow you the taste you’ve been craving.”

Yes .

Yes, I have been craving him.

For longer than I care to admit I have dreamt of what it might be like to be his. To be claimed by him in every sense of the word.

“Then come here and let me have you.” My voice is low as I drop the duvet and it falls to my waist. Grayson’s eyes slide down to the swell of my breasts and a guttural moan vibrates through the air.

I feel his gaze like a hungry caress along my skin as he brings his hands down to his weapon’s belt, unfastening the buckle in one hastened motion.

His sword clammers to the ground as I snake my hand up my waist and over my left nipple, rolling the sensitive bud between my fingers.

“You want a taste, Little Pearl?” Grayson dips his hand into his pants and strokes himself.

Biting my bottom lip again, I nod. The tension in his gaze is a searing hot thing, skating over my skin before he even lays a hand on me.

I watch, my mouth watering, as he moves his hand up and down. The outline of his fist showing along the fabric of his pants. Then he releases himself and my eyes drop to his growing length as it tents the fine black linen.

“There’s one small problem,” Grayson purrs. The corded muscles of his shoulders and biceps flex as he leans forward, settling his hands on the end of the bed.

“And what is that?” I arch a brow at him.

He smirks. “ I am the captain of this ship, which means what I say goes.”

Grayson fists the duvet and in one strong pull, he rips it off the bed, leaving me utterly naked in front of him.

Long thick lashes fan out over his cheeks as his gaze dips down, following the line of my legs that I’ve kept clamped together to ward off the growing ache between them. There is no mistaking the longing that settles in those stormy blue irises.

He takes his time looking at me, as if I’m one of the precious carvings etched into the walls of his ship with too many details to observe all at once.

Not willing to spare another second without his hands roaming my body, I scoot myself back into the pillows.

With a slow, lazy smile, I bring my right leg out and then my left, leaving no part of me hidden from his sight.

A muscle jumps in Grayson’s jaw and I don’t miss the way his chest starts to rise and fall more quickly.

“And what, exactly, do you have to say?” I ask.

Raw power radiates off him, vibrating through the air, unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.

I watch as his control slips. The game we’ve always played comes to an end when he moves slowly over the bed, crawling toward me with a ravenous need as if I were the sandy shore after he’s been adrift in the sea for far too long.

The specks of silver stardust in his eyes shine brighter the moment his hands settle over the skin of my ankles. His palms are rough as he wraps his hands tightly around me. In one swift motion, he pulls me toward him and I let out an excited yip.

His knees spread wide as he settles himself onto the bed. There’s no hiding myself from him as he drapes my legs over the back of his shoulders. I’m at his mercy and I’ve never felt so alive.

Wanting heat flicks up my thighs, shooting straight to my core as he dips his head and plants a kiss along my sensitive skin.

Then he turns those otherworldly eyes on me and says, “Every moment that has passed without your presence has been agony of the acutest kind. A pain I would not wish upon my greatest enemy. A pain I did not know existed until I first laid my eyes upon you and realized just how empty my life has been before your arrival.”

I still, unable to breathe as I stare at the devastating wreckage written across his face. The beautiful allure that has always pulled me toward him . . . The memory of my mother always noting my draw toward danger . . .

It is him .

He is who my heart has been searching for all this time. Just as he has been searching for me.

“Grayson.” His name is a starlit prayer on my lips.

My back arches when he takes his hand forward and glides his fingertips over my stomach. “You wish to taste me, Little Pearl, but it is I who has starved for far too long for a taste of you .”

Grayson lowers his head to the inseam of my thigh, peppering my skin with tender kisses that send chills skirting over my entire body.

As he edges closer to that sacred spot, he grazes me with his teeth, nipping my soft flesh with just enough bite before smoothing over the sting with a gentle caress of his lips.

Every movement of his ignites a new round of pleasure until my mind empties of anything but him. Like jumping into the sea, his essence surrounds me. Touching every part of my body and soul.

Soft black waves fall into his face as he lowers himself onto his stomach and pulls me so close I can feel the heat of his breath along my sex.

The blue of his eyes darkens a shade as his arms wrap around my hips, keeping me locked in position.

“Of all the times I’ve dreamed of having you right here, laid before me like my own personal feast, I never imagined how delectable it would truly be. ”

Peering down at him, time stands still.

He is mine and I am his.

Nothing has ever felt so holy, so natural. Like the will of the waves crashing onto the sandy shore. The sheer force of it ensuring they are one for all of eternity.

When Grayson lays claim to me with his mouth, I am that shore and he is the wave.

Consuming.

Taking.

Possessing.

My hips buck from the sensation of his tongue swiping against me in one long sensual stroke, but he presses down on my stomach, keeping me still as my entire world shifts.

I groan, reaching my arms out.

Grasping.

Searching.

For anything that might keep me from floating away as he works his mouth on me.

Licking.

Suckling.

Nipping at my sensitive flesh.

“Grayson . . .” I whisper his name and he growls against me, the subtle vibration sending a flurry of butterflies into my core.

“You taste divine, Little Pearl,” he breathes against me before unleashing himself upon me again.

He takes his time, sweeping his tongue over me again and again until I am a puddle in his arms. Looking up at me, there is nothing but complete and utter adoration. It’s as if I am the most precious thing in the world to him.

In this moment, I am his treasure. The one he’s been searching for his entire immortal life.

Grayson’s fingers delve into the flesh of my hips as his tongue sinks into me, tasting all that I am and shattering me until I am a quivering mess.

His name is a prayer on my lips as I lace my fingers through his hair and pull him closer. Rocking my hips against him, he lashes his tongue against my clit, sending me spiraling toward that edge until I’m teetering over it.

Sliding his arm across my stomach, he keeps me locked against the bed as his other hand retreats and I feel him pull away just enough that his fingers have room to tease my entrance.

Letting my head fall back into the pillows, I close my eyes as he slowly pushes two fingers inside of me.

The fullness I feel at the same time he works his tongue over my clit has me hurtling toward that cliff with abandon.

Feeling my climax build, Grayson pumps his fingers into me. Again. And again. Curling just enough to hit that spot deep inside, my body bursts with sensation as I scream out his name loud enough to graze the heavens.

His movements slow as I ride the aftermath of my orgasm and when my body has had enough, Grayson slowly removes his fingers and moves his lips upward, tracing a long line from my lower stomach to my neck.

I feel the weight of his body sink against mine and I relish in every delicious inch of where our bare skin meets. But frustration builds as I wriggle my hips against his hard length and I’m met with the linen fabric of his pants.

“You cruel little thing,” Grayson murmurs against my neck before he leans up and takes my bottom lip between his teeth then lets it go with a pop.

“You’ve had your fun. Now it’s my turn to get what I want.” I pout and move my hips up against his arousal once more.

Grayson chuckles. “Given the moans that came from that pretty mouth of yours, I’d think you received exactly what you wanted.” He kisses each corner of my mouth and roams his hand over my breasts in slow lazy movements that have my entire body heating with insatiable need again.

“This”—I reach down between us and palm his erection—“is what I want.”

Grayson lets out a low growl, the sound vibrating against my chest. “And you shall have it. In good time.” Lifting himself onto his elbows, he wraps a hand around my waist and flips me onto my stomach.

“For now, I have plans to taste every inch of your beautiful body until there is no place left where my lips have not claimed you.”

Goosebumps rise along my back as he traces his fingertips all the way down my spine to the gentle curve of my ass. And when he plants a kiss between my shoulder blades, following the line he made with his fingers, I forget all the other wishes I have prayed to the heavens for.

There is only him .