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35

Rhea

M y knees feel wobbly even though I’m in a pool of water. Surely, if gravity had me fully in its grasp, I would collapse. I’m going to kill Zephyros. He’s not getting away with abandoning me in a situation like this.

You can do this, Rhea. You can lie your way through it.

“Um, so it’s actually very… easy,” I begin. “You just get under water and use your power like you would out here.” I stretch out a hand and gather some air from the room. It swirls around my fingers, making the water surface below my hand ripple. “Easy as hatching dragons.”

Goddess, what a stupid saying! Dragons might have had an easy time hatching millennia ago, but without Heratrix dragon eggs can’t be laid, much less hatched. So a saying that used to mean something was easy, now really means it’s impossible.

Vaylen huffs, the irony of the saying not lost on him. “I said show me .”

He knows I’m lying. Dammit! Now what? I go for the cold shoulder.

Putting on a bored expression, I say, “You know what? I’m tired. I’m going to bed.”

I take a couple of steps toward the stairs, kicking off my boots in the process. I’ll have to come back for them and my satchel later. I can’t risk someone finding them. Besides, I need them.

He stands from the ledge where he sits, water gliding down his smooth chest. One particular rivulet catches my eye. It slides right between a set of incredible abs, over his belly button, and the dark hair that trails downward from there. I swallow hard and remind myself of the trouble I’m in. I need to think clearly, and his damn body seems designed to drive women to distraction. Somehow, I manage to hide the effects.

“You’re not going anywhere until you show me .” He blocks the way to the stairs.

“Now, that’s not very gentlemanly of you, High Prime Stormsong.” All right, I probably shouldn’t have gone there, but I can hardly think straight.

To my surprise, he demands, “Is this what you do? Play games with men? Lead them on? Then give them the cold shoulder?”

Well, I’ve succeeded in distracting him from the stupid bubble, but I’m not sure this is better. He looks irate.

I shake my head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He steps closer, cutting the distance between us in half. He’s within arm’s reach, and that tattoo of his stares me right in the face. “Don’t play coy, Skysinger. I’m not a fool.”

Light starts swirling in his eyes, a clear sign he’s getting angrier. Scarier. I don’t think lying is an option anymore. He is, indeed, no fool.

“Fine,” I say. “I admit I was playing this game you mention. I had certain goals, but they have changed.”

He steps even closer. Now, his chest is barely an inch from mine. He’s looking down at me, the light in his blue gaze a veritable tornado. He had, so far, ignored my state of undress, but now—the aura of his powerful presence making my knees tremble more than any interrogation—he lets his eyes travel to my chest, where my nipples stand at attention under the lace of my brassiere.

“Goals?” He rumbles, saying it as if it’s a dirty word. “What goals?”

I break eye contact and attempt to take a step back. He grabs my wrist and keeps me right where I am. Too damn close. He looks at my fingers and frowns at my mother’s ring. Is he really noticing such a minor change in me? Either way, he has no right to grab me.

“Let me go.” My voice turns ice cold. I can’t stand to be roughly handled, and if that’s the kind of man he is, well… he won’t like the kick in the balls I have in store for him.

He immediately releases me, having the decency to look ashamed.

“Don’t ever touch me again without my permission,” I say.

“I’m not your toy, Skysinger. I’m flesh and blood.”

“You could’ve fooled me. Half the time, you act no more human than a cogwing.”

“I have a job to do, and it isn’t a game either. You might come to understand that when you have been on the front lines for a day or two.”

That sobers me up. I can’t pretend to know what war can do to a person. So far, I’ve had the fortune to be isolated from its horrors. I have the urge to apologize, but he barrels on before my better nature has a chance to prevail.

“You’re like a damn worm,” he growls, nostrils flaring.

I want to take offense at the insult, but… what? A worm? That’s creative.

“You have burrowed deep, and I can’t root you out. I can’t stop thinking about you.” His wide chest pumps in and out, the wings of his tattoo moving as if he’s about to take flight. “That day in my room… I can’t get it out of my head. I keep wishing I’d fucked you until you screamed my name because I like the way it sounds on your lips. How is that for being more cogwing than human?”

Oh, Goddess! What can I say now? I might have been able to keep things strictly formal before, but knowing he feels this way, knowing this dauntless, covertly passionate man wants me… I don’t think I can resist. In fact, I don’t think I want to.

His body seems to quake with the need to move closer, but I told him not to touch me.

“You have my permission,” I say.

He frowns.

“To touch me. You have my permission to touch me.”

He hesitates only for a moment, then his body crashes into mine, one arm going around my back and another one around my waist.

I feel his breath on my skin, warm and steady. His embrace is tight, as if he’s afraid I’ll slip away underwater and disappear. I can’t move, can’t pull away, can’t even think. All I can do is feel his chest rising and falling against mine, hear the thud of his heart beating in time with my own. And feel the press of his fully naked body against mine.

For a moment, we’re suspended in time, alone in this cavernous space, only water and steam around us. I can’t help but wonder what’s going through his mind. Is he weighing the magnitude of the error he’s about to make? Is he wondering if I’m worth it?

In an instant, he pulls away, breaking the spell. His blue eyes roving over the water. It seems he got the answers to his questions. I’m not worth it. Longing, desire, and something that I can’t quite put a finger on war in his expression. He takes a few deep breaths, and then, without warning, he pulls me to him and hesitates no longer. His mouth crashes into mine. Our kiss is electric, sending a surge of wild sensations through my body, igniting a fire that I never knew existed.

His lips are soft but so firm, moving against mine with fierce intensity. I melt into his embrace, my fingers tangling in his hair as I pull him closer. Our bodies press against each other, wet and hot from the water and our own desire. Our kiss deepens, becoming more passionate and urgent with each passing moment. I feel his need in the way his hands roam over my body, down my sides, over my abdomen, my hips, my backside. My mind is hazy with desire, lost in the moment as he pulls me even closer, his kiss becoming more possessive.

The water swirls around us but can’t find passage between our locked bodies. His hand caresses my abdomen, then slides to my chest. There, he finds my breast and caresses it over the bra, his thumb and forefinger finding the nipple and squeezing it. I moan against his lips. He responds with a growl and, with expert fingers, rids me of the bra. The piece falls into the water. My breasts fall free.

The heat between us is almost suffocating. He presses tighter against me, his erection against my abdomen. His teeth graze my skin as he trails kisses down my neck. I arch my back, giving him better access as he continues to kiss and bite at my neck, my chest, the mound of my breast. His tongue laps over the sensitive skin, then he lowers his head further and takes my nipple into his mouth.

A shock wave goes through my body. I moan, my fingers locking behind his neck as he sucks and nibbles, while he kneads and teases my other breast.

“Goddess,” I moan.

With a sudden movement, he pulls away and looks up at me, eyes smoldering, twirling with light.

“Do you take Stillseed ?” he asks. It’s an effective draught that prevents unwanted pregnancies.

I shake my head.

“I don’t either.”

That surprises me. Many men do. It’s a straightforward way to also avoid unwanted marriages or illegitimate children that could come back to haunt them.

“No matter,” he says, shaking his head. “I won’t leave here without getting a taste of you, Rhealyn.”

My name uttered in his deep voice sends a fresh wave of desire through me.

Without a word, he wraps his hands around my waist, picks me up, and sets me at the edge of the pool. Never breaking eye contact, he hooks his fingers around the waistband of my underwear and slides it down. I lift my backside to help him. He gives me a crooked, satisfied smile, then slips them all the way down and discards them. His gaze travels down my body. The heat between us grows. His eyes linger on my exposed breasts for a moment before moving lower, taking in every curve and dip. I feel myself blushing under his intense gaze, but at the same time, I love the way his eyes devour me, the way they add to the excitement and desire coursing through me.

He reaches out a hand and runs it along my inner thigh, sending shivers down my spine. I let out a soft gasp as he leans in closer, his lips kissing the top of my knee. His tongue swirls suggestively over my skin. A jolt of electricity spirals to my core. I take a deep breath and let out a small moan. He takes it as encouragement and kisses his way up my thigh, approaching the spot where I need him most. His hand travels up my other thigh in sync with his mouth. When he reaches the seam of my leg, he pushes, opening me wider.

“I’ve been wanting a taste of you ever since that night on that balcony,” he says.

Gently, his hand reaches between my legs, spreading me open. My heart races as he lowers his head and kisses the top of my mound. His warm breath teases my sensitive skin, making me shiver in anticipation. His index finger traces a path down my folds, causing me to arch my back in pleasure. He slowly slips a finger inside me, making me gasp and cling to his shoulders for support.

My hips start to move against his hand, seeking more of his touch. He adds another finger, curling them, hitting just the right spot that has me moaning uncontrollably.

“Please,” I whisper, unable to form any other words as pleasure consumes every part of my being.

He moves closer, his mouth hovering over my core. He whispers something I don’t understand before flicking his tongue over my clit. The sensation is volcanic, sending jolts of ecstasy through me. I close a fist around his hair, unable to control the sounds coming out of my mouth. His fingers continue their relentless pace inside me as he expertly works his tongue over my swollen bud.

I feel myself building up to an intense climax, but he senses it and slows down, teasing me with light licks and gentle caresses. He wants to prolong this moment, to savor every inch of my body before giving me what I want.

But I can’t take it anymore. I need it now.

“Please,” I beg.

He pulls away and looks at me from under his dark, glossy eyebrows. “I like that.” He slides his hands under my backside and lifts me a few inches off the pool’s edge. He holds me aloft as if he’s serving himself a delicious platter. He licks his lips. “What do you want?”

“I…”

“Yes?”

I shake my head, feeling a blush of shame. I’m not used to this.

“Just ask, and I’ll give you what you want,” he says.

“Please, Vaylen. Make me… climax.”

He lowers his mouth and his lips close around my clit. Immediate pleasure spreads through me. His tongue flicks, and I moan loudly, my voice echoing through the space. He continues to work his tongue over my clit, his fingers still moving inside me. The sensation is overwhelming, and I feel myself building up toward a climax once again.

“Do you want me to make you come?” he asks, his voice low and filled with desire.

“Y-yes,” I say breathlessly. “Please.”

He intensifies his movements, his tongue working even faster against my sensitive nub. His fingers curl and rub, hitting just the right spot that has me seeing stars.

I’m on the edge now, teetering between pleasure and release. Vaylen senses this and slows down once again, teasing me with gentle licks and kisses. What in all the hells?

I can’t take it anymore. “Please, I want you to make me come, Vaylen,” I beg again, the words falling easily now.

“Oh, yes. Good girl.”

One last time, he increases the speed and pressure of his tongue against my clit while simultaneously thrusting his fingers in and out at a rapid pace.

Pleasure builds and builds until it explodes into an intense orgasm that rocks my entire body. My back arches off the pool’s edge as waves of the most exquisite feeling wash over me.

Vaylen doesn’t stop until I’ve ridden out every last ripple of ecstasy. As I come down from my high, he gently lowers me back onto the water, nuzzling his face in my neck and shaking with his own need.

I melt into his arms, a strange feeling washing over me. I try to put a finger on it, but I can’t decipher what it is.

“Oh, Rhealyn, what have you done to me?” he asks, then pulls away, shaking his head.

I hold on to the edge of the pool, my arms feeling empty. I wrap them around myself, covering my breasts. Nodding my head, I give him a sad smile, my defenses going up.

“I know,” I say. “We shouldn’t have. It was a mistake.”

He’s quiet for a moment, blue eyes scrutinizing me. At last, he says, “Yes. This is a mistake, but I’ve never been the type of man to do anything in half measures. I already was having a tough time getting you out of my head, Rhealyn. After tonight, it will be impossible. So if you’ll let me, I won’t only own this mistake, I will make it over and over again.”

His vehemence takes me by surprise. I don’t know how to respond. What he’s saying is incongruous with the man I know, and it makes it clear that my assumptions about who he is are entirely wrong. I never thought he would risk his position in the Sky Order for any reason at all, much less a dalliance. And what about me? Am I willing to do that?

“I… maybe it isn’t wise,” I manage.

“I never said it was.” His mouth tips, forming that crooked smile that makes his blue eyes fill with dark mischief, a spark that makes me wonder what sort of dark thoughts cross his mind and what unspeakable deeds he has committed.

“I don’t want to lose any of this.” I gesture all around me.

“I can keep secrets. Can you?”

If he only knew. I almost laugh out loud. If he even had a glimpse of the secrets I’m holding, would he be so willing to risk so much? This is a bad idea. If we’re found out, it could destroy us both. The King would never sanction a couple like us. He feels sufficiently threatened by our separate strengths as it is.

Yet, as I consider telling him we can’t let this go further than it already has, my stomach twists with discomfort, a clear sign that my body is entirely opposed to my brain.

So instead of irrevocably saying no , this is what comes out of my mouth, “I need to think about it.”

He nods, that spark of mischief growing brighter in his eyes. “I hope tonight I have given you plenty of food for thought.”

Turning, he takes the stairs and climbs out of the pool. My mouth goes dry at the sight of his muscular back. His shoulders are round boulders that ripple as he moves. And Goddess! Is it legal for a man to have a bottom like that? But what else was I expecting? The man is all muscle, and those magnificent thighs couldn’t be paired with anything less glorious.

He takes a robe from one of the pegs. I will him to turn and give me a good look at his front before he puts it on, but he slips one arm in, and then the other, ruining the view. He starts to face me, robe open in the front. I salivate with anticipation, but in the last instant, just as I’m about to catch a glimpse of that powerful shaft I felt against my abdomen, he closes the robe and ties the belt.

Wyrm’s rot! It’s not fair. He got to see every part of me.

He starts to leave but stops abruptly. “Oh, you should know that I will start taking Stillseed. If you decide you would like to… make another mistake, I won’t miss the opportunity to fuck you and hear you beg. Not again.”