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He traces a path across my collarbone with his mouth, each brush sending pulses of desire. The safehouse’s stale air grows heady with our mingled warmth. My hands slide under his tunic, feeling the lean muscle beneath. He hisses at the contact, hips pressing forward. The tension between us surges.

I recall Vaelith’s intense gaze, how he tries to claim me in his own violent way.

A flicker of satisfaction courses through me, picturing him if he knew what I do now.

Let him realize I’m never bound to one man’s leash.

If he’s watching from the shadows, as he so often lurks, then let him burn with jealousy.

The notion spurs me to clutch Eryx tighter, a savage grin curving my lips.

Our bodies mesh with frantic urgency. He deftly unlatches parts of my gear, sliding his hands around my waist. My breath hitches as he lifts me, pinning me to the wall. A husky sound rumbles from his throat. “You’re trouble incarnate,” he murmurs, kissing me in a wave of rough hunger.

“Then we’re well-matched,” I reply, hooking my legs around his hips. My entire being throbs with the release of tension. The dusty walls of the safehouse fade away, replaced by the single flame of our shared chaos.

His mouth descends to my neck, lips and teeth forging a heady blend of pain and pleasure that sends jolts through me. I bury my fingers in his hair, clutching him closer. Our breath mingles, each exhalation laced with our mutual craving.

He slides his hand down, fumbling with the fastenings of my trousers.

I let out a strained laugh, twisting my hips so he can tear them aside.

The sense of danger crackles, an unstoppable fuse.

At any moment, guards might discover us, or Vaelith might sense betrayal.

But that risk only sharpens the edge of our passion.

We collide again, mouth to mouth, body to body.

My nails rake across his shoulders, drawing groans from him.

He braces me, pressing me harder against the wall.

Heat floods my core, an insistent ache coiling in my belly.

Our tongues tangle, each of us refusing to yield control.

I love how he tries to match me, as if we’re equals in this swirling madness.

Without warning, he lets out a guttural sound, lowering me onto a broken table near the center of the room. The wood creaks in protest. “This might not hold,” he warns through clenched teeth.

I clamp my thighs around him, a smirk forming. “Then we’ll break it.”

The next moments blur: the table groaning, my back arching, the faint sensation of splinters under my palms. Our motions are frenzied, each thrust an unleashing of pent-up rage and lust. I bite back a moan, determined not to seem vulnerable.

He seizes my jaw, kissing me with bruising ferocity.

The dusty air swirls around us. My heart pounds so violently it feels like it might burst.

We find a brutal rhythm, my magic skimming the edges of chaos.

His breath catches in ragged gasps. I watch his eyes, enthralled by how they darken with each shared pulse.

My nails dig into his flesh, marking him.

If Vaelith has any illusions about owning me, let him see I have other alliances.

If Zareth thinks he can break my mind, let him see I can forge stronger bonds.

If Eryx imagines I’m just a tool, I’ll remind him I’m the one orchestrating this.

Time slips away, replaced by the crescendo of our release.

With a low, strangled groan, he tips me over the edge into a wave of pleasure that steals my breath.

I bury my face against his shoulder, muffling my cry, trembling with the aftermath.

He follows, muscles rigid, exhaling a savage hiss.

The table cracks ominously beneath us, but mercifully holds.

We remain locked in that moment, hearts hammering in sync.

At last, he eases off, both of us panting, sweat shining on our skin in the candle’s faint glow. My mind reels with endorphins, but I force myself to remain alert. Aftershocks of pleasure coil in my limbs, a reminder of how dangerously we feed each other’s hunger.

He leans his forehead against mine, breathing ragged. “Gods, you’re… unstoppable,” he manages between breaths.

I bark a low laugh, sated but still defiant. “And don’t forget it.” I shift, feeling the protesting creak of the table. My clothes hang half undone, I’m coated in dust, but adrenaline hums, sweet and potent.

A flicker of motion near the doorway catches my eye.

My head snaps around, heart pounding. For a split second, I glimpse a silhouette: tall, broad-shouldered, a faint reflection of torchlight on obsidian skin.

Vaelith. He stands in the corridor’s gloom, half obscured by shadows, presumably having followed me.

A jolt of savage satisfaction wrenches through me.

He found me in the arms of his rival conspirator.

I see the tension in his posture, the clenched fists.

Jealousy, fury… it’s all there. My chest twists with triumphant cruelty.

I lock eyes with that silhouette for a razor-edged moment, letting him see how thoroughly I’ve claimed Eryx in this fleeting act.

Then, as if on cue, Vaelith disappears into the darkness, swallowing any confrontation.

My heart races, mind ablaze with the knowledge that he witnessed us, that I hold yet another blade in this war.

Eryx frowns, noticing my sudden distraction. “What is it?”

I consider telling him Vaelith spied on us, but hold back. Maybe the knowledge is a weapon I can use later. I push Eryx away gently, sliding off the battered table to fix my clothes. “Nothing,” I lie smoothly, forcing calm into my voice. “Just a flicker of movement. Probably a rat.”

He pulls his tunic back on, adjusting straps. “We should slip out soon. I can’t guarantee your new watchers won’t track us here.”

I nod, ignoring the dull ache between my thighs.

My entire being feels electrified, mind still reeling from the intensity of our raw coupling.

“Yes, let’s be gone. We have the sabotage plan set, right?

Two nights from now, we strike the wagons.

I’ll feed you any last-minute changes. We’ll finalize a signal. ”

He leans in, pressing a final, rough kiss to my lips. “Don’t keep me waiting. If you want to keep dancing with me, you’d better show you can handle the next steps.”

I return the kiss with equal fierceness, then tear myself away. “Oh, I will. Count on it.”

We gather ourselves, exchanging a quick, loaded glance that says more than any words.

The candle sputters, nearly extinguished.

Stealthily, we push aside the door. The corridor stands empty now—no sign of Vaelith lurking.

My thoughts swirl. He’s likely retreated in quiet rage, or maybe he plans to confront me later.

I almost relish that confrontation. Let him bring it.

Eryx and I part ways in the dilapidated hall, each slipping into the gloom of Orthani’s undercity from different angles.

My body hums with lingering aftershock, both from the sex and the knowledge that Vaelith glimpsed it.

A twisted triumph. I chart a winding path back to the estate, illusions of innocence ready if the guards question me.

Inside my mind, a sharper sense of power forms. I’m no one’s pawn.

I have Vaelith’s reluctant protection, Eryx’s conspiratorial bond, and the memory of Zareth’s defeat.

Let them all watch me weave these alliances into a net that can trap Orthani from within.

My heart still pounds with savage excitement, recalling the way Eryx’s breath tangled with mine.

Danger wraps around us both. But I welcome it, if it leads me closer to the city’s downfall—and Ai’s salvation.

As I approach Vaelith’s estate, slipping through a side gate, a guard waves me in.

My mind churns with the final fleeting image of Vaelith’s silhouette in that safehouse door.

He’s no fool; he likely recognized Eryx.

He might demand an explanation or unleash his wrath.

A thrill zips through me at the thought of confronting him.

For now, I keep my face neutral, ignoring the suspicious stares of a few soldiers as I cross the courtyard.

Once I reach the quiet corridor leading to my chamber, I press a palm to my chest, feeling the rapid beat of my heart.

The warmth of Eryx’s touch lingers on my skin, and the knowledge that Vaelith hovers in the shadows intensifies every breath.

My steps carry me back to the door of the east wing suite, the lock simple enough that I open it swiftly.

Inside, the lamp flickers, revealing the modest bed and desk.

Shutting the door behind me, I lean against it, letting out a trembling exhale.

My reflection in the mirror near the bed shows flushed cheeks, eyes bright with a mixture of triumph and apprehension.

I can’t quite smother the smirk that creeps onto my lips.

In these twisted games of Orthani, each step draws me deeper into a labyrinth of alliances and jealousies.

Ai’s whisper echoes in my mind: “One will betray.” Maybe more than one.

But if betrayal is inevitable, I’ll be the one orchestrating it, claiming each man’s strength until my goals are met.

Eryx wants me for sabotage and craving. Vaelith tries to hold me in the name of duty and desire.

Zareth thirsts to enslave me. None realize how fiercely I guard my own will.

Slipping off my cloak, I pad across the room, ignoring the bruises that form the ghosts of Eryx’s rough handling.

The memory of him surges again, my body tingling.

Shadows dance along the walls, reminiscent of how Eryx and I must cling to secrecy.

The thought that Vaelith saw my betrayal—saw me riding Eryx’s chaos-laced heat—sends a twisted sense of power through me.

Let him seethe. Let them all realize I refuse to kneel.

I settle onto the bed, mind swirling with plans.

Two nights remain until the sabotage. I’ll gather any final details from Vaelith’s war councils, pass them to Eryx at the last moment.

The city’s next supply line will burn, fracturing Orthani’s war machine.

And then Ai might slip free in the ensuing chaos.

After that, who knows? Maybe I’ll carve a path to the Red Purna, returning as a conqueror instead of a pawn.

My heartbeat slows, exhaustion sapping the last of my adrenaline.

The flickering lamp reveals a swirl of dust in the air.

I let out a breath, letting the day’s tension roll off my shoulders.

I have a new certainty: I can juggle these alliances.

Eryx’s cunning meets Vaelith’s discipline, fueling my agenda.

If Zareth tries again, I’ll blast him deeper than before.

Staring at the dimly lit ceiling, I allow a fleeting grin.

Tonight proved I can claim Eryx as thoroughly as any man tries to claim me.

And if Vaelith lurks with envy, so be it.

He might lash out, but that only deepens my hold on him.

I might be the caged purna in Orthani’s eyes, but behind these stone walls, I orchestrate a new order.

Slipping out of my clothes, I crawl under the sheets, the memory of Eryx’s rough hands ghosting over my skin.

My muscles ache from the exertion, from the raw friction we shared on that battered table.

Sensation throbs at my consciousness. A dangerous satisfaction hums through me.

Two nights from now, the city will witness the first crack in its fortress. Then the real unraveling begins.

Curling onto my side, I extinguish the lamp with a flick of my fingertips, letting a tiny spark of arcane force snuff out the flame.

Darkness enfolds the room. My thoughts remain bright with possibility.

I have no illusions that this path will be smooth—Ai’s cryptic warning haunts me.

But for now, the swirling excitement of what we did, what I’ll do next, keeps me smiling even as sleep teases the corners of my mind.

As I drift off, I picture Eryx’s smirk, Vaelith’s silent rage, Zareth’s humiliated sneer.

This new power I’ve claimed is not an illusion.

It’s real, coursing in every stolen breath, every clash of bodies, every cunning plot.

If I’m a caged viper, then let me strike until Orthani has no choice but to kneel.

After all, I’ve never feared betraying those who tried to own me first.