Page 150 of The Chains You Defy

My eyelids shut. A shudder ran down my spine, and I angled my head to the side in an encouraging move. But the male behind me stayed unmoving, except for tension sneaking into his muscles.

“Nayana, I need your words.”

His dark, husky voice so close to my ear did all kinds of unspeakable things to me, and after a deep, calming breath, I found the only word fitting for this situation. “Green.”

Now, it was Dion who shuddered, and one of his hands splayed possessively over my belly. Before I couldeven register what was happening, his lips peppered kisses on my neck. His relief and happiness were palpable in every movement he made and ignited me like wildfire.

The arousal that had been put on hold during the last tense minute returned with a vengeance and seeped right into my core, especially since I wasn’t mulling over everything anymore. A dam had broken as I’d finally given in to what I’d secretly yearned for all this time.

Because yes, there was one irrefutable truth—I ached for Dion, needed him more than life itself. And in this perfect moment, I allowed my craving to crawl out of its box.

But—his damn sharp canines would be my undoing.

My head was still angled from the earlier invitation, and the fae took full advantage of the access my neck granted him. From the way I’d reacted whenever I caught a glimpse of his wickedly pointed teeth—not to mention how my traitorous body had spilled the truth about how much I liked them—Dion would have been more than stupid if he hadn’t realized what a turn-on his bites were to me. And if there was something the prince wasn’t, it was dense.

Light nipping turned into something more heated as his lips found the crook of my neck. He bit down harder, just short of breaking my skin, and propelled molten desire right into my core with the force of a thousand suns. Releasing my skin for a mere moment, he repeated his assault, only inches away from the last spot—he’d leave marks all over me, and I was sure that doing so was what he desired.

As if I cared. Each bite drove me crazier, and I panted as Dion repeatedly allowed me to feel his canines and thecontrolled strength of a predator who had all the time in the worlds to toy with his prey.

And he didn’t let go, not even as I squirmed. To the contrary, he met my movement with a deep growl and a firmer grip on my middle. Escaping was impossible.

“Not fair,” I huffed and broke the silence between us.

“As if I ever compete fairly.” His lips curled against my skin as he sank his teeth into my neck again, and I cried out as the electric sensation of light pain and danger set me ablaze.

If he could play dirty, so would I. I lifted my arm, which, until now, had been floating uselessly in the water, and raised and twisted my shoulder until my fingers brushed over Dion’s weakness. As his ear twitched, I was rewarded with another deep, guttural growl.

“Do that again and face the consequences.”

An answer was lying on the tip of my tongue, but another of those wicked, lingering bites distracted me, and instead of a more or less witty retort, my whimper resonated in the grotto.

And Dion didn’t stop there. Emboldened by my reaction, he tightened his grip around my middle as his other hand—oh, his other hand—was fully taking advantage of the stretchy fabric of my swimming garment. He tugged down the material without much effort, baring my breasts.

This was happening, and there were two ways this could go. Either I’d allow my shyness to overpower me—or I’d trust my instincts. And Dion’s wicked canines and his exploring hands were strong motivators to do the latter.

If I were slowly going insane, I would do my best to give him madness in return.

“Do your worst, princeling.” I threw my head back against his shoulder, arching my neck even more. The new shudder that vibrated through Dion as I teased the tip of his ear again was accompanied by him claiming ownership over the swell of my chest, and my nipples peaked, eagerly meeting his touch.

“I’m planning to.”

“Promises, promises.”

“Oh, I’ll deliver, Nayana. As often as you can take it, and then some more. I’ll make you forget every male you ever laid eyes on or who you imagined touching you in your deepest fantasies. After today, you’ll be ruined for everybody else—and it’ll be me who delivers your downfall. And this is only fair, as you did the same to me a long time ago.”

With this bold declaration and confession, the fingers he’d splayed on my belly started to wander, but only moments later, his chest rumbled with a displeased growl. Before I could guess what had him all riled up, he released my breast, and a ripping noise pierced through my lustful fog.

“Dion. My clothes.”

“They were in the way.”

“Not funny.” Had he spent any thought on how I was supposed to make my way back to the castle?Almost naked?

As I shifted in an attempt to win some room to scorn the fae who was busying himself with pulling scraps of fabric off me, the growling returned, and so did his teeth, which burrowed into my shoulder and held me in place, leaving me trapped like prey in the predator’s jaws. Which, admittedly, I was.

And of course, Dion ignored my protests concerning my destroyed garb.

“Much better,” he said against my skin, his voice silky like honey and husky as sin.