He maneuvered off me just enough to wrestle out of his pants and toss them aside. Again he crawled on top of me, except this time heat radiated from his bare body. His dick was thick, hard, dark with desire; he kissed me deeply and I slid my hand between us. I slid my palm over his chest, abs, then down to his erect cock. It was so hard in my hand, and so hot, but the skin was velvety-soft, and he groaned gorgeously when I gave it one firm stroke from root to tip.
He broke the kiss to rest his forehead against my temple and groan, “Fuck, Reyna.”
“Please,” I said again. It felt like the only word I knew. “I want you.”
He mouthed a sloppy kiss to my cheek. “Yes?” he asked. “You want me inside you?”
I nodded desperately. I did want that—I was a little nervous, but I wasn’t scared. He always made me feel good. Somehow I already knew this would be even better.
“Really?” he asked.
I stroked him again, firmly this time.
He panted. “You’re sure?”
“You want me to beg?” I asked, then squeezed his dick gently in punctuation.
“Maybe a little,” he teased, then caught me in another burning hot kiss.
He settled between my legs, then gripped my thigh again and hiked one leg up around his hip. I dropped my hands to the bed above my head and gripped the sheets to ground myself, gasping in anticipation as I waited for him to slide inside.
But of course he had to torment me a little. He gripped the base of his cock and guided it to my center, then dragged the head over my wet folds, slipping over me like his tongue had—like a promise. I moaned and arched toward him. He gripped my hip hard, staring down in awe at me as he slid his cock over my pussy just like he had with his fingers.
“Come on,” I gasped. “Fill me up.”
“Gods above,” he growled. “Who taught you to talk like that?”
I was too far gone to even blush. “I need it—I need you.”
Elias moved forward, pressing on his elbow on one side of my head, then leaned down and caught my slack mouth in another deep kiss. Finally, finally, he guided the head of his cock to my entrance.
He exhaled hard into the kiss. I nodded minutely and wound my arms around him.
Slowly, excruciatingly slowly, he slid inside.
I gasped, clinging hard to him as he groaned into the kiss. “Gods, Reyna,” he murmured. “Tight.”
Any coherent words I had were driven from my mind. It felt unlike anything I’d felt before. I’d pleasured myself before, sure, with hands and sometimes even toys, but it wasn’t anything like this. His cock was burning hot inside of me, so deep I thought I could feel it in the back of my throat; there was a delicious stretch and a deep, intense pressure. He slid slowly inside until his hips were flush against mine, and I whined low and long into the kiss.
“You okay?” he murmured.
I glided my hands down his back and gripped his ass hard. “Move,” I managed to plead.
His lips curved into a smile against mine as he slowly withdrew his hips, then pressed forward again.
“Oh, gods,” I gasped.
Time melted into nothing but sensation. We traded messy, gasping kisses, and I clung desperately to him, legs hooked around his waist. He drove into me, slow and rhythmic, grunting with each thrust, driving in deep. The pleasure was sweet and slow and overwhelming, rich like chocolate, animalistic like running under the moonlight. He kept a steady rhythm, and again pleasure began to pull tight inside me, but this time it was deeper. When he used his mouth, it crashed over me like a wave breaking on the shore. This time it felt like a tsunami, a rumble in the distance, something big and powerful rushing toward me.
“That’s right,” he growled into my mouth. “Want you to come. Come with me inside you.”
I clung so tightly he was pressed flush against me. His thrusts were shorter, but still deliciously deep, and the movements were so easy with how wet and desiring I was. The pleasure built and built and built. My quads flexed around him, my whole body tensing as my release approached. He didn’t let up at all this time, his rhythm deep and steady as he dragged his tongue over my neck.
I tipped my head back. “Elias,” I gasped.
Then, the tight coil of pleasure inside me snapped.
I came hard—harder than I ever had in my life. My eyes screwed tight as I arched as much as I could with Elias’ weight pinning me to the bed. Pleasure rolled over me, from the crown of my head to my fingertips, so all I could feel was the delicious tingle of it over my skin, all I could hear was the rush of blood in my ears. My body clenched around him as I somehow became even wetter, and he growled low and possessive into my mouth.
“So fucking beautiful,” Elias growled.
I slumped back against the bed. Elias pulled out slowly, and I whined at the loss, despite how sensitive I already was. He stayed as close as he could as he stroked his cock hard and fast. It was barely a dozen strokes before he groaned, long and low, then muffled the sound by biting down on my shoulder as he came across my belly.
The dual sensations of dull pain in my shoulder and his release wet and hot against my skin made desire curl through me again. He shivered through the aftershocks of his release, and then slumped down against me, panting and sweating into the crook of my neck. His body was deliciously heavy, half-pinning me to the bed and indifferent to the mess he’d made on my skin.
I wrapped an arm around his shoulders and exhaled into the crown of his head. I felt like I’d just spent hours running through the woods with him. I was sweaty, exhausted, sated—and happy. Almost deliriously so.
“Mm,” he murmured against my neck. “Made a mess.”
“Whose fault is that?” I teased.
He kissed my skin again, then rolled to the side, but only so he could shimmy down my body again.“Wait.” I petted over his sweaty hair and he looked up at me, warm brown eyes curious. He was so handsome it nearly took my breath away. Well—if I had any breath left after all that exertion. “I—I’m sensitive right now.”He grinned that familiar wolfish grin at me again. “Not going there again,” he said.Then, to my shock, he dragged his tongue over my belly and the white stripes of his release staining my skin.I gasped, stunned to stillness as he licked my skin. He was cleaning me up—cleaning me up and claiming me at the same time. It was so nasty it made me flush, now that my head was cleared by my post-orgasmic state. It was nasty, but it was also sexy. The force of my own desire shocked me, and my pussy throbbed at the sight of it, even though I was far too exhausted to go another round.Elias finished cleaning me up, and punctuated it with a kiss under my navel. I hummed with pleasu
Elias stormed into the bedroom in a huff when I was in the midst of braiding my hair.“Oh, hello,” I said. “Should I ask how negotiations are going?”Frustration radiated off him in waves. He stormed over to the small bar cart in the corner and poured himself a finger of brandy even though it was barely noon.“We’re going in circles,” he groused. “One minute, Draunar is demanding more land, and the next his advisors are suggesting they not look power-hungry, lest they make Askon suspicious. Then, the tax advisor wants adjustments to the proposed trade policy, then the general wants more land, and then Draunar is the one questioning if that will make Shianga look power-hungry, and around and around they go.” He shook his head. “It’s exhausting. I almost wonder if they’re doing it on purpose to stall the talks.”My dreamy mood was suddenly doused in cold water. My anxiety spiked a little. “What do you mean? Why would he try to stall the talks?”“I don’t know,” Elias said. He sighed and
I hadn’t seen any of the town at large, not since we’d rolled through the palace gates and into the courtyard. The four of us took a carriage to the center. Fina and Adora were nearly vibrating with excitement, and Elias looked pleased just to be out from under King Draunar’s thumb.The town outside Shianga was beautiful. It was quieter than Efra, with low buildings made of stone and clay, cobbled streets, and shop doors painted in bright colors like jewels. Fina hopped out of the coach first and adjusted her wide-brimmed straw hat against the afternoon sun.“Wow!” she said, and spun on her heel, taking in the town square with a wide smile. “This place is amazing! Come on, Adora!”Adora hurried out of the carriage, looking a little more hesitant than Fina did. She tugged at the collar of her linen dress. “Where did the attendants say the tailor was?”I stepped out of the carriage. “The tailor?”“Yes!” Fina said. “Did you see the golden robes the king wore? Apparently, that’s a fabric
“I’m looking to learn more about the history of Shianga and Frasia,” I said.Gulde glanced nervously at Elias. Something in Elias’ expression made him grimace and turn back to me. “You’ve certainly come to the right place,” he said. “Right this way.”“Take your time,” Elias said. He dropped into a rickety chair by the hearth with a relieved sigh. The sight made me bite back a smile—he was clearly savoring this brief moment of peace away from the palace.I followed Gulde to the back of the shop. He waved me behind the desk, and then guided me through a tiny doorway I never would’ve even noticed if he hadn’t directed me to it.“This is where I keep the rare books,” he said. He tapped the wall and sconces, mounted high on the interiors, glowed warmly. The walls were lined with glass cabinets, sparsely filled, but they were clearly well-tended. Gulde unlocked one of them and peered inside. “What exactly are you looking to learn more about?”Curiosity gnawed at me. Some of the books in her
Ever since we’d been together, she’d been closer to the surface, but less irritable, too. It was a strange sensation. I almost wished we could take a break from all the pageantry of the negotiations so I could ask him to go on a run with me. A moonlight run, a days-long run. I wanted to spend time with him, just the two of us, as our wolves. I’d never felt that desire so strongly before.It felt like we were on the brink of something, but I wasn’t sure what it was.While he was in the shower, I’d rolled over in bed and grabbed the “History of Fae” from the nightstand to start thumbing through it again in an attempt to distract myself from my circling thoughts. It was so dense, it was almost guaranteed to put me to sleep.“Not really,” I said. “There’s so much information, and it doesn’t even seem to be laid out in any ways that make sense. I keep stumbling across strange little tidbits, though. Did you know the Fae queen influences the movement of all the Fae in the realm? Like a hive
Like he could read my mind, he glanced over at me and grinned. I flushed and looked away. I pushed down my feelings of embarrassment and quickly shucked off my lightweight gown, and my underclothes too, leaving them folded with my cloak in the gazebo. I turned around to face him, bare as the day I was born, with my hair falling loose over my shoulders.Elias’ eyes burned gold as his gaze roved over my body. “You’d better shift, little wolf,” he growled, “or else I’m going to take you right here.”Desire shot through me. I bit my lower lip. “See if you can keep up and maybe you’ll get your way.”Then, with a soft sigh, I shifted.It was so easy it was nearly effortless, like leaping into cool, welcoming water. My wolf surged forth, and my paws hit the moss with a strong thump. I shook out my white pelt, then tipped my head back and inhaled the cool air. It was better than I had even imagined, layered with the smell of water and mud, mushrooms and fauna, decay and growth. I felt electri
My hackles rose. Elias’ did, too, and his grip tightened on me. He squinted up at the sky. The great shape above circled a few times, swooping dramatically, causing the shadow to cover and uncover us like a blanket. The dragon then arced down, cutting through the canopy with expert ease and landing with a thump in the clearing.The rich green scales shot through with gold were unmistakable. The dragon folded his immense wings to his back and stood on his back legs, surveying us, eyes flickering as he bared his golden fangs.Elias sat halfway up, concealing me from view. “Draunar,” he said, low like growl, the lack of title akin to an insult.10King Draunar bared all his teeth in a draconic smile. He took a step closer. His long, lizard-like tail swept the moss behind him. Then, the air sang with energy, and King Draunar shifted back into his human form. It was unlike the ceremonial change he’d done to welcome us to his palace when we’d first arrived. He wasn’t draped in gold fabric
We have no coups here, no messy lineages decided by foolish competitions for seats at the royal table. The Shiangan army could crush the wolves of Frasia like bugs. And I will, Elias, if you refuse to give me what I desire.”Elias said nothing. Hatred and rage rolled off him in tangible waves. I could feel his wolf surging closer to the surface, and I knew he was moments from shifting and ripping Draunar’s throat out with his teeth. If there was one way to ensure we were at war, instead of just listening to royal threats, that was how to do it.“Consider what I’ve said,” Draunar said. He took a step back. “I’ll give you until the ball at the end of the week to make your decision.” He smiled at me again. “I look forward to it, Reyna.”I growled in response, but that only made Draunar laugh. “Feisty thing.” Then, he shifted back into his dragon, extended his immense wings, and took to the skies. The impact from his flight sent gusts of wind through my pelt, and made me shiver like it wa