88

There was a part of me that wondered why I still wanted to shift so badly. I’d spent so much time trapped in that shape—shouldn’t I be sick of it? Yet I only felt more connected to my wolf. We weren’t two separate identities in the same body. We were two sides of the same coin. Connected. One and the same. A run sounded amazing—a break from the responsibilities of leadership—but we had no time for that now.

We could take a break in other ways, though.

I took control of the kiss with a hand on his nape. Elias smiled against my lips, surprised and pleased. I set my hands at his chest and pushed him backward. He took a few steps back until the backs of his legs hit the edge of the bed, and then I pushed him down. He hit the mattress with a smirk, then scooted back, propped up on one elbow. He watched me with one eyebrow raised slightly, curiously, like he was waiting for something.

I felt my face heat slightly. I still wasn’t used to being looked at like this—watched so openly, and with so much desire, but I knew with Elias, I didn’t need to be shy. Before I could overthink it, I pulled my silk shirt up and over my head, then tugged off my trousers, too, only slowed down a little by the laces on the back. Then I was standing at the foot of the bed, nude and blushing, while Elias sprawled on the bed still in his shirt and slacks.

“Gorgeous,” he said. His voice rumbled low in his chest, and his eyes flashed gold with desire. “Get up here.”

I grinned and crawled onto the mattress so my knees were straddling his hips. Then I slid my hands back under his shirt, up the solid warm plane of his chest. As I pushed his shirt up, I kissed the revealed skin, licking and biting, claiming him as my own. The brawn of his abs jumped under my touch. He wrestled his shirt off and tossed it aside. I hummed in approval, then resumed my attention to his chest, petting at his shoulders and arms as I drew my mouth over the curve of his pectoral muscles.

Desire settled low in my gut, molten hot, oozing through me as I savored the familiar taste of his skin. His heart raced under my hand. He traced his fingers up my bare back, over the curve of my waist and breasts, then my nape, then raked them through my hair. He was gentle, but touching me constantly. I burned with yearning now, each touch like a flame against my skin.

Finally, I drew my mouth up his neck and back to his lips, kissing him deeply. He gripped my hips hard as he rolled his waist up; the hard line of his arousal pressed against my wet folds. I gasped at the sudden sensation, the proof of his desire. I broke the kiss and planted my hands on his chest, sat up, and shifted my weight back, moving against the hardness still trapped behind his trousers.

“Reyna,” he growled. He bared his teeth, eyes burning gold as he watched me.

I threw my head back and savored the feeling of him beneath me. I rolled my hips in a circle, teasing him. Each motion drew small sounds from Elias, huffed exhales and grunts of need. He gripped my thighs hard enough to bruise, shifting beneath me to meet the motion of my hips.

I leaned forward, nearly collapsing onto his chest, and mouthed a sloppy kiss at his jawline. I was almost drunk with hunger for Elias—and with power. I’d never had him under me like this, so open and wanting. It felt like running. Like play, and power, and teasing. I’d never thought sex could feel like this—I’d never known I could feel like this.

“I want you,” I said against his jaw. I punctuated it with a teasing bite.

Elias growled in response. Then he wrapped his arms tight around my waist and surged up, rolling us over in a sudden surge of power. He’d been holding back, and this show of strength thrilled me. I laughed as my back hit the mattress. His gaze was warm and hungry as he hovered over me, a smile playing on his features. He kissed me again. “You tease.”

“Not teasing,” I said. “Never teasing.” I petted over his nape and tugged him down for another kiss again. Then I tugged at his waistband with my other hand. “Please.”

Elias hummed, then pulled back just enough to shove his trousers down. He caught my lips again, and I hooked one leg around his waist. I was so wet, so open with desire; I gasped into the kiss when he pressed his length teasingly against me.

“Please,” I said again into his mouth.

“You’re so gorgeous,” he murmured. “I’ll give you what you need.”

He gripped my thigh and slowly pushed into me. I was so sensitive already; the pressure made me break the kiss to throw my head back against the mattress. I dug my fingers into the muscle of his back, hugging him impossibly closer, my leg still hooked around his waist.

Finally, he was flush against me, and my whole body thrummed with the feeling of completion. Wholeness. He pushed his face into the crook of my neck and kissed me sloppily there, then panted his desire against my skin.

“Reyna,” he murmured. “Reyna, I love you.”

I gasped as he began to move. He thrust slowly and steadily into me, a rhythm that sent deep ripples of pleasure through me. I dragged his mouth back up to mine for a kiss so I could speak the words back into his lips.

“I love you,” I echoed. “My king.”

30

A

 week later, the convoy from Askon arrived in Efra.