Chapter 33 Neve #2
It should feel invasive and wrong, making me feel dirty, but I find myself grinding down on his face instead.
It doesn’t hurt; if anything, it provides a full, overwhelming sensation, the kind that only magic can give.
And the fact it’s Ban’s magic spreading me makes me wetter.
I no longer care whether he’s going to be a mess or not when we’re finished. This is simply too good.
When he finally pulls away from my pussy, I want to scream at him to let me listen to us.
Watching him lick and nip at my pussy, the soundless noises rolling off my tongue, just makes me desperate to want to hear.
We’re powerful enough it shouldn’t matter.
Beasts be damned, I want to hear the pretty noises he makes when he devours me.
Unhooking my leg from his shoulder, disappointment fills me. Even with the shadows spreading my ass unexpectedly, I want more. I want him.
He stands with that dark look in his eyes, picking me up before I can try to make any sort of gesture. My legs hook behind his waist, gripping his ass, and I feel his hand working between us until the heat of his cock settles beneath me.
Gripping his shoulders, I abandon the tree altogether. I’m not going to freeze it; I’m going to beg with my eyes because he’s teasing me and it’s not enough.
He kisses me, stealing the heat of the moment as I cling to him. Between the shadows stretching me and the ache of my clit after his teasing, it doesn’t take much once his head presses inside me for a silent cry to escape.
Maybe it is too much, or I’m just overwhelmed with the sensory overload. My eyes are misting, and it has nothing to do with the pleasure he’s giving me and everything to do with the fact that Ban is the only person I’ve ever met who is able to shut off the noise in my brain.
He gives me half a moment to adjust to the stretch of his head before he’s surging inside me, his cock spearing me with one hard push that snaps me into the tree.
One of his hands finds its way to the base of my skull to cushion the impact, the icy press against the back of my dress making the frost along my skin come to life.
I gasp at the feel of him filling all of me, his kisses trailing down the side of my throat.
Rocking against him, I plead for more. I need more; more fullness, more aggression, more overwhelming certainty that while I belong to Ban, Ban also belongs to me.
He pulls away, shifting his eyes to mine,like he’s trying to overstimulate me with the magic he’s using inside my ass. I’m already spread, wondering if there’s a limit I can hit with magic, and then the fucking shadows feel like they freeze.
My jaw falls open in a silent ‘O’ as Ban starts driving his cock into me without abandon, my head knocking against his hand as I try to hold on for dear life.
Every single nerve inside me feels like it’s on fire in the best way possible, and I’m clawing at his neck as I roll through another orgasm, my eyes fluttering as I take more of him.
This is different from the neediness in my room. There’s something pleading in his motions, in the way his eyes lock onto mine and won’t let go. It’s reckless, all-consuming, and makes me think he wants to imprint me into his memory.
Why?
The thoughts fade as the shadows start moving in time with his hips, and I’m scrambling for purchase against him as my pussy clamps down. I don’t know if I can last much longer, and at the same time, I don’t want it to end.
Ban lasts a few more, deep strokes before he stills inside me, dropping his forehead against mine.
The silence is somehow more intense than if I could hear him, the openness in his eyes jarring as our gazes lock together, his breath puffing against my lips.
My nails release their death grip from his skin, but he doesn’t let me go.
His shadows don’t move, either, staying exactly where they are inside me.
After several endless moments, he finally pulls back, something guarded sliding across his gaze that I can’t quite read.
It puts an invisible barrier between us, and even though we’re physically closer than we’ve ever been, we suddenly feel miles apart.
He slides out of me slowly, savoring the feel. My eyes track his face, looking for a break in the facade he’s put into place. I want to smack that guarded expression off his face and ask what he’s suddenly trying to hide from me.
Why back off when he’s given me so much of himself? We’ve left my kingdom, abandoned my obligations, and sided with his friends. Haven’t I proven that, no matter where this road leads, I’m on his side?
When he’s no longer buried inside me, the shadows pull back, too. My brows scrunch together as I watch him, my gaze pleading with him for an answer. After a moment where all we do is watch each other, the shadows fall away.
Nothing’s changed, but I’m stripped bare without the shadows’ protection. My dress is more or less back in place, and he swipes his finger beneath my eye to collect… I don’t know what. Tears, another touch of my skin; I have no idea. But those eyes seek something from me that I cannot place.
I’m still trying to catch my breath and make sense of this when Ban plants a slow, lingering kiss on my hairline. I’m slicked with sweat from the wild weather here, and as he helps adjust my dress until it’s lying smoothly over my stomach and legs, I can’t help feeling like something’s wrong.
It hasn’t been long since my bedroom. A day. He was so worried about my back, so concerned about taking care of me, that the flippant emotions left me questioning what had happened.
He grips my hand before we start walking back in the darkness, and my heart plummets. No words at all, just actions I can’t quite place. Why does this feel like goodbye?
“Are you going to tell me what’s gotten into your head?” I ask in a low voice, wondering if Zarev can hear me. That was part of his reason for using the shadows, wasn’t it?
Ban cuts me a look. “We’re treading a dangerous path, Neve. I know your whole life is set in the Frostlands, but mine is scattered. You may come to learn you don’t like me before the end.”
I tear my hand from his, crossing my arms. We stop walking, and Ban looks at me with those unreadable eyes again. “Bullshit. Something’s gotten under your skin. What is it?”
He hesitates, and I halfway debate launching an icicle at him.
I would threaten to stab him, but he seemed to enjoy that last time.
“We’re going to see people from my past out here.
Legs, for one. She’s an old friend. Someone who took pity on me after I was granted my ice magic.
Her lover, Margo… she’s not a fan of mine. ”
“And they are here in Wonderland?” I clarify, trying to catch up.
“In the Butterfly Garden, yes.” His head turns away from me, and I wish that I could see his eyes.
At least in the shadows, I could see him, like his dark flame lit the backdrop around us.
“It’s her domain, but she is a prisoner to Wonderland itself.
It’s hard to explain, but we’ll likely meet her out here.
It will make more sense when you meet her. Come on, we should go.”
He keeps my hand in his as we walk, and I know there’s more he’s not telling me.
Why he seems to be dodging the problem, though, is beyond me, and I decide to keep those thoughts to myself at least until morning.
I tell myself I’m being silly and a little cynical about my concerns as we walk back to the fire.
The closer we get, the more I can make out Ban’s features; he’s definitely wiped all emotion from his face.
But why? I know something’s troubling him, but he won’t share it with me. It feels a little one-sided since I shared a lot of my concerns and fears with him. Hell, I even told him about Hans, and I still haven’t really pieced together what’s going on there.
I have half a mind to interrogate him since Odette is sleeping and Zarev is disinterested, but voices near the fire catch my attention. At first I think it’s just Odette and Zarev whispering until we step into the space.
There’s a woman here who I’ve never seen before, her auburn hair slicked back from her head in a severe style, and judgmental caramel eyes crackle in the firelight.
She’s sitting close to Zarev, one leg propped up and bent at the knee so she can rest her other leg there.
There’s some sort of spotted shawl behind her, and she’s wearing mostly black.
Her eyes laser in on Ban, and all the friendliness in her gaze disappears. “Ban.”
“Hello to you, too, Margo.” He sighs, shooting me a look as we walk closer. Odette is awake but yawning, and it looks like Margo was talking mostly to Zarev. I’m surprised, after hearing her name just a moment ago, that she is already here. Did he sense something while we were gone in the trees?
“You all shouldn’t be down here,” she says, standing. So much for introductions. “Two Reapers, in Wonderland? The other butterflies can feel a shift in the air.”
Butterflies?
She stretches, and the spotted thing I thought was a shawl moves with her.
They turn into a set of wings that spreads proudly behind her, and she shoots me a look.
“A Frostlands noble, a princess, and two Reapers. You realize the scandal that will arise if you’re caught here?
The Mad Queen could be looking for you already! We can feel the energy shift out here.”
“I’m the Queen,” I say defensively, and it doesn’t seem to do much to improve Margo’s mood.
“Oh, well, that’s just fantastic.” She groans, looking skyward as her hands find her hips. When she looks back at us, she appears to have already made up her mind. “Well, come on your four. Get up. Legs is expecting you.”