Chapter 40 Sorin
CHAPTER 40
SORIN
“ S omehow I pictured working with the Wraiths of Death to be different,” Cyrus said from atop his mare beside Sorin.
“I am somehow not surprised,” Sorin replied.
“Tell me again why we are going in on horseback instead of using your super fancy disappearing and reappearing trick,” Nuri was saying from atop a brown and black spotted horse.
“Because I can only use that if I know where I’m going. We don’t know where the Contessa is,” Scarlett bit back, her black horse huf?ng and pawing at the ground in agitation. “And before you ask, we’re not using portals because the Contessa does not know we are coming. We do not wish to create another unnecessary con?ict by showing up unannounced and uninvited.”
“And tell me again why Juliette isn’t using her super special vision to just see where we need to go?” Nuri drawled like she was bored out of her skull.
“Because it doesn’t work that way,” Juliette returned icily.
“The point is, we’re doing it this way to lessen the chances of everyone dying,” Scarlett cut in.
“Can Juliette even die? She’s technically already dead,” Nuri said, casually adjusting the gloves on her hands.
Scarlett tensed, but before Sorin could open his mouth to say something, Juliette said, “Stop being a bitch.”
Nuri sighed dramatically. “And tell me why we’re waiting for the ?re prick to give the go ahead?”
Scarlett leaned forward to pat her horse’s neck when he stomped a hoof in the dirt again. “Letting him make decisions makes him feel important.”
Cyrus barked a laugh, and Sorin cleared his throat loudly. Scarlett peered over her shoulder, ?uttering her lashes innocently at him. Her eyes were bright. They hadn’t dimmed at all since Cassius had nulli?ed that draining Mark on her skin. And her power … Holy gods. Training with her the last few days had been nothing short of fascinating. Godsdamn terrifying, but utterly fascinating.
She’d slept for nearly an entire day after that Mark had been taken care of, and when she’d awakened, she’d looked fully rested for the ?rst time since he’d brought her back from Baylorin. She was more like her old self, still different, but her energy, her strength, her gifts? All of it was stronger. All of it was greater. He pitied anyone she may have to ?ght on this journey. She still struggled with using her magic and sword together ?uidly, but as long as she had access to her magic, it wouldn’t matter. Not against Night Children.
Luan and Talwyn sat atop their horses several feet away from the rest of their group. Things seemed tense between those two, despite their attempts to hide it. Words exchanged between them were clipped and to the point. Like she spoke to everyone else actually. So maybe there wasn’t anything going on and it was simply Talwyn being Talwyn.
Eliza had gone back to the Fire Court to get their own forces prepared for whatever might come of the mortal armies gathering at their borders. Scarlett had asked Briar to oversee things at the Black Halls until they returned. Sawyer was readying things in the Water Court. Cassius had been forced to stay behind, still not recovered enough for a trip like this. Now they sat waiting at the border between the Earth Court and Night Child territory for word from Rayner, who was scouting inside the Night Court for the best direction to head ?rst. The plan was simple: Find the Contessa, warn her of the coming threat, and ?gure out the best way to prepare for it. Complicatedly simple, he supposed.
A ?re message appeared amid a swirl of ashes near Sorin’s head, and he plucked the note from the center. Talwyn and Azrael were watching him and were already moving closer.
“Rayner says we should try her northern villa ?rst,” Sorin said. “He will let us know if he gets a better lead.”
“Talwyn and I take the lead?” Luan asked.
“Yes,” Sorin con?rmed. “Those three stay in the middle unless we need to ?ght, but I am hoping the Night Children won’t disturb all of us in a group. Cyrus and I will follow last.”
“Agreed,” Talwyn said coolly. “Two queens among them should stay their hands, not to mention you three.”
Without another word, Talwyn and Luan moved to the front of their company. They coaxed the horses through a sand portal that Luan created, taking them to the northernmost part of the Earth Court so they could cross the border as close to the Contessa’s villa as possible. Apparently, he still hadn’t recovered enough magic to Travel far, and not with all of them in tow. As long as they were able to maintain a decent pace, they should reach the villa by sundown though.
It was a few hours later, when Sorin was listening to the three females ahead of him bicker about one thing or another. He didn’t know what Luan and Talwyn were making of the exchanges between the Wraiths of Death, but Sorin was thoroughly enjoying it. To think that these three were among some of the most feared. If people only knew what they argued about. Currently, it was about a pair of twins that Juliette and Nuri had slept with, but they couldn’t agree on when that had occurred.
“That was not the time we took out those three smugglers,” Juliette said. “We used poison for them.”
“Your point?” Nuri asked from the Witch’s left.
“I bedded that guy from the show the smugglers were traveling with,” Juliette replied, like that cleared up everything.
Nuri was about to argue, but Scarlett cut in from Juliette’s other side. “No, she’s right. The night you two fucked those twins, you both had blood all over your clothes from cutting up the targets in the basement of that warehouse.”
“Wait. Was that the time we arranged body parts into a message?” Nuri asked.
“Mhmm,” Scarlett answered. “That’s why we were so ?lthy. It was a long message. Lots of parts needed. I wanted to go home and bathe, but you two insisted on fucking ?rst.”
“We have needs ,” Nuri half-drawled, half-whined.
“Clearly bloodlust has more than one meaning for you,” Scarlett quipped.
“Bitch,” Nuri muttered.
The females all started laughing before moving onto another memory. “Holy fuck,” Cyrus muttered. “Eliza is going to be so pissed she is missing this.”
“Maybe let’s not tell her we heard the Wraiths recounting all their tales.”
“I think if she heard the things they’re recounting, she would be incredibly disappointed,” Cyrus supplied. “They’ve spent more time discussing men than actual jobs.”
“The men were far more entertaining than the jobs,” Nuri called back to them.
“Depends on the job,” Juliette objected. “The guy from the night Scarlett made the target choke on his own ?esh … Let’s just say watching the man choke was more ful?lling than anything I’ve ever experienced in bed.”
“Now that target I remember,” Nuri said. “Very creative that night, Sister.”
“It seemed ?tting for someone who was keeping eleven young women in his basement and ‘lending them out’ as he put it,” Scarlett said with a shrug.
“Wait, so he choked on his …” Cyrus trailed off under his breath.
“I am thinking so,” Sorin supplied.
“Oh, it was more than that,” Nuri said, cackling with manic delight. “Fingers. Eyeballs. His actual ba—”
“I got it,” Cyrus said, cutting her off and wincing.
Such a vicious thing, Sorin shot down the bond.
My only regret is that I couldn’t make him suffer longer. Her voice was dark and cold as it echoed in his mind. But we had another engagement to be at, so he was blessed with only six hours.
Gods, I love you.
She looked back at him from her horse, and he could clearly see the look she shot him. His blood heated at the sight of it.
“Calm down,” Cyrus muttered. “I am not going to ride beside you smelling that all day.”
Scarlett snorted a laugh as she fell back into conversation with Nuri and Juliette.
“This is good for her,” Cyrus said after a time.
“It is,” Sorin agreed. “A small sense of normalcy in the midst of whatever this is.”
“Are we going to do anything about the Night Child that has been following us since we entered the territory?”
“I am assuming he is reporting back to the Contessa. Until he proves otherwise, we will let him be,” Sorin answered. “Nuri has seen him. So have Luan and Talwyn.”
Sorin had scented him a few minutes after they’d crossed, and he caught flashes of movement in the trees along the road they traveled. He knew the Night Child ahead of them had immediately marked him as well, and Luan and Talwyn were as trained as he and Cyrus were. If Juliette or Scarlett had noticed him, they hadn’t given any indication, and Sorin was content to let her have this time to not worry about anything.
Twilight was just settling over the land when they crested a small hill and looked down on a sprawling villa below. A high stone wall surrounded the property with iron gates at the entrance. The place looked deserted. There were no guards at those gates, no movement beyond them.
“Do not tell me we just traveled all day to spend the night on the ground,” Scarlett grumbled when Sorin brought his horse to a stop beside her.
“We knew she might not be here,” he replied, tossing her a pear. They’d stopped to eat several hours ago, but they had all agreed to push through dinner and eat when they arrived at the villa.
She caught the pear and took a bite as she mused, “Any chance we could still sleep in there rather than in the dirt?”
“You want to break into the Contessa’s villa?” Cyrus asked in amusement.
“No,” she admonished. “I want to see if someone is home and ask if we can sleep in a comfortable bed.” She took another bite of the pear. “Then if no one is home, yes, I want to break in.”
Cyrus laughed, sliding down from his horse. They were going to walk the remaining distance and let the horses start to cool down. Cyrus took Scarlett’s reins from her when she dismounted, and Sorin slid to the ground as well.
“Do you mean to tell me you never slept on the ground when traveling for all your jobs with the Wraiths?” Cyrus asked.
“Rarely,” Scarlett said, her eyes scanning the countryside. “My sisters always found beds.”
“So I heard,” Cyrus said. “And you?”
Scarlett shrugged as she said with a wink, “I broke into villas.” Then she sauntered over to join Nuri and Juliette.
“Rosalyn is not here,” Talwyn said.
Sorin turned to face her and Luan making their way over, Luan leading both of their horses.
“It does appear to be deserted,” Sorin replied, looking over the villa below.
“No other word from Rayner?” she asked.
Sorin shook his head. “Nothing from your people?”
“There has been no sign of her since we started actively looking,” Luan answered grimly.
“Do we really have no idea when the Contessa was last seen?” Cyrus asked.
“She’s so damn secretive. It’s not uncommon to not hear from her for a decade or more.”
“Valid point,” Sorin conceded.
“What are they doing?” Talwyn asked, and Sorin followed her gaze to the Wraiths, who were striding down the hill, leaving their horses, and the rest of them, behind.
Because of course they were.
Scarlett , Sorin growled down the bond.
I’m tired, Sorin. And hungry. Let’s get this over with.
“For fuck’s sake,” he muttered.
“She’s not stopping, is she?” Cyrus asked as Sorin began following the three females ahead of them.
“No, she is not,” he sighed, grabbing another horse to lead along with his own.
“She is going to get us all killed one day,” Luan grumbled.
“Not likely. She will pull some plan out of her ass and end up saving the godsdamn day,” Cyrus said.
Sorin glanced side-long at Talwyn. She’d been noticeably quiet. She wasn’t one to chatter, but she also wasn’t one to sit back and let others take the lead like she had all day. A silent Talwyn was almost more harrowing than the three females stalking down the hill.
Almost.
The Wraiths reached the gates, which were clearly locked. No one came to greet them. No one moved anywhere beyond them. Then all the Fae paused as they watched them move to the wall, hands trailing along stones.
“What are they—” Cyrus started, but stopped when they seemed to ?nd what they were looking for.
And all three of them scaled that wall like godsdamned cats, disappearing over the top into the darkening shadows of night.
“Fuck,” Sorin grunted, breaking into a run. He’d thought they’d at least wait for them when they found the gates locked. In hindsight, he had no idea why he’d assumed such a thing.
“How did they climb this?” Luan asked when they all reached the wall, examining the spot where they had climbed. He ran his hand along the smooth stones. “There is nothing to use for purchase here.”
“You are aware the Contessa does not take kindly to trespassers, are you not?” came a smooth voice from behind them. The Fae all stilled, slowly turning to face the Night Child standing behind them.
He had dark blond hair that curled around his ears. His blue eyes were bright, even in the growing darkness, and his pale skin re?ected the little light left. His hands were in the pockets of his tailored pants, his head tilted slightly to the side as he surveyed them. A dangerous, pointed smile was on his lips.
Auberon Isra.
The Contessa’s Second.
She had no one else. No one else was needed.
“Auberon,” Luan said casually, stepping in front of Talwyn. “We have been trying to reach the Contessa for quite some time now.”
“And so you have sent …” He glanced at the wall as though he could see who had scaled it to the other side. “The Wraiths of Death to ?nd her? Have they turned from assassins to bounty hunters?”
“Is there a reward for ?nding the Contessa?” Cyrus countered.
“Who said she was missing?” Auberon asked, his hair ruf?ing in the night breeze.
“Enough of this,” Talwyn cut in. “Is the Contessa here? And if not, where can we ?nd her?”
Auberon’s blue eyes swept over them once more. “She is not here, your Majesty.”
“And the second part of that question?” Talwyn demanded.
“She wishes not to be disturbed.”
“I am afraid this is a matter of urgency,” Sorin insisted.
Auberon looked him over once more before saying simply, “Come.” He turned and began walking towards the gates. “Unless you would prefer to scale the wall like your companions.”
“The horses?” Cyrus asked.
“There are stables,” Auberon replied, producing a silver key from his pocket and unlocking the gates.
Wards zipped along his skin when Sorin entered the gates, two horses in tow. Auberon was pointing them to the stables when he hissed, fangs snapping out. The Fae all turned to find a dagger at his throat and a shadow at his back.
Death’s Shadow.
“One of my own kind,” she purred. “Perhaps an actual challenge for once.”
“Who are you?” Auberon hissed again.
Nuri clicked her tongue. “Fire prick?”
“Release him,” Sorin sighed. “He is helping.”
“Who is he?”
Scarlett stepped from shadows to their left, and Juliette dropped down from the gods-knew-where.
“Eliza is going to be so pissed she is missing this,” Cyrus murmured again beneath his breath.
“Auberon Isra,” Sorin said to Scarlett when she came to his side. “He serves the Contessa. Auberon, meet my wife, Scarlett Semiria, Queen of the Western Courts.”
Auberon’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. “We did not hear news of a new queen here.”
“Then it appears we have much to discuss,” Scarlett replied, jerking her chin towards the villa.
Nuri stepped away, disappearing among shadows before somehow reappearing by Scarlett’s side a moment later. Cyrus cursed under his breath.
Auberon led them all into a sitting room in the villa, and when they had all taken seats on various chairs and sofas, Talwyn asked, “Where is Rosalyn?”
“In hiding,” Auberon answered casually from his chair. “Hiding?” Luan questioned.
Auberon nodded. “She became … concerned months ago. She went into hiding then.”
“Why not send for aid?” Luan asked.
“Rosalyn has controlled this territory without aid for centuries,” Auberon answered coldly.
“And yet now she is in hiding,” Talwyn retorted. “Where is she? We have matters to discuss.”
“Discuss them with me,” Auberon replied.
“No,” Talwyn bit out.
“He does not know where she is,” Scarlett said nonchalantly from beside Sorin on the sofa. She pushed to her feet, unclasping her cloak and removing it from her shoulders. She looped it over her arm. “Is there food here? I am famished.”
“Of course I know where my Contessa is,” Auberon snapped before quickly regaining his composure.
“Such lies,” Nuri crooned from where she leaned against a wall, one foot propped behind her and ?ipping one of her knives. “You have been trailing us since we crossed the border, hoping we would lead you to her.”
“ You were following us?” Sorin asked, his brow arching in surprise.
The Night Child pressed his tongue to his cheek, glaring at Nuri.
“He waited to approach until it was just you four,” Scarlett said, stretching her arms above her head. “Kitchen?”
“You three scaled that wall so he would come out?” Luan asked.
Scarlett seemed to mull this over. “It seemed easier than dragging him from the trees. Although to be fair, Nuri did make a compelling argument for doing so.”
Nuri smiled that grin that made Sorin fairly certain she was half mad. “Anyway... Food?”
She didn’t wait any longer. Nuri and Juliette peeled away from the wall, and the three of them wandered away down a hall, chatting idly about what kind of food they hoped to ?nd.
“She is … unconventional,” Auberon commented, watching her go. “You have no idea,” Talwyn muttered. “You do not know where Rosalyn is hiding?”
“No,” Auberon answered tightly. “I have been unable to ?nd her for months.”
“Who else knows?” Cyrus asked soberly.
“No one.”
Sorin blinked at him. “You have kept this a secret for months?”
“She is reclusive enough that no one seeing her for months is nothing new,” Auberon replied. “She once did not make a public appearance for eight years. Only showed herself to take care of a small clan who believed her to be dead and were planning to try to take over her leadership.”
“I can ?nd her.”
They all looked to the doorway where Scarlett stood, a sandwich in hand. Where had she found that so quickly?
“How exactly?” Talwyn asked tightly.
With a wicked grin, a shadow panther appeared, a book in its large maw.
And Sorin knew exactly where this was going before she held up the book of Blood Magic spells.
“No,” Sorin snarled at the same time Luan barked, “Fucking hell.”
“I thought you said they didn’t get along,” Nuri said, sauntering past Scarlett back into the room. She had a glass in her hand, and when she raised it toward Auberon, Sorin was fairly certain he knew what it contained. “I helped myself,” Death’s Shadow said with a wink.
Scarlett’s nose wrinkled at her. “Drink that somewhere I cannot see you please.”
Nuri arched an amused brow at her. Clasping the sandwich between her teeth to free a hand, Scarlett ?ipped her off in return.
And then Juliette was there, handing Scarlett something else that she slipped into a pocket before Sorin could make out what it was.
Then Death Incarnate took the sandwich from Scarlett’s teeth.
The queen growled. Literally growled like a feral cat at Juliette. “Give that back,” she said around the food in her mouth.
“It was mine to begin with,” Juliette retorted, taking a big bite. “Get your own.”
“I am a queen.”
“I am the Oracle. Oracle trumps queen,” Juliette said with a shrug.
“You are truly the Wraiths of Death?” Auberon said, his mouth slightly agape as he watched the females bicker.
“How did you three ever actually accomplish anything?” Cyrus asked, settling an arm along the back of the sofa.
“Careful, Darling,” Scarlett crooned. “You really do not want to know the answer to that.”
“I really kind of do,” he challenged.
And Sorin could swear three sets of female eyes darkened.
“You want to use Blood Magic to ?nd the Contessa?” Talwyn said after a moment of tense silence.
“Unless you have a better idea,” Scarlett replied, crossing her arms and leaning against the doorframe.
Talwyn’s lips pursed, her eyes narrowing.
“We should check in with Rayner. See if he has any updated information,” Sorin said.
“Her Second hasn’t been able to ?nd her for months, Sorin,” Scarlett said. “What makes you think Rayner is going to ?nd her?”
“We are not using Blood Magic, Scarlett.” She said nothing.
“Scarlett.”
“Sorin,” she parroted.
“Sometimes they throw down when they argue,” he heard Nuri muttering gleefully to Juliette. “If they do, my money is on Scarlett.”
“Fifty gold marks on Sorin,” Juliette replied.
“Deal.”
“By the gods,” Luan muttered from his chair. “This is a godsdamn spectacle. How are you three possibly the Wraiths of Death?”
“You’ll ?nd out tomorrow when we track down the Contessa,” Scarlett said, pushing off the doorway. “Which room can I sleep in, Auberon?”
Auberon glanced at the Fae.
“We are not using Blood Magic to do this, Scarlett,” Sorin said, working to keep his tone calm as he pushed to his feet.
“Fine, ?ne. We do not have to do anything,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
Let’s take a walk, he gritted out down the bond.
I’m good. Thanks.
A ?re portal appeared directly to her left, and Sorin began stalking towards her.
“Let us know who wins so we know who has to pay up,” Nuri called after him while he waited for Scarlett to go through. She huffed a dramatic sigh before making a big show of stepping through the portal.
“What?” she demanded, turning to face him under the cloudy night sky near the stables. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself. It wasn’t the winter chill of Solembra, but the night was still cool.
“You know what,” Sorin retorted. “We are not using Blood Magic.”
“I do not have the time to spend traipsing all over this territory, Sorin. This needs to be taken care of. Preferably tomorrow,” she argued.
“And what happens when there are other consequences from the Blood Magic? What happens when you do not understand the costs? Again .”
“We do not have the time to spend on this, Sorin,” she insisted.
“How do you ?gure that?” he demanded. “We have heard nothing from Alaric or Mikale or Lord Tyndell since we came for you.”
“Exactly!” she cried. She ran her hands through her hair. “We have heard nothing except that there are forces being moved around. They are moving , Sorin. They want the Contessa. They are coming for her, and it is my fear that they already have her. Alaric is a patient man, but when he strikes? He will be everywhere. He will be here. He will be at home. He will be in every court, in every territory.”
“He cannot be, Scarlett—”
“He can be, Sorin. He is already moving pieces into place. Can’t you see? He will be everywhere, and we are not prepared. We will have to pick which lands to save and which to surrender,” she insisted.
“We have allies in every territory, every Court, Scarlett. He will not simply march in and overtake us all,” Sorin said, trying to soothe the hysteria he could see in her eyes.
She shook her head, tipping her face up to the stars. “You do not know him,” she whispered. She brought her eyes back to his, and tears glimmered in the little light of the moon. “I need you to trust me, Sorin. I know you do not. I know it is a lot to ask of you after everything, but I need you to trust me on this. Please.”
He could only stare at her. Raw and real. Those were the emotions in her eyes, ?ooding down the bond.
“It is not that I do not trust you, Scarlett,” he said slowly. “It is that I do not trust Blood Magic.”
“Blood Magic is not inherently bad, Sorin,” she replied. “It is how it is used. One could say the same for darkness.” At her words, she lifted a palm, shadows pooling there before reaching for him and brushing down his arm.
“Blood Magic is unpredictable,” he countered, his ?ames rising up to meet her shadows.
She stepped into him. “It is a tracking Mark. That is all,” Scarlett said, her palms settling on his chest, sliding up and over his shoulders.
One of his arms snaked around her waist, tugging her further into him. “You are not going to distract me from this conversation with your hands, Love.”
“No?”
“No.”
“I think they could be just as distracting as my tongue.”
“I know they can be,” he gritted out, “but this conversation needs to happen ?rst.”
She pushed out a heavy breath, stepping back. “I have been studying this Mark since I found it when searching for the nullifying Mark that day.”
“Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”
“I did,” she answered. “To Rayner. We needed someone close to the Contessa to be able to use it. I asked Rayner who this would be, and he told me of Auberon. So I told Rayner to pick a location, then ?nd Auberon and conveniently reveal our plans where he would hear of them.”
Sorin started. “Rayner sent us to the northern villa because …”
“Because that was the location Auberon was closest to so he would be able to catch up with us the fastest,” Scarlett con?rmed. “I wanted him to ?nd us, follow us. I didn’t know if it would work, so Rayner is also looking for the Contessa, but …” She shrugged.
Sorin could only blink at her.
Scarlett cleared her throat. “The Mark will require Auberon’s blood, and he will need to draw it.”
“Night Children cannot do Blood Magic,” Sorin said quickly.
“I know. He will need to draw it in his blood, then my blood will be splashed across it to activate it. It will be connected to him, though. He is the one who will learn where she is, and then I am hoping we can portal there,” Scarlett explained.
Sorin slid his hand into her hair, tipping her head back. “What is the cost?
“My magic,” she answered. “The Mark depends on my magic, so it will drain my reserves until Auberon learns her location. I will need to … feed before we go to her.”
“That cost does not seem very steep,” he said with a frown.
“It could be, depending on what one is trying to find,” she answered. “Or if one did not have a way to replenish their magic well right away.”
He lowered his mouth, brushing his lips against hers. “I am ready for that distraction now,” he murmured onto them.
He felt her lips curve against his own before the familiar sensation of Traveling tugged at him.
“Apparently she won,” Nuri said wryly. “Pay up.”
Sorin pulled back, giving Scarlett an unimpressed glare. “Really? You took us back here.”
“They wanted to know who won,” she said, sucking her lower lip between her teeth as she started to back away from him.
“Up the stairs, end of the hall, last door on the right,” Cyrus said from the sofa where he now sipped on a glass of amber liquor. “And you’re wrong, Death’s Shadow. I’m fairly certain Sorin is about to win.”
He wasn’t wrong, as Sorin followed his queen out of the sitting room and up the stairs. She threw him a coy look over her shoulder before she pushed through the door of the room they’d been assigned. She turned to face him when he’d shut the door behind him.
She was slowly removing weapons, her eyes never leaving his. “Tell me, king of mother hens, what kind of distraction would you prefer this night?”
He shot her an unimpressed glare at her newest name, and she smirked lightly at him. He began to prowl towards her, but stilled when he felt her shadows rake down his arms, his chest, his torso. She was removing her boots now, her movements casual as her shadows continued their torturous descent.
She stood upright again, kicking her boots to the side before sliding her tunic over her head, standing before him in just her pants and the band around her breasts. She slowly made her way towards him, hips swaying, and his eyes roaming where they willed.
“Nothing to say?” she crooned, and he cursed when those shadows caressed his cock through his pants. She huffed a laugh, beginning to circle him. Her actual ?ngers dragged along the back of his shoulders.
“You are as wicked as you are vicious,” he gritted out.
“Mmm,” she hummed, coming to a stop in front of him. “You did not answer me, prince of fussiness.”
He went to reach for her, to silence that godsdamn tongue, when her shadows ran down his length again; and he stumbled, letting out a groan as she danced back a few steps, biting her lower lip, her eyes glittering with sinful promises.
“Come here,” he said in a low command, tracking her movements when she slowly began circling him again, staying out of his reach.
“You asked for a distraction,” she mocked. “Are you not thoroughly distracted?”
But then she was gasping at the ?ames brushing along her own body. He was on her a moment later, his hands landing on her hips and ?ngers immediately beginning to roam over her exposed ?esh.
“Teasing is not the type of distraction I had in mind,” he breathed into her ear, goosebumps erupting along her skin under his ?ngertips.
“You never speci?ed what kind of distraction you were looking for,” she replied breathlessly.
A low chuckle rumbled through him, and he made quick work of the band around her breasts. “In my experience, the less clothing, the better the distraction,” he said, ?ngers drifting to the buttons of her pants.
“You do have more experience, I suppose,” she said with a dramatic sigh.
“Mmm,” he hummed, pushing her pants over her hips, her undergarments with them. “Arianna and Jamahl would not be an option tonight, but I am sure there is a male or two downstairs who would be more than willing to join us.”
“What?” she started, her hands landing on his shoulder when she stumbled while stepping out of her pants at his words.
“You just seem very jealous of my experiences , my Love,” he continued, shoving her pants aside with his foot.
“How do you always manage to turn this around so that I am the one being teased?” she whined, with a pout forming on her lips.
He leaned in to whisper, “experience,” and his hands found her hips once more. He began walking her backwards towards the desk that was in the room.
She scoffed, rolling her eyes. “And why am I always naked while you always remain fully clothed?”
“I excel at distracting,” he replied, lifting her up and setting her bare ass on the desk. She scoffed again. He arched a brow. “You do not believe me?” he asked. “How else did I get you naked, sitting atop a desk with your beautiful breasts in my mouth, Princess?”
“My breasts are not—”
He moved before she ?nished speaking, his mouth closing around a peaked tip and sucking hard. She moaned, her back arching beautifully, as her hands landed on the desk behind her. He slid his hands down her thighs to her knees, pushing them wider and stepping further into her. His mouth moved to her other breast before his tongue was tasting her neck, and her head fell back, another breathy moan escaping her.
He pressed a kiss below her ear before he said in a guttural tone, “Do not move.”
“What?” Her head snapped up.
His hands were still on her knees, and his ?ngers ?exed in emphasis when he repeated, “Do not move, my Love,” before stepping away from her a few feet.
She gaped at him, and he lazily slipped his tunic over his head, hiding his smirk. But she hadn’t moved. Not an inch. Her hands were still braced behind her, her chest thrust forward, and those luscious breasts on full display. Her legs were still spread wide, giving him a view he was certain he could spend the entirety of the afterlife staring at.
“I am supposed to be distracting you,” she said petulantly, her eyes watching him intently when he stooped down to unbuckle his boots.
“And you are doing a wonderful job, my Love,” he replied when he stood back up, toeing the boots off. “I assure you, the only thing I am thinking about right now is sinking my cock between those pretty thighs you have spread open so nicely for me. I am completely and utterly distracted.”
This time, he didn’t hide his smirk when her cheeks ?ushed. He watched her eyes dip to where his ?ngers were at the buttons of his pants. Watched her throat work as he slipped them off. Watched the tremor go through her body when he started making his way back over to her. Her head tipped back so she could look into his face, her lips parting, and tongue darting out, swiping along her bottom lip.
“What are you waiting for then?” she rasped, her voice low and throaty in a way that had his cock twitching against her.
“For your manners to make those rare appearances.”
“Sorin.” He was pretty sure she’d meant that to be a reprimand, but it came out as a plea, a note of desperation in her tone.
“Or begging,” he said. “That works, too.”
Before she could spout off with whatever was surely to come from her mouth next, he was gripping her hips and yanking her forward onto his length. He groaned at the same time her breath caught, and he captured her lips with his mouth. Her arms looped around his neck, ?ngers twining in the hair at the base of it. Her legs wrapped around his waist, heels digging into his back and pushing him further into her as she rocked against him.
And when a hand dropped down to grip the edge of the desk, the nails of her other hand dug into the nape of his neck; and one of his hands slipped over her mouth to sti?e the sound of her coming. Not that it really mattered. It was no secret what they had been coming up here to do. Cyrus had made certain of that, forever a busybody. But even if he hadn’t announced it, the sound of the desk hitting the wall with every thrust into her, certainly told them everything they needed to know.
Her forehead was against his shoulder, his hand moving up and down her back as they both worked to steady their breathing after he’d followed her over the edge of pleasure. She’d unwound her legs, letting them dangle over the edge of the desk, one hand resting on his chest over his racing heart.
“One of these days,” she rasped, “it will be me with the upper hand in these distractions.”
“Everyone should have goals,” he replied, a breath of laughter coming from his lips when her other hand pinched his thigh sharply.
He didn’t bother to tell her that she already had the upper hand in every way. He didn’t bother to tell her that all she had to do was say the word, and he’d be on his knees before her. He didn’t bother to tell her that she already held all the power. That he would crawl through every darkness, every ?ame, and every shadow to worship her in every way possible.
He didn’t say any of that. Instead, he tipped her mouth up to his, brushing his lips lightly against hers. Then he was scooping her up and carrying her to the bed, where he made sure she was sleeping deeply before he let himself follow her even into the depths of slumber.