Chapter 26
Manu gripped Inej’s hips as he drove into her again and again. He had only intended to kiss her, but he lost all reason when he was near her. Every moment with her deepened the ache, stoked his desire. She wasn’t just under his skin—she was becoming a part of him.
She issued a breathless groan. The sultry, seductive sound drove him wild. Her sheath was snug around his cock. All he had been able to think about for the entire day was getting back to Navara.
Back to Inej.
Pleasure built quickly. His orgasm was almost upon him, but he wasn’t going without her. He flattened his hand on her abdomen and slid his fingers down until he breached her dark curls and found her swollen clit. Her breath hitched as he circled it once, twice.
“Aye,” she urged.
Her moans grew louder as she rocked back against him, meeting his thrusts. The feel of her was simultaneously too much and not enough. His hunger grew with every breath—quiet, relentless.
Consuming.
A scream was wrenched from her lips as her body tightened around him. Thoughts ceased. He drove into her and bellowed as the orgasm slammed into him, robbing him of breath. His body shook as he came undone, drowning in brutal, blinding pleasure he never wanted to end.
He was slow to come down from the glorious high.
The sound of their ragged breaths filled his ears.
He felt her soft curves as the room came back into focus.
Manu drew in the scent of their lovemaking.
A violent, possessive sensation overtook him.
Something urged him to mark her as his, to claim her so no one would ever harm her.
The reaction was so immediate and intense that it shook him.
Manu kissed the exposed portion of her neck and slowly pulled out of her.
She turned to face him, her skin flushed from her climax.
Her brown eyes searched his face before she gently touched his cheek.
He covered her hand with his and felt stubble on his fingertips.
He had only hastily scrubbed the blood and ice from his body, changed, and come to find her.
“I saw blood earlier,” she said.
He leaned his cheek into her palm and closed his eyes for a heartbeat. “It was minor.”
“You were hurt.”
“Nothing herbs couldn’t heal.”
She studied him for a moment longer and then almost reluctantly said, “I was worried.”
He took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her knuckles. “All I could think about from the moment I left you in my chamber was getting back. To you.”
Manu knew he had said too much when he felt her retreat.
She didn’t pull away physically, but there was no doubt that a wall had come down between them—one that hadn’t been there before.
His feelings for her were growing into something serious and lasting.
And yet, he couldn’t forget that she didn’t believe in love.
He glanced behind her and saw the plated food. “I interrupted your meal.”
“I promise, I didn’t mind,” she replied with a grin.
“Let me fix a plate, and we can eat together.”
She withdrew her hand, and he wanted to call it back. He couldn’t rush her. There was a good chance that what he felt was real, and he knew she felt something for him. It might not be love—yet—but he was willing to take it as slowly as she needed. Because he wasn’t giving up on her.
They walked to the table together, taking their usual seats across from each other. He focused on his food instead of shoving it off the table and laying her across the surface so he could take her again. She was addictive. Every second in her presence left him needing more.
“Can you tell me what called you away?” she asked.
He swallowed the bite and set down his fork. “Some tribes have no desire to know who might be in the Peaks or why. That isn’t how we do things in Navara. I’ve always kept an eye on the mountains and who might be trekking across them—especially if they come from the lowlands.”
“That’s how you knew I was out there.”
“Indeed. We keep an eye on anyone coming from the lowlands in case they get into trouble. More often than not, they do. Others, coming from the other directions, do so for several reasons. Trade, visiting, or aggression.”
She paused with the food halfway to her mouth. “Which was it this time?”
“We noticed a group from the lowlands a few days ago. They weren’t…” He trailed off, wondering how much to tell her.
“Weren’t what?” she pressed.
He flattened his lips. “Friendly.”
“They attacked you?” she asked, her eyes widening in alarm.
“They did after we stopped them from continuing deeper into the Peaks, aye.”
Her brow creased in a frown. “Do you often stop people from traveling?”
If he weren’t so tired—yet wired—he wouldn’t have let the conversation get this far, but it was too late now. “They weren’t a group of travelers. They were mercenaries who got too close to Navara. They attempted to take me, but things didn’t work out too well for them.”
“Take you?” she repeated, her face frozen in disbelief.
Manu rubbed his forehead. He hadn’t wanted her to know that the Masters were so close. “They won’t get into Navara. I won’t allow it. None of my people will be taken. That includes you.”
“You’re talking about the Masters. Daas mentioned them.”
He pushed his plate away, no longer hungry. “What do you call the group abducting people in the lowlands?”
“I’ve not heard them called anything.”
The Masters had kept themselves hidden for a long time, but now that Manu and his friends were causing havoc, their name was spreading—as was word about their organization. Maybe it hadn’t reached Belanore.
He rose, grabbed a bottle of wine and two goblets from the sideboard, and brought them to the table. He filled both glasses and handed one to Inej, then sat once more. “Their organization is large, and their reach is far and wide.”
“Even in the Peaks?”
“In a manner of speaking. They had a place in the mountains once.”
“Shaldorn?”
His heart thudded in his chest as she casually dropped the name few were aware of.
He and other Mountain Elves had known of its existence for decades, but he’d been unable to get inside to do anything about it.
It was only after Yasmin escaped and he found her that he had learned the true horrors of the place.
Yasmin was the first and only human to escape Shaldorn and live to talk about it.
Even those who managed to get free when he and his friends shut it down had disappeared into the lowlands, hoping the Masters never found them.
They wouldn’t speak of it to anyone. So, how did Inej know about Shaldorn?
“How did you hear about that?” he asked, keeping his voice casual despite his tense muscles.
Had he been wrong to trust Inej? Was she a spy sent to…to what? Kill him? She had saved his life. If she wanted him dead, she would’ve let the assassin’s blade find him. Still, he waited for her answer.
“I clean for the wealthy, remember? I overhear things,” she answered.
She didn’t display any hesitation or nervousness that he could see. Maybe he was overreacting. “Just one family?”
“Many. I work for an agency that places us. I’ve not been lucky enough to find one place to remain.”
“Do you remember which family you heard talking about Shaldorn?”
She shifted nervously in her chair. “You’re making me anxious. Am I not supposed to know about it?”
Instead of answering, he asked, “Did the family speak about what Shaldorn was?”
Inej gave a quick shake of her head.
He downed the wine and refilled his glass, wary now.
“The ruins are quite a ways from Navara. It’s why I wasn’t aware of its construction.
It sits atop one of the lower peaks, shielding it from view.
By the time the tribes learned of it, the project was already complete.
There was only one way in and one way out, and only those with invites gained access. ”
“Invites?” she asked in confusion.
He was edgy, tense. He couldn’t help but wonder if his desires had overshadowed caution. If Inej were an elf, he wouldn’t have been so lax. He was more grateful than ever that the children were with the Dragon Kings and far from the Masters’ reach.
Manu couldn’t sit any longer. He rose and walked to the wall, leaning a shoulder against it as he swirled the wine in the goblet in an effort to conceal his unease.
“They built a road. Every so often, dozens of carriages would make their way to the stronghold. The walls were high and thick with few windows. Everything was kept contained within, so we had no way of knowing what went on inside. It was only after I found a half-frozen human female named Yasmin that I learned the truth.”
“Which was?” Inej urged when he paused.
He took a long pull of wine. “Evil. Pure evil. A Moon Elf had lured Yasmin there with the promise of a better life. What she got was enslavement. Hundreds of humans were brought there. Put to work cleaning, cooking, and serving.”
“Why do I get the feeling the serving you’re referring to isn’t meals?”
“Because it wasn’t. Those who received invitations, all had particular proclivities they couldn’t slake anywhere else.
The stronghold gave it to them. Anything they wanted, anytime.
And I do mean anything. Shaldorn was the secret playground of the wealthy elite.
They did a good job of hiding it, but word eventually leaked, and others began asking questions and digging for information. ”
She nodded to him. “You mean you asked questions.”
“I remained in the mountains, keeping an eye on the comings and goings at Shaldorn while also making sure no one ever got close to Navara. Others more adept at uncovering secrets got to work. Those individuals came up with a plan, and with Yasmin’s help, they got into the stronghold.
I was on the outside, waiting to help if they needed it, which they did.
We were victorious in shutting down Shaldorn, but that wasn’t the end of things.
We soon discovered that the Masters had been the ones abducting people, and they ran Shaldorn.
They didn’t take our meddling well. They learned who had been involved in closing down the stronghold and put a price on our heads.
All except for me. They didn’t know about me until recently. ”
Inej raised her brows. “What are you going to do?”
“Fight to my dying breath.”
She looked down at the table and folded her hands in her lap. “Now I understand your suspicion when I brought up Shaldorn. You think I’m with them.”
“Are you?”
“You think they would turn to a human for help?” she asked with a grin.
He didn’t return her smile. He couldn’t. Because he feared she was a spy, even as he reminded himself that she had saved his life. He couldn’t discount the things he had overlooked before.
She pushed back her chair and stood before walking around the table to stand before him. He straightened from the wall and stared down into her beautiful face. Not even the worry that she might be with the enemy dampened his desire. Not one iota.
Inej held his gaze. “I’m a nobody who often went without meals to keep a roof over my head.
I walked amid the wealthy, cleaning their messes and straightening their homes.
Plenty of times, I had opportunities to steal something that would have fed me for a month, but I didn’t.
I kept my head down and worked, doing my best to get through each day.
If you think I’m with the enemy, then you should’ve left me to the wolvites. ”
“If I had done that, I never would’ve learned the taste of your kiss or discovered how good it feels to be inside you.”
Her gaze dropped to his mouth, and he saw her pulse quicken in her neck. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what? Be honest?”
“Change the subject.”
He set his goblet on the table and moved closer to her.
Her eyes lifted to his again, exposing the passion in her that ran as hot as his.
He should keep the conversation on her past, but his body had other ideas.
“Tell me you aren’t thinking of my cock inside you.
Tell me you don’t want my mouth on your breast or my finger teasing your clit. ”
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. “I…can’t.”
The air crackled with sexual tension as they stared at each other.
She grabbed his head and pulled it down to her. Right before her lips touched his, she said, “I’m not your enemy.”
He wrapped his arms around her as he molded her to his body, kissing her deeply. He hoped to hell she wasn’t. Because even if she were an enemy, he couldn’t stay away from her. He was in too deep, and there was no way out for him.