Chapter 37
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Racing down the front steps of the castle, I head west, pulling the hood of my cloak further over my face.
The frigid air makes my toes curl in my boots, and my breath puffs in large clouds of white fog.
I glance behind me a few times, feeling the sense that someone is following me, but in the dark, I don’t see a soul.
It’s close to the hollow hour, a time when I’d much prefer to be asleep, but I need to speak with Kaia about Nikolas. Instead of going through the back, I pass the guards at the front, one of them opening the door for me to enter. It’s so late at night that I don’t worry about anyone seeing me.
I’m halfway down the hall when the front door closes again with a thunk, signifying that someone has entered. There’s a familiar prickle of magic that drips down my spine, making me shiver. My steps immediately halt, and my head instinctively whips around out of paranoia.
A pair of grey eyes meets mine.
Oh. Fuck.
Turning on my heel, I dash, running as fast as my feet can carry me toward the back door.
Casimir’s booming footsteps echo down the hall, and his magic wracks through me.
I turn the corner and get a few more steps before Casimir’s arms tangle with mine.
Casimir’s palm wraps around my throat, pinning me to the wall.
His other hand slams to the wall beside my head, boxing me in with his body.
Neither of us speaks right away as we catch our breath, the tension between us ready to snap.
“If you’re going to put your hand there, at least tighten your grip—” I start, but Casimir’s hand closes, cutting off my airway.
I let out a soft moan as he chokes me. I’ve never had a man’s hand around my throat, and gods, I like it. Like the way his body staves off the cold. Like the way I unravel his control despite the indignation on his face.
His gaze flickers with lust as he squeezes again, leaning closer. “You drive me to a level of madness no one else has dared to reach.” His patience reaches its limits. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” I point out, my voice strained.
“Don’t make me force it from you,” he replies, loosening his grip slightly so I can take a breath.
“What do you think I spent all that money on?” I insinuate, sparing him the details of how I own half of this brothel.
Casimir lets out a haughty laugh. “Such a menace…”
“And what is my scoundrel doing here?”
“Your scoundrel…” he purrs. “I was looking for my pretty princess. She left the castle at a rather suspicious hour.”
“Maybe I wanted you to follow me.” My voice is enticing.
“You look good with my hand around your throat.” Casimir tilts his head, and our lips brush together.
Casimir kisses me with unbridled need, biting down on my bottom lip and dragging it between his teeth. His tongue sweeps inside my mouth, twirling with mine in a maddening rhythm, his grip tightening around my throat.
Tilting my head, I part my lips and allow him deeper.
The world falls away, leaving only the press of his mouth and the air we share between us.
I reach up, threading my fingers through his impossibly soft hair.
My fingertips graze those tall ears as I steady myself against him, and he shivers in response.
Footsteps echo around the corner, and a sudden rush of ignominy fills me. Someone is going to see us. I turn my head to see who's approaching. Casimir lowers his head, biting down on the hollow of my neck, seemingly unfazed that someone is about to spot us.
“Cass,” I whisper. “Someone will see.”
“Good.” He releases my throat, both hands making quick work of my corset. “Maybe that’s what you need. For me to take you against this wall and make you ache the way I ache for you.” His words are so provocative that they leave me breathless. “Is that why you led me here?”
Kaia rounds the corner, her footsteps immediately halting at the sight of us. “Whoops!” Her eyes widen at first, but then her lips turn up in a wicked grin. “Don’t let me interrupt.” She turns and saunters off in the direction she came from, leaving us alone.
Casimir gently pulls down the front of my dress, my nipples pebbling against the chill in the air. His fingertips rub slow circles across my breasts, sending me deeper into a state of lust. My eyelids flutter closed as he pulls and pinches the gentle peaks, a needy moan tumbling from my lips.
Heat spreads through my body as my mark sings from his touch, setting every nerve alight.
The aching desire to have him grows stronger by the moment, and I wonder how I denied myself for so long.
Casimir’s presence is so commanding that it makes my pulse stutter, my body aching to yield.
Every touch between us feels like a contest—two forces locked in battle, neither willing to surrender.
“More…” The word tumbles from my lips before I can stop it.
Casimir lets out a low noise of approval. “Say that again…” his voice is like satin across my skin as he trails a fingertip up my thigh, pushing the hem of my dress up.
“More,” I plead as Casimir lingers over my center, pushing my undergarments to the side and exposing me.
“You’re soaked, Princess.” Casimir’s voice is heady as he trails a finger up my center.
I inhale a shaky breath as I resist pressing my hips toward him further. “Are you going to do something about it?” I provoke him in return, my eyes not leaving his.
Casimir’s lips turn up in a wicked grin at my words. “If you ask nicely.” He makes slow circles over my clit, teasing me. “Tell me what you want,” he commands.
A loud gasp leaves my lips when he plunges a finger deep into me, making me tighten my grip around him. “I need you,” I whisper, desperate.
“Louder.”
“No.”
He lets out a dark laugh. “Oh, you’re going to scream for everyone to hear.” Casimir pumps his fingers into me, curling them deep.
“Please!” I cry out, my body aching for relief.
“That’s my girl,” he purrs, quickening his pace.
Casimir adds a second finger, pumping in and out of me at a maddening pace, curling his fingers and reaching that spot.
I run my palm across his trousers, cupping his hard length.
He elicits a growl of pleasure, biting down on my nipple in response.
The mixture of rapid sensations quickly brings me to the edge, his fingers filling me to the brim with each steady movement.
“Casimir…!” I loudly cry out his name—waves of pleasure coursing through every nerve in my body as I climax.
He draws out my pleasure with his fingers, moving them in a dizzying rhythm that makes me want him even more. Casimir doesn’t stop. He has me gasping and crying out so loudly that I’m sure everyone in the manor can hear.
Casimir removes his fingers from me, lifting his hand to his lips and sucking each of his fingers clean.
The sight steals my breath from my lungs, wanting even more.
My chest heaves with uneven breaths as I wait to see if he will pull away.
He doesn’t. Casimir holds me close to him, arm banding around me, my back still pinned against the wall.
I’ve never felt like this before. And I don’t want to stop now.
I slowly unbuckle Casimir’s belt, his gaze darkening as I free his length.
I lower to my knees, wrapping my fingers around his base and licking from length to tip before taking him in my mouth.
I’ve never met a man I wanted to please so completely, but with Casimir, surrender feels like desire itself.
A slight shiver runs throughout his body as I continue sucking and licking, moving my head up and down his impressive length. I rub his thigh with my left hand as I squeeze his base with my right, feeling his cock tighten in my mouth.
“Fuck…” Casimir’s voice is rough, and his hands get lost in my hair. “Raelys.”
I glance up at him, his gaze meeting mine as he takes control, quickening the pace of his thrust. His length hits the back of my throat repeatedly.
The edges of my eyes water as Casimir pulls me from length to tip, relentlessly fucking my throat with speed.
I moan around his length, my hands gripping his thighs to steady myself.
Casimir pulls me to the hilt and holds me there, his hot release running down my throat as I take all of him. He lets out a delicious moan, eyes never leaving mine as his grip tightens around my hair. I lift my head, my mouth leaving his cock with a pop as I lean back and swallow.
Casimir’s chest heaves as he catches his breath, his grip tightening at my scalp.
Something inside me stirs at how I am affecting him, the King of Wrath losing control over my touch.
I slowly rise to my feet, watching as he yanks up his trousers, buckling them.
Then, he fixes my dress, covering my breasts and re-tying the strings.
He smooths my skirt with his hands, too, the gesture almost possessive, as if he can’t bear the thought of anyone else seeing me like this.
He takes my cheek in his palm and kisses me sweetly.
It’s a real kiss, one that makes my heart flutter in my chest and my stomach coil with excitement.
I place a hand on his chest, and his fingers wrap around my wrist. Casimir’s fingertips trace the mark on my arm, sending a chill down my spine from the sensation.
He cups my chin between his forefinger and thumb, gently tilting my head to meet his gaze.
“Remember this feeling, Raelys. Hold this desire you feel for me into the very core of your body.” He trails a slow thumb over my swollen bottom lip.
“Because the next time you let another man touch you… you’ll realize that no one else can make you feel this way but me. ”
And then he leaves.
I lean against the wall for support, my knees still weak. Lust and need tingle in every nerve, begging for more of his touch. He’s still the warlord. I remind myself, and I’m magically tied to him in this game of curses and crowns. He is my greatest desire, and yet, he is my greatest downfall.
Kaia comes back around the corner. “What did I say?” she says proudly. “So agonizing that they must have you.”