CHAPTER NINETEEN
VESPER
Kyrion finally relaxed, his eyes such a dark blue they looked almost black. His body sank into the bed, as though he was suddenly boneless, and the sticky cobweb of him in my mind reverberated with pleasure.
“I would say that lasted a good long while, wouldn’t you, Kyr?” I said in a smug voice.
He blinked a few times. Some of the hot glaze faded from his eyes, and his gaze sharpened. In an instant, he was once again the arrogant Regal lord and dangerous Arrow I knew so well.
“That sounded distinctly like a challenge,” Kyrion growled.
He sat up, bringing me with him. I laughed, and Kyrion pressed a quick kiss to my lips.
“Silence, now,” he murmured. “I need to concentrate.”
Kyrion loosened the belt on my robe and peeled the garment off my left shoulder, then my right shoulder. The second it slid down my back, he used his telekinesis to fling it aside, along with his own robe, so that there was nothing between us.
Kyrion raked his gaze over my body the same way I had done to his.
I shivered, and I could have sworn I could see the heat of my desire reflected in Kyrion’s eyes, which had once again turned more black than blue.
Or maybe that was just all our emotions mixing, mingling, and reverberating through the bond.
Either way, it was one of the most dizzying, exhilarating sensations I’d ever experienced.
Kyrion leaned forward, nuzzling my neck. “I love the way my shampoo smells on your skin. Soft and sweet, just like you.”
“And I love you,” I replied, winding my arms around his neck.
Kyrion grabbed my hips, anchoring me to him, then flipped us over so that I was on my back. He braced his forearms on either side of my body, looming over me the way he always did. Even though he wasn’t touching me, the heat of his body soaked into my own, and I shivered with anticipation.
“You had your turn, but I’m rather fond of this position,” he declared.
I arched an eyebrow, then skimmed my fingers along his broad, strong shoulders, enjoying the bunch and flex of his muscles under my touch.
“Really? Why is that?” I asked, putting a teasing note in my voice.
Kyrion gave me a wicked grin, then dipped his head and nuzzled my neck again. He trailed light butterfly kisses down my chest, then drew my right nipple into his mouth and sucked on it hard. A spike of pleasure jolted through me.
My breath quickened, and I dragged my nails along his scalp. “There is something to be said for this position.”
“Mm-hmm,” Kyrion murmured again my skin.
He lavished attention on first one nipple, then the other, until I was squirming against him the same way he had been squirming against me earlier. Kyrion lifted his head, and I wound my arms around his neck and drew his mouth down to mine.
His lips and tongue were hot and heavy against my own, and I tried to tug him down, wanting to feel his weight on top of me, but Kyrion braced himself on one forearm.
His hand slid down my stomach, then between my thighs, and he rubbed his fingers against me, sending more spikes of pleasure shooting out through my body.
My back arched at the heady sensations, and Kyrion leaned down and licked at the rapid pulse beating in my throat even as he kept rubbing his fingers against me.
“I love the little purrs of pleasure you make,” he rumbled against my skin. “And I love you too.”
I was too mindless with desire to do anything but moan in response.
Kyrion kept teasing me with his fingers, and I ran my hands all over his body, trying to bring him the same amount of pleasure he was bringing me. We both had birth-control implants, so there was no awkward fumbling between us. Just one kiss, caress, and wave of pleasure after another.
I panted at the quick slide and glide of his fingers. “Kyr . . . Kyr . . .”
“Do you know what my favorite part about this position is?” he murmured.
I was once again too mindless to do anything but moan in response.
“This,” Kyrion said.
He lifted my right leg, then slowly slid inside me. I gasped again and dug my fingers into his shoulders. Kyrion’s mouth landed on mine, and he devoured me the same way I was devouring him. He kissed me again and again, timing his thrusts to the flick of his tongue against my lips.
I lifted my other leg and locked it around his waist. Kyrion growled and slid even deeper inside me. We were both panting now, rocking together fast and furiously.
This was no distant dream. This was him and me. Now. Here. Together.
And it was the most glorious thing in the galaxy.
Afterward, we lay on the bed, arms and legs tangled, the afterglow bouncing from me to Kyrion and back again through the bond.
“I could stay like this forever,” he declared.
I nuzzled his jaw with my nose. “Me too.”
He turned onto his side and drew me into his arms so that we were face-to-face.
I pushed a lock of black hair off his forehead.
I loved seeing Kyrion like this, completely at ease and totally relaxed, and the same sensations reverberated through the bond.
I would never forget the horrors we had faced in the maze, but right now I was going to enjoy every single second of our time together.
Kyrion ran his hands up and down my arms. Then he frowned, and the sticky cobweb in my mind pulsed with curiosity and more than a touch of wariness. “Did you find anything in Jeffrey’s files to support your theory that someone else was involved with Roderick Battis?”
I shook my head. “Nothing yet, but I messaged Daichi and Tivona right before you returned to the suite.”
Daichi Hirano was Kyrion’s chief of staff.
He was currently hiding out on Corios with his uncle, Touma Hirano, a spelltech who dabbled in all sorts of illegal things.
Tivona Winslow was my best friend and a skilled negotiator who was running Quill Corp in my absence.
The three of them, along with Zane, had been gathering intel and keeping an eye on things in the Imperium while Kyrion and I were on the run.
“Daichi and Tivona will help me with the files tomorrow,” I continued. “I’m going to take a closer look at everything in the morning, but I’m pretty sure of what I’ll find.”
Kyrion’s frown deepened. “Which is what, exactly?”
I explained my theory, and Kyrion’s face darkened like a storm cloud.
“Are you sure?” he growled.
I considered his question. I wasn’t sure. Not in a proven, scientific way like I would be when testing a new brewmaker or blaster in the R&D lab, but my seer magic kept whispering that I was right. “Yes, I’m sure.”
Kyrion spat out a string of colorful curses. “I don’t know who’s worse, the Techwave or Callus Holloway.”
“I would vote for Holloway. The Techwave just wants to use and kill me. Holloway wants us both under his thumb to drain and torture as long as possible.”
Kyrion’s eyes darkened again, and the sticky cobweb of him bristled with anger. I traced my fingers over his forehead, trying to smooth out the deep, worried line there. Kyrion sighed, then leaned into my touch.
“We need to deal with the Techwave and Holloway,” he said. “Take the fight to them.”
I nodded and kept tracing my fingers over his forehead. “I have some ideas about how we can do that—tomorrow.”
I pushed on his shoulders so that he was lying flat on his back. “Our enemies can wait. Right now I am much more interested in you and me and making the most of this big, comfortable bed.”
I slung my leg over his hips so that I was straddling him again. I rocked forward, and he hardened beneath me once more. The frown vanished from Kyrion’s face, although his eyes quickly grew darker again, this time with desire.
I grinned. “There’s another position I want to try. Care to guess what it is?”
Kyrion growled and pulled my head down to his. Our lips met, and everything else melted away. At least for the rest of this night.