Forty-Seven Prince Gluttony
A REN’T YOU GOING to untie me?”
My sweet, sweet nemesis couldn’t hide the desire from her face. Adriana wanted to run her hands all over me. Which made torturing her even more fun.
“No. I’m going to fuck that pretty mouth all on my own.” I traced the seam of her lips. “I need you to take me. All of me, darling.”
Her arousal hit me so strongly, I nearly came before she touched me.
I thought the first flick of her tongue over the head of my cock was a spiritual experience.
Until her wicked mouth closed around my shaft, and it was the closest thing to heaven a sinner like me had ever known. She nearly took me to my knees with the next stroke, and the sharp gleam in her eyes told me she knew it.
“Fuck.” I wound her hair around my fist, guiding her deeper. She kept those beautiful, bottomless pools of blue trained on me, watching me drown in her.
Adriana kneeling, hands bound behind her back, taking me fully and being equally turned on was the most erotic sight I’d ever seen. A primal need to claim her overtook me.
I pumped into her mouth a few times, but it wasn’t nearly enough.
I wanted to be inside her.
I had every intention of bending her over the table and giving us both what we desired but craved more intimacy. She might recall the first time we’d been together, but I didn’t, and I wanted to watch her unravel from pleasure. Perhaps I was sentimental.
At least where she was concerned.
I untied her wrists and scooped her up, gently laying her down on a pile of furs, wanting to indulge all her senses as she writhed along the soft bed.
I kissed her softly before our hunger took over.
I tugged her bodice down, heedless of the fragile silk and lace. I needed to get my mouth on her. In a move that impressed even me, I yanked her gown off without destroying it and tossed it aside then turned my attention back to my beautiful rival.
My royal mark shimmered, filling me with a sense of gratification I’d never known before. It was the most pleasure I’d ever felt, knowing she’d chosen me in return.
Adriana arched into me as I lavished her breasts with affection. My cock teased her entrance, and it was the most magnificent sensation in the universe.
With one hard thrust I was seated inside her.
I paused, taking my time to kiss along her jaw, down her neck, tracing the royal mark, then drawing the peaked buds of her breasts into my mouth, sucking until her hips bucked upward. She felt too damned good to be real, especially when she ran her hands along my body.
“Is there something you’d like me to do, Miss Saint Lucent?”
Her scowl was the most delightful thing I’d ever seen. “If you haven’t figured that out yet, perhaps my previous claims regarding your cleverness hold true.”
I laughed softly, then rolled my hips forward, rewarding her for the quip. If I thought Adriana would follow my lead here, I was wrong.
Whenever I slowed down, she met my thrusts with her own in a glorious rivalry of who might inflict the most pleasure on the other.
Soon we were both panting, her legs locked around my hips as we raced to the finish line.
“I’m close.” Her voice was soft, seductive.
I slipped a hand between us, pressing a finger to her clit, and she cried out in rapture, shattering beneath me as I found my own release.
I kissed her thoroughly, deeply, my cock still buried inside her. I hadn’t been entirely joking earlier—I could spend the rest of the day and night here with her and be perfectly content. I drew back, brushing the strands of damp hair from her face.
“I adore you in obscene ways.”
Her smile was soft, almost shy. “Likewise.”
I twined our fingers, pinning her hands above her head. I was ready to go again and so was she. I slowly pulled out, then rolled my hips, kissing her deeply as I filled her.
I paused to focus solely on ravishing her mouth, my tongue stroking hers until I felt her clenching around me. Only then did I pull out and thrust in again. Loving how she reacted to each slow movement. I held her hands up, bringing my attention back to her breasts.
Adriana bucked against me, setting the pace of her own pleasure. I brought my mouth back to hers, too willing to let her fuck me for a while.
“Gabriel.”
“Close,” I whispered, taking her earlobe between my teeth. “My true name is Gabriellis.”
She stopped breathing for a beat, then kissed me like I was the only real thing in her world. “Harder.”
I needed no further instruction—I pounded into her until her soft moans filled the chamber, drawing me to my own release as we came again.
She whispered my true name like a curse, and it might have been the only time I’d ever welcomed a hex. I dropped my head to her chest, kissing her heart.
“Your Highness!”
Adriana’s entire body tightened beneath me, and it took a moment for my brain to catch up. It hadn’t been her crying out. Dread swept over me as the sound of footsteps grew closer.
There was no time to act, to hide.
We’d been caught. My focus snapped to the mouth of the cavern, where Val burst in.
For one horribly taut moment, no one moved.
My second froze, her expression one of pure shock as she took in the scene, trying to make sense of it. Adriana faced me, but her ice-blue hair was in full view of our unexpected guest. Her fantasy of being caught had been just that—a fantasy. The horror she felt slammed into me so hard I almost scooped her into my arms and sought cover.
There was no hiding who my lover was. And, given our very public feud, finding us together was quite a surprise. Val blinked rapidly, as if her eyes deceived her.
Her attention dropped to Adriana, and it was impossible to read her thoughts.
“Val,” I snapped, doing my best to shield Adriana from view. “Give us a moment. Now.”
Val gave me a look of regret. “I can’t. We located where Silvanus has been hiding.”
“Shit.” I shut my eyes, then opened them, heart pounding as I sorted through ten different action plans in seconds. “Take Magnus back to the stables. I’ll meet you at the castle soon.”
Val gave Adriana another long look. “We might need her help.”
I glanced down at my lover, indecision warring in me like two great enemies. Val was really asking if I trusted Adriana with this court secret. My pulse pounded. If Silvanus was planning something, he wouldn’t stay in any camp for long. A day, maybe less. I needed to track him now and try to incapacitate him with slumber root.
If I was ever going to place trust in Adriana, it was time.
I’d already given her my true name and my royal mark; there was no reason to keep anything else from her now. She had the power to destroy me in more than one way, should she choose. And after our meeting with Envy, there was no chance Adriana hadn’t already figured out that the dragons were being targeted by the hex.
“What are you thinking?” I asked my second, granting her permission to speak freely.
If Val was surprised, it didn’t show. “Take Miss Saint Lucent back to the castle. Create a scandal worthy of all the gossip sheets. We’ll need a diversion if anything goes… wrong.”
Adriana peered up at me, her expression hard to decipher. “Is Silvanus a dragon you’ve been hunting?”
I inhaled deeply. “Yes.”
“And the Hexed Quill has impacted them, enough that they’ve attacked?”
Val watched us curiously. I realized why: I was still shielding Adriana with my body, completely forgetting we were in a highly scandalous position.
“Go. Take Magnus to the stables and we’ll see you soon.”
“Is there anything I should prepare for when we meet again?”
A plan formulated quickly. “You’ll burst in and tear me from the castle, drawing attention to our arrival if it goes unnoticed.”
Without another word, Val bowed and left.
“You don’t have to take part in this distraction if you don’t want to,” I said, my attention fully on Adriana. “I’ll find another way that won’t involve you.”
Adriana’s fingers dug into my arms.
I couldn’t tell if she was gripping me so tightly to keep me close, or if she was trying not to strangle me for suggesting she participate in a public scandal.
Determination entered her features. “What’s the full plan?”
“If we’re caught together, all eyes will be on you, hungry for any morsel you feed them. You’ll simply play up our arrival, give them reason to believe we’re secret lovers.”
“Because we are.”
“Only for now.” I kissed her softly. “While they’re trying to get the details of our affair, I’ll hunt Silvanus and stop him before he has a chance to round up the rest of the pack or find allies in other packs. Hopefully all will go smoothly, and I’ll return in time for the ball, call off the competition there, and declare myself to you, ending the scandal as soon as I’m able to.”
A small smile crossed her face. “Let’s go cause a scandal.”
With our blood oath, if I left her here and traveled too far, there would be pain. For both of us. I wasn’t concerned about me, though.
“There’s one more aspect to consider.”
She pushed at my chest. “The blood oath discomfort? I’m well aware. You’ve been a pain in my ass for a decade. I’ll live.”
I wanted to smile but couldn’t.
“Are you ready?” I asked instead.
She nodded.
I launched myself off her and was in my trousers in the next beat, using my full power to bend time. Adriana quickly slipped her gown over her head, cursing at the crumpled fabric and torn lace. There was no way to disguise what we’d done. Not that we were trying to.
I wrapped my suit jacket around her in an attempt to hide the state of things, knowing it would draw further scrutiny.
I took her hand as we raced for the mouth of the cave. Once there, I swept Adriana up in my arms and took to the sky. Within moments we touched down outside my House.
I placed a possessive hand on her lower back, needing to feel her whole and healthy and alive, not simply for the sake of causing whispers, as I walked her up the wide stairs leading into House Gluttony. We’d just stepped into my receiving hall when someone gasped.
I glanced up. As far as fate went, I supposed this was the best demon to run into first.
Ryleigh Hughes stared, unblinking.
I ought to be relieved that our plan was already spinning into place.
But it didn’t feel right. It took all my power to forge ahead and not claim Adriana as mine right there, damning all consequences.
“What in the hells happened to your dress?” she asked.
“I can’t talk now.” Adriana’s voice was meeker than I’d ever heard it before. She was playing her role stunningly well. Now it was time for me to do the same.
I wrapped my hand around Adriana’s, drawing more attention to our connection. She squeezed my hand back, a silent signal that she would still play her part, that it was okay.
Movement caught my eye, and I looked up. Courtiers and the suitors from House Greed and House Envy now stood on the stairs, whispering. This was a disaster in the making.
Ryleigh glanced between us, and I could see her fitting the pieces together.
“Have you lost your senses?” she asked, stepping back. “The prince?”
It was difficult to not bristle at her tone. Instead of reacting to the less-than-flattering reaction, I leaned in and brushed a chaste kiss to Adriana’s lips, sealing our fate.
“Your Highness!” Val burst into the room, right on time. “You’re needed.”
I turned a haughty glare on the reporter.
“Miss Hughes. Please see yourself out. The castle isn’t entertaining reporters until tonight.” I gently tugged Adriana, drawing her near. That part wasn’t an act. “I’ll escort you to the gardens.”
“Go, please. I need to get to my chambers before anyone else notices.”
She was a cunning liar. I might be irrevocably in love.
“You’re certain?”
“Very.”
With one final look over my shoulder, I followed Val out of the castle.
“You got the transportation spell from Sascha?” I asked. She nodded. “Good. We’ll meet at Merciless Reach, compile a retrieval team, and head out from there.”
I was airborne in the next breath, racing toward the fortress.
Moments later, I touched down in the courtyard of Merciless Reach, Val appearing seconds behind me. We strode toward the building, readying for the hunt, before drawing up short at what greeted us.
Two dragons circled the fortress’s towers, streams of icy fire blasting against the walls, covering it in a sheet of ice. Windows cracked from the sudden shift in temperature, the dragons beating their tails against the walls, trying to tear them down.
The fortress was warded by magic, but that kept the dragons out and the stone protected. The windows were a weak spot, which was why we only had them placed strategically throughout the compound—mostly where we could fire arrows and bolts.
Inside, shouts bellowed out from the windows that were already blown out. Hunters were already fortifying the places breeched. My guild was well trained for any attacks.
I scanned the sky, searching for Silvanus and his familiar scales. He was noticeably absent. I strode inside the fortress to where Felix barked orders at a line of hunters.
“Is the slumber root ready to be shot at them?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Good. Cover the arrows and weapons in it. Any little nick in their scales will be enough.”
I watched the dragons soar through the sky, narrowly missing the tallest tower, where archers normally patrolled.
“Is everyone in the fortress?” I asked Felix.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As I studied the dragons, I realized they were flying in loose knots.
There was something about the formation, something that didn’t feel right. Felix reported on damage sustained and I half listened as I focused on those two dragons.
They weren’t attacking… it was almost as if they were—
“It’s a distraction.” My heart pounded furiously. “Does anyone have eyes on Sil?” I glanced at Felix, Val, and the hunters who’d gathered around me. “Is he still in the barrens?”
“We lost him moments before you arrived,” Felix said. “He was headed due west. Then these two showed up and we had to focus on securing the guild.”
I cursed. “What’s due west of here? The Sin Corridor?”
“Could be another pack,” Felix said, pulling out a worn map. “Silvanus was our contact with his pack. It stands to reason he was also sent to other packs for his alpha.”
Gods-damn it all. If Sil was seeking out another pack, he was trying to gain allies. How in the seven hells was a mad dragon able to plot battle when he’d only been thinking of killing?
I had a growing suspicion that we were about to discover what the dragons were plotting, and no matter how hard I tried, we were always one step behind the cunning beasts.
An attack was imminent. But would they hit all Seven Circles like last time in a coordinated strike? Or would they surprise us by targeting one House at a time?
My gut said they’d be coming for my House first because of the hexed magic.
“I want hunters and archers in place at House Gluttony now.” Silvanus might not know where Adriana was, but given his murderous fixation, I didn’t need him getting close and scenting her. “Has Shayde sent word yet?” I asked.
“Yes.” Felix looked relieved to report on something good. “He’ll be here soon.”
Thank the gods for that. I moved onto the parapet, arms crossed.
Tonight had been a glorious disaster.
Glorious with Adriana in the cave. Disastrous for everything that followed.
Silvanus had slipped the noose, and everything I’d been trying to keep quiet was about to explode in the biggest scandal to hit the Seven Circles. One I had a hand in creating.
The ball was certainly going to be an event no one would miss. Hopefully Shayde would have the information I needed to end this all.
Several minutes later Val stepped onto the narrow outdoor pathway, shivering from the cold. She was quiet, no doubt working out the best way to approach an uncomfortable topic. And it didn’t take a genius to know who the subject would be about.
“If you’re about to counsel me on Adriana, I suggest choosing a different time.”
“It’s going to be in all the papers” was all she said. As if I was unaware of our plot. “We can get ahead of the story to minimize damage to your image. Let Adriana take the fall.”
“Absolutely not,” I said, annoyed it was even being suggested. “I’ll call off the competition and tell the truth at the ball tonight. Just like I planned with Adriana.”
“Sometimes plans change, Your Highness.” Val kept her gaze trained on the sky. “If you reveal the truth—that the competition has been a distraction—the entire realm will turn on you.”
I said nothing to that. She was correct.
“Now is not the time to lose sinners and weaken your court because you promised Miss Saint Lucent otherwise,” she pressed. “Do what you need to do, Ruthless Rake.”
She bowed and went back inside, leaving me.
To go back on our plan, to choose the realm over Adriana, would mean giving her up forever. I’d felt the trepidation in her tonight, the fear that my confession hadn’t been real. She still hadn’t quite believed me even after I’d marked her.
If I didn’t follow through with my promise to publicly declare myself to her, there would be no Hexed Quill to blame. Adriana would hate me all on her own.
I would be the villain she believed me to be, and I’d deserve it.
Heroes made sacrifices. And it had been a long time since anyone confused me for someone who took the moral high ground.
Val had issued it like a dare.
My grip on the railing tightened as I watched the dragons get farther away.
A good leader would do whatever they needed to for their court and their people.
I was lost in thought when Felix found me. “They’re here.”