Chapter 16 #2
I gave an involuntary moan and rolled my hips again.
“Fuck,” he whispered, burying his face in my hair, which had come loose from its braid.
My stomach tightened as his hand ventured lower, his fingers skimming over the waistband of my underwear and sliding down to cup me between the thighs.
I gasped. The feel of him was almost too much, and yet it wasn’t enough.
Unbidden, I rolled my hips into his touch, seeking out that friction. He gave a low groan, the sound skittering over my skin like a thousand tiny pinpricks.
“Just say the word, little huntress, and I’ll stop.”
His words sent a jolt of awareness through me. A promise and a question.
“Don’t — you — dare,” I snarled, rolling my hips into his hand.
At my words, something inside him seemed to snap.
This time, when he stroked his fingers down my center, his touch was purposeful. Possessive. Demanding.
I bucked against him, practically delirious from the feverish desire coursing through me — a fire that would not be extinguished until I felt him moving inside me.
Maybe not even then.
I’d almost died buried beneath that avalanche, alone in the dark. I had no way of knowing if Adriel and Sorsha lived, but we were here — alive — in this little cave, and Kaden was touching me.
I was too exhausted to think. I only wanted to feel. I wanted to imprint the sensation of him in my flesh so that it would never fade away .
As if he’d read my thoughts, Kaden started moving his fingers in slow, torturous circles, stoking the throbbing heat that was building between my legs.
Then his other arm came around me, his hand sliding under my camisole to cup my left breast. I groaned as he found my peaked nipple, rolling it between the pad of his thumb and forefinger.
I arched into him, chasing that touch, and the hand that was teasing the bundle of nerves between my thighs slipped beneath the band of my underwear and between my slick folds.
I whimpered at the sudden contact, my body responding with a gush of warmth.
“ Gods , you’re wet,” he rumbled, pressing a kiss to the side of my neck as he plunged a finger inside me.
I cried out and clenched around him, my legs shaking as he continued to work his thumb in ever-tighter circles.
I rolled my hips, matching his movements. Intensifying every touch.
The pressure in my core started to build until I felt as though I might fucking die if I didn’t find some relief.
I needed more. More of him . Needed to feel him moving inside me.
Then he slid another finger into my channel, drawing out those waves of agonizing pleasure as he plunged them in and out.
“ Kaden ,” I moaned, riding his hand and dragging my ass along the length of him.
“That’s it, little huntress,” he growled. “Come for me.”
I don’t know what made me reach for him — made me grab a fistful of his silky black hair and drag his mouth to mine. He met my silent demand in a clash of teeth and tongue, tasting of salt and mint and snow.
All at once, I was possessed. And furious.
I wanted to fuck him and kill him and then resurrect the bastard so that I could fuck him some more. I wanted his body and his depraved soul, and I wanted my godsdamned dagger.
This wasn’t normal , the way I felt about Kaden. The way he seemed to draw me in despite my best efforts to hate him.
Then his fingers picked up speed, plunging into me with a driving force that was everything I craved and yet still not enough.
I didn’t just want his hands on me. I wanted every piece of him.
I wanted to fuck him. Kill him. Possess him. Own him.
Destroy him the way he’d destroyed me.
And then . . . I shattered.
I sucked in a gasp as my release crashed over me, my body going taut and then loose as the fight and fury drained out of me.
Slowly, I turned to face him, and the look of raw hunger burning in his eyes stole the air from my lungs. He looked almost pained as he held me in his arms, a crease between the slashes of his brows that I yearned to smooth away.
“ Lyra .” My name was a plea on his tongue, and I didn't want to think about what that meant.
I bent my head to press a kiss to the outline of the crest inked on the left side of his chest, brushing a trail of kisses down the undulating swirls of ink that blanketed his flesh.
“You don't have to —”
I cut him off with a growl as I carved a path down his chest and over the hard ridges of his stomach .
His erection was straining against the undershorts he wore, the outline visible beneath the thin material. My hands trembled as I eased them down, and his stiff cock sprang free.
I stared.
He was . . . magnificent.
His girth completely filled my hand as I wrapped my fingers around him, brushing my thumb over the silky head of his cock and feeling the pearly slickness that had beaded there.
But just then there was a crash of ice from outside the cave, and Kaden and I sprang apart.
He was on his feet before I’d even registered his absence, yanking his pants back up and reaching for his weapons.
Heart hammering, I fumbled for my clothes, jamming my legs into my leathers and hauling on my jacket. Clothes still askew, I snatched up my daggers, surging toward the mouth of the cave and coming to a standstill at Kaden’s side.
The frigid night yawned around us, a chilly mist blotting out the stars.
Standing outside our shelter was a creature I couldn’t name. It had the slender build and spindly legs of a deer, though its neck was elongated and covered in shaggy fur. Its wide-set eyes gave it an almost comical appearance as it scented the air.
The creature’s left ear twitched.
Kaden let out a bark of laughter, and the beast bolted.
“Fucking yaga,” he grumbled, sheathing his swords and retreating to the warmth of the cave.
I stumbled after him, heart still racing. Though whether it was from the adrenaline or what the yaga had interrupted, I wasn’t sure.
I came to an abrupt standstill by the fire, speechless as Kaden readjusted his pants. He glanced at me over his shoulder, his expression somehow both sheepish and cocky.
“Well, that was . . .”
I nodded.
“You should probably eat something,” he said, kneeling by the fire and opening the rucksack as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
I swallowed. I was flushed and achy, my head still spinning, but it didn’t feel as though we could pick up where we’d left off.
I didn't know why, but it stung that he was able to move on so quickly, pulling out our food and waterskins. He seemed completely unaffected, apart from the persistent bulge in his pants.
Maybe whatever temporary insanity I felt in his presence was only one-sided. Maybe I was just a warm body for him to rub up against.
Kaden’s silver gaze flickered to mine as he offered me some dried fruit and nuts. I gratefully took a handful and turned away, popping a berry into my mouth as he resumed sorting out our food.
The provisions were simple but hardy: red potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and leeks. There was also a bag of salt and a sprig of rosemary to season the meal.
I offered to chop the vegetables while Kaden went out to hunt. Secretly, I hoped the yaga wouldn’t meet an untimely demise, but Kaden returned a little while later with something no bigger than a hare, which he’d already skinned and dressed.
Soon we had a nice stew simmering over the fire, which quickly filled the cave with a mouth-watering aroma .
The meal tasted even better than it smelled — rich and salty, with a resinous, peppery bite from the rosemary. My body warmed with every bite, and the comforting food was almost enough to chase away the sting of embarrassment.
Once the stew was gone and the clank of our spoons had stopped, however, the silence became oppressive. It seemed that neither of us was going to mention what we’d just done. It was all too much to consider in the bleakness of night, huddled in our little cave as the wind howled outside.
Kaden handed me a flask from the pack, and I sniffed gingerly before taking a sip. Whatever sort of liquor it was left a pleasant warmth in my belly and gave me the courage to voice the question that had weighed on my soul since he’d first pulled me out of the snow. “Did Adriel and Sorsha…”
“I don’t know,” he said hoarsely, accepting the flask as I handed it back.
“When I saw the avalanche coming, I tried to grab you and fly us out of its path. But that damned beast threw me and knocked me out. When I came to, I had to dig myself out, and there was no sign of either one of them. I can only hope that Adriel flew Sorsha off the mountain.”
I bit down on the inside of my cheek. I wasn’t going to say what we were both thinking. That if he hadn’t grabbed Sorsha, she was likely buried under a fathomless layer of snow.
Kaden dragged a hand through his hair, his expression tight. “Adriel and I have an agreement. If we ever get separated, we always meet at our next destination. If he and Sorsha made it out, that’s where they’ll be.”
I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. There was one more question I needed to ask. And though I wasn’t certain I wanted to know the answer, it was better than considering what it would mean if Adriel and Sorsha didn’t show up tomorrow. “How did you find me?”
Kaden didn’t answer.
“Did you use your magic?” If he had, there was a chance that he’d alerted the king to our presence in Anvalyn, which was a whole other problem.
He shook his head, his voice hoarse as he said, “I . . . sensed you.”
“What do you mean, you sensed me?”
It wasn’t the first time he’d told me that, and I hadn’t asked the last time he’d said it. I didn’t know if he was able to sense me because of his demon magic or if it was some fae talent.
“Exactly what I said.” The words came out low and sharp, and Kaden grimaced.
“I reached out with my senses, and I . . . felt you.” He ran a hand through his hair again, looking nearly as bewildered as I was.
“It was faint, but . . . it felt like there was some kind of tether pulling me toward you. I followed that feeling, and it got stronger, so I knew I was going in the right direction. When I got closer, I started digging.” He blinked, face paling.
“I was worried I might be too late. But the fact that I could feel you made me think . . . I figured you must still be alive.”
“Have you ever . . .” I bit my lip. “Can you sense anyone else?”
“No.”
“Why?” I demanded. “Why can you feel me but no one else?”
Kaden’s gaze flicked to the floor of the cave. “I’m not entirely sure.”
I opened my mouth but then closed it again.
In that moment, I had the overwhelming sense that Kaden wasn’t telling me the truth — that he knew exactly why he’d been able to feel my presence buried beneath all that snow.
But the fae couldn’t lie, I reminded myself. Not even the demon prince with his half-fae blood.