Chapter 43 #2
He paused, his chest expanding on a deep inhale. An image flashed down our bond, so fast I thought I’d imagined it.
But the female, older, smiling down at a younger version of my mate, seared into my memory. Before I could ask him who she was, he spoke again.
“She suspects something, and I don’t know what or how she knows. I cannot—will not—make a move until I know I have some leverage over her. You are my mate. No matter what, I have to protect you.”
Hot salt pricked my eyes. Vaeron’s face clouded. I turned away, trying to compose myself.
“Look at me,” he demanded.
But I couldn’t. Not when agony etched his expression. Not when desperation for my understanding leaked from his every pore.
Because the well-worn lines between us were far past blurred.
He gripped my jaw and forced my head forward. His other hand captured my lower back, bringing our bodies completely flush.
“In a few days, there will be a ball to celebrate my upcoming vows and all the new Seers I brought to the palace. All of you will be in attendance. I cannot,” his voice cracked, and his nostrils flared as he dragged in a breath, “I cannot feel this utter torture when I am in your presence and maintain a semblance of interest in my current role. Please, I am begging you, tell me that you understand my position. That you will no longer hold it against me. I am trying to do what is best for both of us.”
One tear leaked out, and then another. I couldn’t deny the sincerity of his words. Couldn’t deny that I needed this torment to end too. I couldn’t even lie to myself and say that he was only telling me what I wanted to hear.
And with our wide-open connection, there was no contesting his words.
Not when I held their truth in my hands. Not when his emotions were a malleable ball.
So I spoke, even though the words were like swallowing glass. “I understand.”
Relief washed through him and into me. His eyes dipped closed for the briefest of moments, and his shoulders relaxed from their tense perfection. “Thank you. For finally listening.”
I swallowed, hard, as he released my face. “It’s…difficult.”
His forehead dropped against mine. “I know.”
My attention flicked to his lips. How close they were. How if I just tilted my head ever so slightly up, our mouths would join…
Vaeron must have followed my line of thought, for a moment later, lightning arced between us.
My hands joined behind his head, keeping his lips firmly locked against mine.
His tongue swiped insistantly at the seam of them, and I opened like it was the most natural thing to do.
Our tongues danced, perfect partners to a tune only we knew.
His hands shifted, sliding under the hem of my tunic to cup my breasts. My nipples hardened under his skillful touch. A breathy moan left me as he broke our kiss and dropped to his knees. In the next moment, his mouth trailed hot kisses across my stomach and toward my hipbones.
“Vaeron,” I panted, fingers threading into his hair.
Incandescence emanated from him a moment later, pinning my arms against the cool stone. His power knocked my legs apart and kept them spread. My center clenched and wept.
My mate inhaled at the apex of my thighs. “This is what I’ve been missing.”
His fingers trailed over my ankles and up my legs, bringing the soft fabric with them. Careful not to brush against my knee, he bared more and more of me, his rapturous focus locked on each inch of skin revealed to him.
“Please,” I begged, though I wasn’t sure what for. All reason had fled until only the touch of my mate remained.
He slowed his ascent, and every muscle tightened in anticipation. I flexed against Vaeron’s magic, but it held firm. That only served to dampen my thighs further.
I was utterly at his mercy, and as fucked up as it was, I liked it. Not only because it felt less like I was betraying myself…but also because I was tired of having to be on constant guard.
Now, my mate was demonstrating that with him, I was protected. Held. Cherished.
He licked the soft flesh on the inside of my thigh, eliciting a whimper. Open mouthed kisses trailed higher and higher, closing in on the apex of my thighs. My head tipped back as I surrendered to the feeling of it.
“Her Radiance is concerned that they haven’t returned yet. What time did they depart, healer?”
The masculine voice punched panic into my lungs. I froze, but Vaeron surged to his feet and spun, shielding me from view. My skirts fell, and his light disappeared, bathing us in darkness.
“Fuck, if we’re caught–” his voice slammed through our bond, fast and unbidden.
“What do we do?” I asked, ice coursing through my veins.
“Stay here,” he commanded.
For once, I wasn’t going to argue or attempt to run. He ducked out of the space, and my heart leaped to my throat like it danced the Sleeping Maiden.
The healer and a male I assumed was one of the Sightkeepers spoke again. “It’s been nearly half an hour. They departed in the direction of the Seer’s feather, though.”
Vaeron dipped through the curtain and gestured for me to emerge. His hand slipped around mine like it was the most natural action in all the worlds, and he tugged me away from the sound of their voices.
“If we’re stopped, you requested a walk outside after the grueling session you had this morning. I will assure whomever that I only remained to ensure you wouldn’t escape, because I am the Issaraeth and everyone knows there is no running from me.”
“Should I tell them how I outmaneuvered you before then?”
Irritation flickered down our bond. I couldn’t help the smile that bloomed.
We twisted around a corner, wide windows revealing a lush garden. Humidity assaulted us the moment we stepped outside.
Overhead, birds sang to one another, their tune far too cheery when panic still wrapped around my ribs like thorny vines. A breeze rustled through the massive fronds on either side of us. Thick, heady, floral scents enveloped me as we delved deeper into the palace’s sprawling grounds.
The open air eased the tightness in my chest. Cleared out the fog of my thoughts.
Vaeron strode forward with calm confidence, losing us among the plants.
When we were obscured from view, he whirled on me again.
Pools of ink erased the glacial hue of his irises.
“Little fugitive, I hope you know that when I hunted you the first time, the only reason you escaped is because I did not want to end the chase so soon.”
He captured my wrists and brought them flush with his chest. The hard thump of his heart beat against my skin.
“I will not make that mistake again.”
He leaned closer so he spoke into the shell of my ear. “Unless you want to be caught.”
His insinuation flooded my core with traitorous heat. From the iron box in the back of my mind, my very first vision of my mate rose, sinister and foreboding. How he’d chased and claimed me then. It was so similar to how he’d hunted me down in the Skala Mountains too.
Something hard dug into my stomach. Pulse after pulse of dark desire swept from him into me.
And, Goddess save me, I suddenly wished I could do more than merely limp.
The fantasy he painted was far too alluring. Vaeron was a predator, and I wanted to be his prey. Because prey didn’t have to make decisions. All they had to do was run.
Our bond thrashed with need so intense it stole my breath. What would it be like, to let Vaeron claim me fully, utterly, so our connection was as solid as a diamond?
The thought had scarcely finished before he released me and stepped away, leaving me bereft. A small noise even slipped past my lips as I stared at his wicked smirk.
Damn him. Here I was, a wanton mess, and he had enough self-control to put space between us?
Without shattering our shared gaze, he piled his hair atop his head and secured it. “Seer, you look close to collapsing. You’re very flushed. Let’s get you inside before you faint.”
I gaped at him. Forced my teeth to click shut as he gripped my upper arm and steered me back the way we’d come.
As we emerged from the thick, we came face to face with one of the Sightkeepers. “Issaraeth,” he snapped, like he had any authority over my mate.
“Did my sister send you?” Vaeron asked, his tone even but edged with steel.
The male’s attention flicked between us. “Aye. Why are you out here with our most powerful Seer?”
My mate cocked his head in a move that was entirely too predatory. “You did hear of the passing of another this morning, did you not?” he asked, voice dangerously close to a purr. “She wanted some air after her session with the healer.”
“It’s not safe,” he stated. “Besides, that is why they have their own private garden.” His brows pinched as his attention slid to the way Vaeron touched me.
A low, sinister laugh rumbled in Vaeron’s chest. “Maybe for someone with your power. But me? I’d like to see someone try. It would be far more entertaining than pummeling your face every day and escorting a limping female to and from her appointment.”
The male’s nostrils flared. “Get back inside before I have to fetch the Korona. She’d be most interested to see who you were in the gardens with. Curious that she never actually tasked you with the assignment, even after you told us she did.”
My heart beat against my ribs. Vaeron had mentioned his sister’s suspicions. And now that we were seen out here together, that someone could run to her with pure evidence? I flicked my attention up to my mate, hoping my face wasn’t betraying my fear.
Vaeron tutted, then reached out and patted the Sightkeeper’s cheek.
The gesture dripped condescension, perfectly calculated and terrifyingly smooth.
“You don’t give orders to me. But I have other matters to attend to anyway.
Plus, our Seer has put out far too much effort already today. She needs her strength for tomorrow.”
Without waiting for a response, he steered me on, leaving the male standing in the garden. As we reentered the palace, my mind spun with Vaeron’s change in demeanor. I’d never seen that side of him before…
“I told you before that the Angel court is not a place for those who forget their position. It is also not a place for those who will not do anything to survive. Manipulation and posturing are merely part of the game.”
Maybe I’d been wrong to resist him so fiercely. The longer I lingered in his orbit, the more I remembered what I was.
Not something to be caged. Not a weapon to be wielded.
But a storm, powerful enough to raze the realm.
If I so chose.