Chapter 13 #2
A zing of recklessness barreled through me.
I tried to suppress it. I was aware enough to know that all of the huge recent changes in my life and the fear that someone was after me were beginning to take a toll on me, because I was wound up, rolled as tight as a drum, and I needed some kind of release.
And my crazy self wanted to push the warrior to see how far he would go if I kept baiting him.
“It wasn’t an overly impressive demonstration,” I taunted.
“No?” His lips brushed against my ear, and heat filled my blood. “Would you rather I pinned you completely beneath me? Or perhaps restrained you to your bed posts?”
Lust surged through me, and a part of me realized he’d likely just admitted to the forbidden thoughts he’d had that kept exacting his Council magic upon his wrist.
Before I thought better of it, my magic sprang out of me and shredded through Kole’s Shield, then wrapped around him.
Surprise jolted through his aura just as my magic paralyzed his limbs.
I pried free from his arms and turned to face him.
He stood immobile before me but was still conscious since I hadn’t rendered him to fall asleep.
“Hmm, just as I thought. I could overpower you with only a thought.” I released my magic as quickly as I’d ensnared him with it, and a moment of apprehension hit me.
I’d just bested the warrior, and he could very well be angry with me because of it.
But instead of irritation or anger or fear washing through his aura that a female had outmaneuvered him, a grin stretched across his face.
An actual grin.
“Damn,” he finally said. It was the only word he uttered.
Another pang of heat filled my belly. The warrior was looking at me with pride and respect, as if he saw me, truly saw me, and he liked what was revealed.
That thing in my chest tightened again, stretching and yearning.
Kole took a step closer to me, his expression sharpening, but just as fast, a whip of magic flared around his wrist, and he hissed.
My heartbeat tripled, and I glanced at his arm, toward where the evidence lay that he’d been thinking of me again in a way that’d triggered the Council’s magic to remind him of his vows and his duty not to compromise his job in any way.
“Kole?” I said tentatively. Even though he’d paused, I stepped toward him until our chests were nearly brushing.
My heart thrummed. I wanted the warrior. Wanted him to touch me, caress me, make me forget all that was going on. I wanted release. From him.
And I knew he wanted that too.
“You want me, just like I want you,” I blurted before thinking better of it.
His eyes widened, ever so slightly. Just as fast, his breaths turned rapid.
For a moment, he stared at me, and I didn’t think he was going to reply, but then he said roughly, “What I want is irrelevant, Your Highness.”
My lips parted. Gods and Goddesses, he’d all but admitted it. He truly did want me too.
I licked my lips and said hesitantly, “What about what I want?”
A glow flashed in his eyes, but as before, an answering flare elicited the magic around his wrist. He hissed again and said, “What is it that you want, Your Highness?”
My gaze crawled up his chest, taking in his strong build and the thick column of his throat. Kole was far from suitable, as my parents claimed I needed to choose, but my marriage was a long way off. And at the moment, in my opinion, Kole suited me just fine.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been with a male,” I said quietly and nibbled on my lip. “A long time.”
His breath sucked in, and another flare of magic came at his wrist. “Careful. A dillemsill is going to appear any second if these flares keep happening.”
My lips parted as understanding hit me. “Is that why you were called back to the Council when we were in Stonewild while traveling to Silventine Wood? Because the Council knew you wanted to break your vows?”
He didn’t reply, but his gaze continued to smolder, and his silence spoke volumes.
I licked my lips again, and he tracked the movement. “What if . . . I need you to comfort me? What if I ask that you do certain things to me so I feel safe? Would that make the magic flare if you were only doing things that I asked you to do so I felt secure? So I felt protected?”
His throat bobbed, and his aura felt as though it was on fire. “What is it you need, Your Highness?” His voice sounded hoarse. Strained.
Oh Gods. A rush of liquid heat shot to my core, and Kole’s nostrils flared in a sharp inhale.
His aura heightened even more until it felt like it was pounding through the courtyard, but the magic around his wrist didn’t flare.
It didn’t flare, and I’d just told Kole that his protection was what I needed.
I hesitantly laid a palm on his chest.
His muscles jumped, and his breath sucked in.
“I need you to touch me, Kole, so I feel safe and protected. As the warrior guarding me, I need you to do this. Will you please help me? Help me feel better?”
His eyes blazed, and a second of silence passed between us. Voice hoarse, he finally said, “You need that? Truly?”
“I do.”
He sucked in a breath and lifted a finger. Tentatively, he placed it against my cheek, then trailed a line down my jaw, my neck, then to the top of my breasts. His touch was featherlight. Maddeningly so.
My breaths turned rapid. So short I could barely breathe.
“You need this?” he said huskily. “So you feel good?”
I nodded. “Yes. Please.”
His throat bobbed, and he stepped closer. More boldly, he slipped his arm around my waist, splaying his hand against my back as his other cupped my hip, kneading the flesh. “And this? Do you need this to make you feel safe?”
Panting, all I could manage was a nod.
“Gods help me,” he said under his breath.
“I don’t have the strength to resist you.
” A shallow breath lifted his chest, and his throat bobbed again, but he didn’t stop.
“What about this?” His voice sounded strained, and tension lined every fiber of his body, but he slowly leaned down and pressed his lips to my throat.
A single kiss upon my neck nearly had me on fire. Arching, I moaned, leaning into him and gripping his shoulders. “Yes, Goddess, I definitely need that to feel safe.”
He pulled back, but his arm tightened around my waist. His breaths came as rapidly as mine, and a wild glow filled his eyes. He released me enough to hold up his hand between us, gazing at his wrist. “It hasn’t flared.”
He sounded as incredulous as I felt, and my lips curved. I stepped into his space, closing the distance between us completely, and curled my fingers around his tunic. “It’s because I need this. As the royal you’re guarding, I command you to do this to make me feel better.”
His hand dropped, and his pupils blew wide open. A surge of want jolted through his aura, and the warrior lifted me in a fluid move so fast that my head spun. Just as fast, he wrapped my legs around his waist and slammed his lips to mine.