Chapter 38
Varius’s large body pins me to the bed, his strangled gasps tickling my ear. He buries his face in my neck, his incisors gliding up the column of my throat, scraping my flesh without breaking skin.
“You smell divine,” he groans.
I arch against him, eager to have his hands on me. In me.
“Please,” I gasp. “Please, I can’t wait any longer.”
“Patience, dannahla. First I want to make you so wet you’ll soak these sheets.”
I tremble from the promise of his words before he brings his mouth to mine.
His tongue is long and smooth and plunges deep inside, exploring every part of my mouth.
I kiss him back, hungry for more. My tongue brushes his sharp fangs, but I am not afraid.
If anything, the point of contact sends shivers of awareness skittering across my body.
His hand moves between my legs, and my cry is part shout, part moan. He lightly drags one claw along my center, and I lose my breath, unable to even think clearly. One of his knuckles slides inside, and I shudder, my body taut with awareness.
“Mmm,” he purrs. “So wet. But not wet enough.”
He adds another knuckle. Somehow, he manages to stroke me without piercing me with his talons, his hand curling inward so his claws are angled toward himself. I remember his claim that he had perfect control over his claws .
Was this what he referred to?
I cry out again as his fingers pump in and out, gaining speed. My body writhes against him, urging him onward. My panting grows louder.
With his other hand, Varius cups my breast, pressing his thumb against my nipple. Stars burst in my vision, and I bite back a scream. My hips buck as I ride his fingers, desperate for release. I’m so close to the edge. So close to tumbling over.
Varius leans over me, capturing my nipple in his mouth.
When his fangs drag along the peaked tip, my climax shatters through my body, breaking me completely.
A strangled scream bursts from me, and I thrash against him, chasing that feeling over the cliff.
Varius groans in my ear, his voice low and deep. I thread my fingers through his hair.
“Sybelle!” he says urgently.
I blink and stare at him. Something about his voice doesn’t sound right.
I jerk violently, and Varius vanishes, his heavy weight and warmth disappearing. The vision before me fades, and I am yanked back to reality.
I startled awake, gasping, my pulse still racing from the events of my dream. Varius’s hands gripped my shoulders, his eyes full of panic.
“Varius, what—” I froze as I noticed a gemstone in his hand. The shade of amber was unmistakable.
Horror tightened in my chest as I noted the dark shadows streaking along the walls. “What the hell happened?”
Varius lifted the glowing stone, his eyes sharp and full of accusation. “You tell me.”
My brows knitted together. “Tell you what? I’ve been asleep! Why are you holding one of my gemstones?”
“It… called to me.” His voice sounded uncertain.
“Called to you,” I repeated. “How? ”
For some reason, he averted his gaze from me, his lips pressing into a thin line. “I—I heard your voice, Sybelle. It was coming from this stone.”
I sat up, clutching the blankets against my chest. I was achingly aware of my rather revealing nightgown, especially considering the wildly inappropriate dream I’d been having.
The space between my thighs was wet and hot, and I prayed to every god I could think of that Varius couldn’t scent my arousal.
“I followed the sound into the bathing chamber,” Varius went on, still not meeting my gaze. “The stone was glowing. Only when I touched it did the light vanish. Then, I heard your voice in my head.”
My mouth went dry. Shit… What did this mean? The amber stone was used to communicate with Azure.
So, why was Varius hearing me speaking to him ? Azure could only talk to me when we were both touching the stone.
My hand flew to the necklace at my throat.
Normally, I could only hear Azure’s voice in my head when my fingers were touching the stone.
I was never entirely sure why it worked that way—Azure didn’t need to touch it with her claws.
As long as she wore the jeweled collar around her throat, it worked just fine for her.
I could access magic from other gems by touching them with other parts of my body. The diamond tiara, for instance.
Was it possible the amber stone could be used to communicate with others, even if my fingers weren’t touching it?
“Sybelle,” Varius said, startling me from my thoughts. “Can you explain this?”
I licked my lips, and his eyes darted to my mouth. That unbearable heat between my legs only intensified as I realized we were both sitting very close to one another on the bed.
I scooted backward, trying to keep my movements subtle. Clearing my throat, I said carefully, “The amber stone allows me to… communicate with others. Mentally. ”
Varius frowned, then glanced at the necklace. “Who have you been communicating with?” His voice was laced with suspicion.
I flinched. Stones, what do I do? If I avoided the question, he would assume I was feeding information to the Earthen Court.
But I couldn’t tell him about Azure.
Or could I? He already knew about my gemstone magic.
No, I thought firmly. Azure is not my secret to tell. I can’t betray her trust. I can’t tell Varius about her unless she gives me permission to do so.
I had to think quickly. Varius’s eyes were narrowing with distrust.
“I wear this necklace for sentimental reasons,” I said. “It brings me comfort when I’m alone or afraid. In the Earthen Court, I used it to speak with my best friend.”
“Does this friend also have an amber stone?”
“Yes. But the magic doesn’t work from this far away. I’m not able to communicate with anyone in the Earthen Court.”
Varius stared at me, his expression hard. I stared right back, fully aware that everything I uttered was the truth.
“Sybelle?” asked a voice.
I almost yelped in surprise, then quickly let go of my necklace. If the amber stones were somehow working on Varius, I couldn’t risk him intercepting any communication with my dragon.
I had no idea if anything Azure said to me would be overheard by Varius with his stone.
Varius cocked his head at me, his eyes sweeping over my form. “Your heart is racing.”
“Can you blame me? You shook me awake like the castle was on fire. Was this all just because the stone was glowing?”
“No,” Varius said in a tight voice. “You also summoned shadows.”
I blinked. “I… summoned shadows?”
“Yes. They were not mine.”
“How can you be sure?”
He gave me a flat look. “I know my magic, Sybelle. These shadows were thinner and bluer than mine. I had no control over them.”
I snorted. “You already have no control over your own shadows, Varius.”
“I have some control,” he said defensively.
I shook my head. “I don’t understand. How did I summon shadows? Are you sure it was me? There are lots of other fae in this castle who might have access to that kind of magic.”
Varius stroked his chin, considering this. “You could be right.”
But none of this explained how Varius could hear my voice calling him through a stone in another room.
“When you heard my voice,” I said slowly, “what was I saying? Are you absolutely sure it was me?”
“Yes,” he answered quickly. Too quickly.
I looked at him, but his gaze was fixed on the sheets as he fisted them in his hand.
“Varius,” I said.
Slowly, he met my gaze, his eyes guarded.
“What was I saying?” I repeated.
He swallowed, and his throat bobbed. “You—You were dreaming. I think.”
My stomach hollowed. Oh, shit.
“You said my name,” he said.
My eyes closed. No, no, no.
“I—” Varius coughed, then shifted his weight on the bed. “I’m fairly certain… you were dreaming about me… and…”
“Stop.” My voice came out strained. “Don’t—Don’t say any more.” My face was on fire. Stones, I wanted to disappear. I wanted to sink into the covers and bury my face until I died of shame .
“Sybelle.” His voice was gentle.
I winced. “Please don’t.” I couldn’t bear to look at him.
His warm hand pressed against mine, and I drew in a sharp breath.
“I had a similar dream,” Varius said quietly. “After the revel.”
My eyes snapped open at that. “You did?”
He nodded, half his mouth quirking up. “You made quite an impression. That dress…” He made a low humming sound that only reminded me of my dream. My legs clenched together. “The things you did to me, sitting on my lap like that…” He exhaled, long and slow.
When his eyes met mine again, they were molten. Fire churned in my belly as his thumb brushed along my knuckle.
Then he murmured, “We can’t control our dreams.”
My heart twisted, and the heat within me turned to ice. I hadn’t expected him to say that. “Right.” My voice was shaky.
“It’s nothing to be ashamed of. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“Okay.” My voice sounded numb.
He was giving excuses for both of us. He was assuring me that we both had these dreams, and they meant nothing.
But mine had certainly meant something. It wasn’t just a random dream. It was a manifestation of all the pent-up tension that had been building between us.
And it killed me to know that his dream hadn’t been the same thing. His dream really had been nothing.
I felt his eyes on me, probing. I took a deep breath before meeting his gaze, then forced a smile. “Thank you for understanding.” I pulled my hand away from his.
A wrinkle formed between his brows, as if he could sense the falseness behind my voice.
I needed to change the subject. “Any news about Warwick?”
His eyes darkened. “I’ve dispatched my hired hand to take care of him. His name is Tavish, and he’s very skilled. Warwick should be dead by tomorrow. ”
I heaved a shaky breath and nodded, trying to be reassured by this.
“Once Tislora has finished inspecting your chambers, it should give us the evidence we need to convict him publicly. Hopefully, that will turn the soldiers against him, and they won’t revolt when they realize he’s dead.”
I cringed inwardly at the sound of Tislora’s name. Varius’s gaze snapped to mine, missing nothing. “What is it?”
I blew air through my lips. “I don’t really think Tislora is all that concerned for my safety.”
Varius said nothing for a long moment. Then, he sighed.
“She doesn’t trust humans. But… I know her.
She’ll perform her task to the best of her ability, regardless of who benefits from it.
She excels at magic, and she would never intentionally hold back her abilities.
She loves her spells too much for that.”
There was a fondness in his voice that made my chest tighten so painfully that I couldn’t breathe.
Without warning, I pushed up from the bed, needing some space between Varius and me. My eyes fixed on the window, which boasted a glowing pink and orange sky from the setting sun.
“Dusk already?” I forced a laugh. “At this rate, I’ll be nocturnal before long. I should probably dress and eat.”
To my disappointment, Varius stood, too. “You shouldn’t roam the castle alone. I’ll go with you.”
“No.” My voice was sharper than I intended. In a softer tone, I said, “You can’t guard me every hour of the day. With Warwick and a possible army approaching, I’m sure there are important things you need to do to prepare.”
Varius’s face hardened. He looked at me with a conflicted expression.
“I’ll take Enzira with me,” I added.
He sighed. “Very well. But I’ll find you later.” He speared me with a stern gaze.
I snorted. “That sounds like a threat.”
He gave me a feral grin. “Maybe it is.”
My stomach fluttered, but I forced away the warm tingly feeling that blossomed inside me when he flirted with me. I pointed to the bathing chamber. “Right. Well, I’ll just go get dressed, then.”
Before I could embarrass myself any further, I strode into the bathing room, eager to put as much distance between Varius and me as possible.