Chapter 54
Fenn’s soft mouth claimed mine, his tongue sweeping over my lips, eliciting a moan from me. Powerful and explosive emotions flooded within me, and heat scorched my blood and veins. I pulled away, startled by the intensity of it. As soon as I did, my mouth ached for more, yearning for Fenn to come closer so I could taste him better.
My eyes were still closed when I withdrew. I was too afraid to open them. He was panting, his hands on my waist, and I didn’t even have the strength to push him away.
“Aurelia,” he groaned, the sound low and husky.
I kissed him again, unaware of what I was doing. My hands, my mouth, moved of their own accord. My fingers threaded through his hair, his tongue filled my mouth, and my chest pressed against his. His hands were gliding down my back until they cupped my rear and squeezed.
“You bastard,” I breathed before his mouth claimed mine again. In and out, our tongues collided, stroking and licking until my lips were numb.
“Do you remember now?” he murmured against my mouth.
“Remember what? Your betrayal?” I bit down on his lip, and he made a soft, strangled sound.
“No.” He moved his mouth to my ear, nipping the lobe. I shivered with pleasure, heat pooling between my legs. “Remember the home you have to come back to. A sister. A mother. A father. A dragon. A man who will marry you without hesitation.”
My hands tugged at his tunic, pulling it free from his trousers. “Yes, and that same man will stab me in the back and keep dozens of secret lovers, I’d wager.” I plunged my hand into his trousers and gripped his firm length, squeezing hard.
“ Shit .” His hips bucked, and he threw his head backward. The veins along his neck stood out, and his jaw went slack. “Oh gods , Aurelia.”
“Am I wrong?”
“Y-Yes. You’re wrong. Dead wrong. I would never—I could never.” His eyes were still closed as I pumped my hand up and down, from tip to shaft. His groans became more feral with each of my movements.
“Then swear it,” I breathed, the heat between my thighs becoming nearly unbearable. “Swear you’re mine and only mine.”
“I—I am yours, Aurelia. Always. Yours alone.”
I squeezed again, and he cried out, the sound desperate and pleading. “Prove it to me.”
“I—I will do anything. Gods, Aurelia, anything . It’s only you. Even if you leave me and never return, I swear I will never love again. I?—”
I sank to my knees, working my fingers along the waistband of his trousers. With slow, deliberate movements, I pulled, bringing them down until they fell to his ankles, exposing just how hard he was for me. I smirked knowingly up at him as he panted, his breathing ragged.
I inched closer before closing my mouth around his tip and sucking gently.
A strangled growl escaped him, and his body quivered. I ran my tongue along his tip once more, tasting the small droplet of moisture that had already collected there.
Fenn gasped, thrusting toward me, his eyebrows raised and his face a mixture of torment and pleasure.
“Promise me,” I commanded, my mouth hovering just over his arousal.
“I promise,” he rasped. “Aurelia, I promise I belong to you. You own me. I am yours to command.”
I swept my tongue over him again, and he shuddered violently. “Tell me again. ”
“I am yours. Yours.” His voice was strained, and his hips rocked, urging me onward.
But still I taunted him. Drawing it out. “Give yourself to me, Fenn. Surrender. If you are mine, then show me. I want all of you.”
“You can have it,” he groaned. “All of me, Aurelia. Take it. It’s yours. Just, gods , take it, please.”
I finally obliged, taking him fully in my mouth. His hips jerked, and he moaned loudly, thrusting into my mouth. His hand fisted in my hair, tangling the strands and tilting my head backward to plunge himself deeper inside me.
“Please, Aurelia,” he begged. “Gods, please.”
I dragged my tongue along his tip, then my teeth followed the same path. He shoved harder, tickling the back of my throat, but I held fast, clamping down on him.
He pushed and pushed, driving into me, his body trembling as he approached that sweet release. I licked and sucked, drawing circles around him with my tongue.
“Stars above,” he choked, thrusting harder.
I took all of him, even as he slid so deep inside I thought I might retch. I held him there in my mouth, devouring him fully, claiming him as thoroughly as he had claimed me.
He was mine. All mine.
His frantic gasps were faster now, his body pulsing to the same rhythm as his breaths. His sounds were more wild and uncontrollable until he sounded like a feral creature instead of the calm and collected prince I knew so well.
And a savage part of me loved that, that I was able to make him come undone. I was able to shed that mask, that skin he wore to protect himself. He was completely bare and vulnerable here with me now.
“Oh. Oh. ” He thrust again, and I dragged my teeth along that sensitive flesh, closing my lips around him.
“No—No—I can’t—” His body spasmed as he came, filling my mouth. I gulped it all down, letting it burn my throat, letting it pour into me one drop at a time. Gods, he tasted delicious. I found myself gripping his thighs, his ass, bringing him closer to me. He panted, his hips still moving, even when there was nothing left. My touch alone had consumed him, had driven him to madness .
He was mine. Only mine. No one else’s. In this moment, I owned him, and he was proving it to me, letting me take utter and complete control.
The Fenn I knew would never surrender that control to anyone else.
He loved me.
I licked him once more for good measure, tasting that delicious part of him that was now mine and only mine.
When he was finished, I drew back, releasing him from my mouth. I stood, wiping my lips with the back of my hand and facing him, a look of smug superiority on my face. He was panting, leaning against the wall, his expression wary and exhausted.
“You’re cruel,” he rasped.
My smile only grew. “You love me.”
“I do. Desperately. More intensely than a thousand burning suns.”
“Even when the stars go dark,” I whispered, remembering our declarations to each other in the Crescent Glade during the fete.
“My love will shine through the night, guiding you home to me,” he breathed, bringing his hand to my cheek and brushing his fingers along my jaw.
I sighed softly, my breath shaky and ragged. I wanted to lose myself in this moment, in this place between us where I knew he loved me, and he knew I loved him.
“Do you believe me now?” he asked.
I didn’t want to. I wanted to stay here forever, where it was safe. Where I would never be betrayed again.
Instead, I nodded, my eyes filling with tears. “I trust you, Fenn. Against my better judgment.”
He laughed hoarsely. “I’ll take whatever you can give me. And I’ll spend the rest of my existence earning your trust back.” He hoisted up his trousers and fastened his belt before shooting me a coy look. “You’re filthier than I thought, little firebird. I’ve never come so quickly in all my life.”
My eyebrows lifted. “Gods, you think so highly of yourself, don’t you?”
His grin turned feral. “You have no idea how long I can last. How much I can make you scream. We’ve only scratched the surface.”
In spite of the situation, fresh heat bloomed in my core, and my toes curled from the sultry promise of his words.
He chuckled. “Let’s find your dragon and go home.”
We left the tea room, making our way down the hall where I’d last left Mal. My face heated as I realized he must have given us privacy for our intimacy. How embarrassingly thoughtful of him.
But as we wound through various corridors and descended several staircases, panic took root in my chest, and I exchanged a worried look with Fenn. “Where is he?” I asked.
He shook his head, his gaze dark and intent. “I don’t know.”
My eyes lit up. “The nesting grounds.”
We took off down the stairs, racing out the double entrance doors and into the blindingly bright sun. My feet followed the familiar path leading to the forest, a habit from years of visiting my precious dragons.
But when we reached the cover of trees, none of the dragons were there, save for one: Mal. He was galloping around the clearing, wings bounding with each movement as he leapt and darted this way and that. It would seem playful—he often behaved this way when he had too much energy to get out—were it not for the figure standing on the opposite end of the clearing, her hand raised as wisps of white magic darted from her fingertips to Mal.
She was controlling him.
Rage filled me as I stormed toward the figure. “Release him! Now !”
To my surprise, the woman obliged, dropping her hand and gliding forward with a smile on her face. Only then did I realize I had seen her before. She had long, curly blond hair and wore a crimson gown with layers of fringe cascading down the skirt. Her cold blue eyes surveyed me with familiarity and distrust.
I had seen her once before, in memories—she belonged to the witch clan of Aurora Briarcliffe Gaelania. She was the witch opposed to the spell, the one who had been cast out for rebelling against the clan .
Rosalina.
The Dream Mage.
Terror froze me in my tracks, with several yards between us. In the center of the clearing, Mal had stopped his movements, crouching on all fours and placing his head on the ground, ears folded back, his wings trembling.
He was frightened. I had never seen him so frightened in all my life.
The thought sent a bolt of fury churning in my blood, and I bared my teeth at the witch. “Your quarrel is with me, Rosalina. Not the dragon. Leave him be.”
Rosalina’s cruel smile widened. “It was the only way to get your attention. And forcing him to do my bidding is such fun. ” Her gaze slid to Fenn, and her expression brightened. “Ah, you brought a friend! This must be the handsome Midnight Prince I’ve heard so much about.”
My blood chilled. Oh gods, no. She couldn’t have Fenn. Not him, and certainly not Mal. She was only here for me.
“Rosalina,” I said, my voice thundering. “What do you want from me?”
Rosalina looked at me once more, her expression turning smug. “I want your dragons.”
My eyes narrowed. “How do you expect to take them when you’re in the Dream Realm?”
She tilted her head at me, giving me a mocking smile. “I thought your memories had returned. Surely you aren’t that daft.”
I sifted through Aurora’s memories, searching for any information that might help. After a long moment, I sucked in a sharp breath. “Damn it all.”
Rosalina’s eyes glinted. “You understand now.”
My body began to tremble, and I curled my hands into fists. Beside me, Fenn whispered, “Aurelia, what is it?”
Without taking my eyes off Rosalina, I said, “There is only one Dragon Queen in the Realm of Valora. Once she dies, another is called to take her place so the line continues.”
“If the Dragon Queen dies, so do the dragons bonded to her,” Rosalina continued, her smile wide enough to show teeth. “The only way a dragon bond can be transferred is if the Dragon Queen is rendered unable to protect her dragons. Then, the duty is assigned to the next powerful witch in line. Which is me.”
“But you’re trapped here,” I argued. “You can’t leave the Dream Realm.”
“With the magic of the dragons behind me, I can.” Rosalina’s chin lifted in triumph. “Ordinarily, witches can’t come here. But it seems you are the exception. Your magic is strong enough to overpower whatever wards are surrounding me here. It will be all the power I need to travel between realms at will.”
Cold dread sank in my stomach like a block of ice. How much time did I have left before the transfer was made? How long had I been in the Dream Realm?
As if Sonara’s plotting hadn’t been bad enough… Now things were much, much worse. I had no doubt Rosalina had cursed other kingdoms into an enchanted sleep—like the Lunar Court. When the Winter assassin told us she had taken over the Lunar Court, I assumed she had taken their throne.
But she couldn’t. Not yet.
Because she was stuck here.
All that was about to change, thanks to me.
Fury coursed through me, swift and powerful. I tried to summon my power, to let it surge within me. I focused on my flight through the midnight sky atop my dragon, my arms spread wide as if I had wings of my own.
But nothing happened. I felt no strong presence within me. My eyes grew wide with horror as Rosalina gave me a knowing smirk.
“Sorry, Aurora,” she said. “Your magic doesn’t work in my domain.”
No. No ! I tried again, my fists quivering as I strained and pushed, but still, nothing happened.
My magic was gone.
Oh gods. My eyes closed against the onslaught of grief and despair. She’d won. She had won.
And I couldn’t stop her.