Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ahthimil
MAGNOLIA
Hael was already waiting for me by the time I made my exit, my heart pounding so hard against my chest, it hurt.
I knew it was a good thing he was walking me back to my room because I was drunk. I couldn’t even deny it anymore.
Five minutes was how long I walked in circles around the ball, and I nearly tripped seven times.
The last drink hit me out of nowhere. I knew it was possible.
It was one of the warnings that came with alcohol—it could creep up on you so fast that you wouldn’t even realize you were on your back, passed out and vulnerable, until it was too late.
But I didn’t care tonight. I wanted to not think. The alcohol was making me numb again, while simultaneously helping me forget about Dahes, and I loved it.
“Hmm?” I asked Hael, completely missing what he said. We were somewhere toward the southern tip of the castle now. I only knew from the glimpses of the Dome through the open windows.
He glanced at me. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
I stopped walking. My heels clicking against the marble had one resounding echo before silence followed. We were so far from the ball, so far from everyone now. The halls were eerily empty.
“What’s not a good idea?”
“This. Me walking you back.”
I bit my lip as I pressed my back against the wall, not realizing I had been backing up as he spoke. “You were the one who suggested it.”
“Fuck. Don’t do that.” His eyes were honed in on my mouth. In a single step, he stood before me, his fingers grazing across my lips.
My breath stilled. I wasn’t even sure I could fully inhale if I wanted to.
“I want to touch you, Nollie, so fucking bad that it’s messing with me,” he whispered.
He was touching me. I was all too aware of his hand still against my face, of the fact that my Token was so far from my mind that I was completely tangible.
I knew I should be asking more questions. I should be focusing on his weaknesses, but every thought left my mind as fast as it came, and all I could focus on was his single touch and how I wanted more.
I’d never wanted anything so badly in my life. I couldn’t think about anything else but him. Maybe my body knew before my mind did—I’d never gone transparent around him.
“And that’s a bad thing?” I whispered, finding my voice again and trying to piece together the bits of our conversation. He said walking me back was a bad idea, and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why.
He shook his head like he was fighting something. “I don’t want to… I don’t want to hurt you…” His voice was strained. “You don’t want to be touched and it’s all I fucking want to do. I want… Fuck.” He pulled his hand away. Then took two steps back like I burned him.
A bead of sweat dripped down his temple and my gaze snagged on it.
“I do want to be touched…” I admitted, then forced myself to swallow. “By you.”
His eyes widened. I watched his own chest rise in ragged breaths. “Nollie. Don’t—”
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t say something you don’t mean.”
“I mean it.” When he still didn’t move, I added, “Touch me, Hael. Please.”
Everything was a blur. He pulled me into his arms, wrapping his hand around the back of my neck, and tilted my head up to his. His lips crashed into mine, consuming, devouring, demanding—
I lost count of the amount of times my back slammed against walls as we kissed our way back to my room. If anyone saw us in the halls, I didn’t notice, couldn’t notice. He was all I could focus on. All I could see, taste, feel, think about.
And now that Hael’s hands were on me, I never wanted them off. The way his mouth moved against mine, the feeling of his hands on my body, over my hips, cupping my neck—everywhere.
I wanted them everywhere.
At some point, we stumbled into my room. He latched the lock on the door without breaking our kiss.
I knew I was letting my guard down, which was so stupid. Dahes could enter my mind at any time.
But maybe that’s why I did it. Maybe I knew my days here were coming to an end, and I’d be damned if I returned to the Dead Kingdom before I did this.
I shoved the thought away, refusing to let it ruin the moment.
Hael pushed me onto the bed as he stood over me, his legs resting between my knees.
“On the six Moons, you’re all I’ve been thinking about, Nollie.
” He towered over me, his gaze roaming my body, and I couldn’t find an ounce of fear left, couldn’t register that I used to think this was bad when it felt so good…
“I’ve never felt this way about anyone,” he groaned as he bent overtop me, his hips pressing into my stomach.
“I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you. You drive me fucking mad.”
I leaned forward, grabbing his neck and pulling him the rest of the way down. “Good,” I said against his lips.
“I’m going to take you.”
“Good,” I murmured again, barely able to get the word out with his tongue down my throat. I wasn’t sure if he even heard it. Maybe I only said it in my head.
My heart was beating so fast and everything around me was spinning except for him. He pulled away, ripping his mouth from mine. His hips were still pinning me to the mattress as he sat up. His pale eyes never left mine as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt.
I watched every second of it, grinding my own hips upward without even realizing it. He was taking too long. My body felt flushed and hot and only calmed wherever he touched me.
“I’m going to taste and fuck you all night.” His shirt hit the floor. I kept staring at the necklace dangling down his chest, jealous that the metal was pressed against his skin and I wasn’t.
I swallowed, any words I had were lost on me. He bent forward again, pulling the straps of my dress over my shoulders before tugging the material past my chest. Two seconds passed where cold air whipped across me before he was cupping and kneading my bare breasts.
I moaned. Loudly. My back arching, applying more pressure into his hand as his other trailed lower, down my stomach and over my hip. He gathered the material of my dress in one hand, then leaned back just enough to rip it down the middle, leaving me completely naked underneath his heated gaze.
He stilled, his eyes drinking me in. “Fuck. You’re perfect—”
“Please.” I cut him off, bending forward to wrap my hands around his shoulders, trying to pull him down on me again. He was talking too much, taking too long… “Please,” I moaned again. I felt like I was going to die if he didn’t touch me.
He smirked like he knew it. “Please what?” he taunted into my mouth, but he leaned forward an inch, allowing me to pull him.
“I want you.” I was panting, starting to feel faint. Hell. I had no idea this was what it could feel like.
It was fucking heaven.
For a split second, I got flashes of Dahes. Bits of the night when he tried to rape me. It was so different, so cold, so dark. A shudder ran through me, but then it was gone.
I wasn’t cold now. I was sweating.
I forgot that I used to be terrified of this, forgot that this was exactly what Cash tried to get me to do by overcoming my necessity. My Token wasn’t even remotely on my mind. Right now, I had control, or at least it wasn’t controlling me.
Hael unbuttoned his pants, and I didn’t even pretend to avert my gaze. One second he was standing over me, the next he was on his knees, cupping my hips and pulling me toward him, dragging me to the edge of the bed.
He spit over my clit and gave me no time to even process what he was doing before he licked up the center and was kissing and sucking and flicking his tongue and—
Fucking hell.
I think I screamed his name, but I couldn’t put my thoughts together enough to pay attention. All I could do was lose myself to his mouth and how it felt against me.
“You taste so fucking good,” he groaned before his tongue flicked over my clit again. I screamed as he bit down gently and tugged. My legs were thrown over his shoulders. My ass was in his hands. My back off the bed.
“Shit,” Hael swore as my back slammed back onto the mattress. He backed away like he was burned.
I sat up on my elbows, frowning as I looked up at him.
My breathing was coming in uneven pants I couldn’t control.
He was hard, I could see his erection, but couldn’t register when he fully took his pants off.
I remembered him unbuttoning them, but then what?
His eyes were still filled with lust, but there was something else on his face now.
Shock. Disgust. Mortification.
I thought I’d feel cold without his touch, but I was burning up again.
“Nollie, who did the servant say those drinks were from?”
“What?” I gasped. Why was he asking me about our drinks?
“Who gave us those drinks?” His voice was lethal. He took a step toward me, his hand pumping his cock, before he swore and backed away again.
“Fucking shit.” He ran his fingers through his hair, the strands damp with sweat.
“I—” I started, then stopped. I couldn’t even focus on my answer. I honestly forgot what he even asked me. All I wanted was his mouth back on mine. “Fuck me, Hael. Please.” I stood, needing to be closer to him, but he stopped me before I even took a step.
“Don’t.” He snapped. “Don’t move from the bed.” His voice was strained. “I need you to focus. Who did she say the drinks were from?”
“I… I don’t remember…”
“Think Nollie.”
“I can’t. I—” My voice wavered, the words catching in my throat.
“It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.”
But I didn’t feel okay. My body went from feeling hot and flushed to feeling like it was literally on fire. The longer Hael went without touching me, the more my body was burning from the inside out.
I started sweating. If I had any clothes on, I would have pulled them all off by now. I wanted to peel my skin off.
“Please. Hael.” I whimpered. “Touch me.”
It felt so good when his hands were on me, but now that they were gone, it was like thousands of tiny needles were stabbing me over and over again.