Chapter 13
CHAPTER 13
A fter leaving his office, Dominic accompanied me while I searched for Emoni. I found her in the library, curled up in one of the oversized chairs, a highball glass on the table next to her, and engrossed in a book. She looked relaxed and that was a comfort. A little less reassuring was that the day had reduced her to drunk reading. This would be over soon. I relaxed more than expected despite the ominous hum that lingered in the house and the feeling that I was always being watched, which was highly likely. I welcomed Dominic’s retreat to his suite.
Closing the door, he pressed me against the wall, his face inches from mine. Fierce eyes connected with mine.
“There is always a chance that things could go awry and you could be placed in danger. You should change your mind.”
“Make things more difficult for you? I’m not going to allow anyone to hurt me.” The bravado almost led me to believe it. Like I had dormant magic waiting to be used.
“If I manage to fail, then you’ll be a good back-up plan, right?” A teasing smile curled his lips but didn’t reach his eyes. I saw the traces of uncertainty in them. His attempt to lighten the mood didn’t work.
“You’re taking a huge risk for a group who would not do the same to save your life,” he said.
“I’m aware of that. If this will mitigate the chaos and make things easier for you, I’ll do it. And it will save Helena.” She was his sister and despite it all, he cared about her despite the warranted anger and hostility he had for her. “You’re making a bigger sacrifice than I am. Are you prepared for not having the same advantage you had before?” Seeing the royals’ reaction to this situation and how even the smallest feelings of helplessness unraveled them, how would he deal with not wielding magic as he once had? I took hold of his hand, examining his long fingers that in seconds could turn into deadly sharp weapons. “Will you have these?”
He looked down at his fingers. My reference caused him to extend his claws. Examining them, he shook his head. “Probably not. It would be different, and a challenge, if I was to actually lose my magic.”
“What?” I fumbled out. I knew damn well I just sat in the I’m-going-to-sacrifice-my magic-to-end-this-and-concede-to-my-father meeting. What the hell did I miss?
He nibbled at the bottom of my lips. Retracting his claws, deft fingers slid over my back, unfastening my bra that he quickly discarded. Returning to move under my shirt, his fingers glided over my skin until they came to the swell of my breasts. His thumb stroked and teased my nipples until they hardened. Ducking down, he took one into his mouth, his tongue laving and teasing as his magic curled around me in a sensual caress and once again tethering magic and sex together. A moan escaped as I responded, feeling him all over me. The need for satisfaction spread over me, settling between my legs. Delivering the same treatment to the other breast, he clouded my mind with thoughts of feeling him inside me.
I fought through the distraction, fisted his hair, and guided his face to meet mine. “What do you mean you’re not losing your magic?” I asked Dominic, whose eyes and fingers crawled over my body, giving me hints of all the erotic things going through his mind. “What did I miss?” Because that was a big miss.
“Nothing. Everything I told you is correct, and there will be a sacrifice of magic. It just won’t be mine. My father will be his own undoing.”
Before I could ask more questions, his mouth covered mine in a heated, hungry kiss while his hand migrated down my stomach, the graze of his nails over my skin sending a shudder through me. When he pulled away, he studied me with a smirk. My unsated curiosity had managed to peek its way through lust. His hand’s trail over my body didn’t stop, moving into my pants, between my legs. Locking his eyes with mine as his expert fingers moved over my excited nub. My short pants of breath skimmed over his lips that rested lightly against mine.
“I know you are curious, and I would like you to know more, but nothing can be given away. Nothing.” His fingers slipped into me and I moaned, arching into the touch, my head pressing against the wall. “Can you trust me, Luna?” His fingers moving inside me, I rocked my hips to meet each thrust. Each brush of his fingers over my aroused clit brought me to new heights of pleasure, a burgeoning climax I was desperate for.
“Yes.” It came out in a throaty rasp to both his question and to the explosive climax he gave me. Laced with my desire was trust. I did trust him. And I loved him. And thoroughly enjoyed sex with him.
I pressed a delicate kiss to his lips that started off as a sweet and tender connection that escalated to more. His hands roved over my body until they were at my breasts, caressing and teasing my nipples until they beaded so tightly they ached.
Threading my fingers into his hair, I pulled him to me, kissing him deeply while my other hand slipped under his shirt, his tantalizing heat warming my fingers. Coursing down his abs to the button on his pants. His pants slid down, and when he stepped out of them, I took his silky girth into my hands, stroking it until it came to its full hardness. Holding his tumultuous gaze, I lowered to my knees and ran my tongue along it, earning a throaty groan from him. He laced his fingers through my hair, his desperate pants encouraging as I took him in my mouth, my tongue running underside with a slow glide over the length of him. His deep growls of pleasure filled the room, slow thrusts meeting my movements.
Guiding me to stand, his eyes glittered with dark hunger. He lifted me; my legs curled around his waist.
“Luna,” he murmured with reverence, carrying me through the suite until we made it to his bed where he laid me down. Closing his eyes, he inhaled a slow breath and took even longer to exhale. When he opened them, there was a roiling of heated emotions. As he completed removing my shirt, his nails grazed my skin. I shivered at the contact. He delivered the same treatment to my pants, delivering erotic tantalizing kisses to the sensitive area around my thighs and between my legs. My body became a coil of heat that missed the contact of his skin when he moved from me. Hastily, he tugged his shirt off, sending buttons sprawling. He discarded the ripped shirt. He showed little regard for his pants, but they stayed intact as he ripped them from his body. Dominic reared back, a ravenous roving of his eyes taking me all in, like a feast he was ready to devour.
Claiming my mouth with another kiss, he settled between my legs, guiding his cock into me with a groan of satisfaction. His movements slow and deep, my fingers digging into his back. Meeting his intensified movements, more rapacious. A desperate need to find that sensual pleasure. Each thrust and movement brought me closer. My hips rocked against him, frenetic energy moving between us. Pulling him to me in a ravenous kiss, I found that pleasure with a shudder and a groan against his lips. With fervent desperation, he inched deeper until he climaxed. Easing out of me, he rested his head against my stomach.
I was starting to drift off in a blissful satisfied nap, when Ileana walked into the bedroom with a flourish of movement, extinguishing my post-orgasmic quiescence as I jolted into a panicked grab for something to cover my body. Unbothered by our nudity, her attention jetted from me to Dominic, who only had curled some of the duvet over him.
“I hope your dalliance sated your frustrations and cleared your head. Have you rethought your plan?” Ileana asked.
“It remains the same.” He ran his fingers through his hair, mussing it more than I had.
Her lips pinched. “Do you think it is wise for me to keep the Book of Umbra and not have it under the same protection?”
There was an emptiness on his face, but his eyes were expressive, snagging his mother’s attention which had drifted toward me as I made a spectacle of myself gathering my clothes and trying to make an inconspicuous escape to the bathroom. I failed. I slumped next to Dominic, my discarded shirt pressed against my chest but barely covering the areas I wanted covered.
Her eyes fluttered with annoyance. Yes, I quickly discovered I wasn’t as oblivious about people seeing me nude as I thought. Even though it was just a body, I didn’t want his mother seeing mine.
“No. If Areleus manages to get hold of it, I’m confident it will be returned so we can proceed. Let’s not worry about that. He wants Helena back and the Casters dealt with.”
I couldn’t understand how he could assert that with such a level of unwavering confidence.
Ileana held Dominic’s gaze, her look eerie, making me feel as though they were having a silent conversation. There was definitely an understanding that I’d never know. From one look, could she decipher his plan? Admittedly envious of the connection, I reminded myself I had committed to trust him and his plan, although it would have been easier if I knew all the details. He seemed to be withholding some aspects from us all.
“Fine. I’ll return to my room and wait.” There was an underlying meaning to her response. I figured it was to wait until Areleus tried to get the book. “I suspect he will try to charm me into looking at the book, since he’s never had a chance before,” she said. “I guess I should allow that to happen.”
Dominic offered a small nod. They both held a cunning dark smile that highlighted the familial similarities.
With a small, satisfied chuckle, she left the room.