Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
T he sound of the royal carriage’s wheels rolling over cobblestones echoed through the streets of Sinarya as the procession headed towards the Temple of the Chimera.
Novi’s hand clasped Fallon’s in an attempt to soothe his concerns, but there was no denying her discomfort. Fallon could see it clear as day on her weary face. From the seat on the other side of the carriage, Annika’s face also revealed what her mind would not?—
Novi looked uncomfortable. She should have stayed home.
Her belly, swollen with the life they had created, added a palpable urgency to the air, transforming the excitement of Annika’s public concert into a thread of trepidation that wound its way around Fallon's heart.
Every bump and jostle that Novi endured only made him regret allowing her to leave the safety of the castle. Every comment she made in an attempt to reassure him fell on deaf ears. Even if Novi admitted he was right, it was too late to do anything about it. They were almost at the amphitheater outside the temple.
Fallon turned to his redheaded bard.
“When we arrive, I’ll escort you to the stage. That should send a strong message of my newfound infatuation with you.”
Novi snorted in playful contempt and shook her head.
“Oh Fallon—we’re not at court where all you have to do is flirt with Annika at dinner to make people talk!” she criticized. “We’ll be in the amphitheater. You’ll be surrounded by tens of thousands of people. You’ll need to do something much more dramatic. Maybe some lingering gazes or extra-long hand-holding. A hug and a kiss would be ideal. After all, you did spend the entire night humping like rabbits, according to one of the footmen.”
“Which footman?” Fallon demanded. Novi burst out into giggles, and even Annika couldn’t help letting out a laugh.
“You’re not going to tell me, are you?”
“Nope,” said Novi, shaking her head. “Never.”
Fallon’s eyes narrowed at the thought of his footmen gossiping about him. It didn’t matter that this was exactly what Novi wanted…he didn’t have to like it.
“I am not kissing her.”
Novi gave him an endearing smile and let out a sigh.
“I love you, Fallon, but your loyalty is so exasperating at times. It’s just a kiss.”
“I think it’s really sweet that you don’t want to do it,” said Annika. “I don’t want to kiss you either, and I know Talvi would absolutely hate it. Have you heard anything from him yet? I feel like it’s been a really long time.”
“I haven’t heard a word from any of the crew,” Fallon replied. “I’m sure there’s a good reason why.”
“What kind of reason could there be?”
Fallon pushed back the curtain and peered out the window. The amphitheater and the temple had come into view. The crowds were bigger than he’d expected.
“They most likely don’t want to risk their communication being intercepted while they’re behind enemy lines,” he explained, distracted by concern for Novi’s safety. “It happens all the time when our ships are on patrol.”
“Wait—does that mean you patrol behind enemy lines on a regular basis?” Annika asked. “Do your ships do recon in the Estellian Empire? Or do you go somewhere else?”
Annika’s question sent a flicker of concern through Fallon’s blood. Letting the curtain fall back into place, he tilted his head and studied Annika much closer.
“Why are you asking me that?”
“I don’t know, I was just curious,” Annika shrugged.
“Be less curious,” he coolly replied, studying her with renewed suspicion. He was grateful for insisting that he keep her so close. If she was indeed a threat, he needed to be ready to neutralize that threat at a moment’s notice.
The carriage came to a stop and Fallon helped Novi down the steps before scanning his surroundings. The air was filled with the joyful shouts and cheers of his people. The amphitheater outside the Temple of the Chimera was abuzz with anticipation as the afternoon sun dipped closer to the horizon, bathing the ancient buildings of Sinarya in pale golden light.
With Novi and Annika following behind, Fallon navigated through the bustling crowd, their destination clear: the stage where the much-anticipated concert would begin. The late winter air carried the fresh scent of the ocean, mingled with the spices wafting from food carts that lined the streets and walkways. Excited whispers followed their every step, as the Sacred Son of Sinaryos and his entourage made their way through the sea of admirers.
Novi's advanced pregnancy was a beacon of hope for the people of Sinarya, her fullness drawing envious glances and well-wishes from every corner. Instead of filling Fallon with pride, it only heightened the palpable sense of urgency that coursed through him. If anything went awry during this concert, it could put not only Novi’s life in danger but also their unborn child's. Fallon's fatherly instincts betrayed his aloof and noble upbringing, and he longed to threaten his people with death if they dare harmed the mother of his child. But the red cloaks were doing their job keeping her safe.
Meanwhile, his beautiful bard Annika radiated a magnetic energy that helped draw some of the attention away from Novi. The trio's entrance to the seating area reserved for royals seemed to momentarily still the very air around them. Whispers of their love story and the impending birth of a half-demonborn child weaved their way through the crowd.
Banners of Blackwood Red waved in the breeze on either side of the stage, where an orchestra and choir were beginning to warm up. Fountains of orange flame added to the spectacle, spraying sparks and pooling at their basins like molten lava.
The stage was adorned with a life-sized ice sculpture of a chimera, its wings outstretched to create an acoustic barrier for optimal sound quality. In front of it all, snowflakes fell gently from the sky, transforming into delicate white flowers upon impact. And in the center of it all sat a black guitar, a Sinaryan Seven String, awaiting Annika’s touch.
The Duke and Duchess of Ordeya welcomed Fallon, along with a few other nobles, each of them begging for his ear. Yet over the chatter, he distinctly heard the sound of Novi telling someone to fuck off. There could only be one person in this section who she’d dare say those words to out loud.
Fallon turned around just in time to see Tristan reaching out towards Annika with a twisted smirk. His gaze lingered lasciviously on Annika, while a look of fear and disgust now marred her pretty face.
“Don’t touch what’s not yours, Tristan,” he said in a low growl, blocking his brother’s grasp. He slipped his hand around Annika’s waist and guided her down the ancient stone steps and towards the stage.
The girl was trembling.
“Do you like the arrangement?” he asked, trying to distract her as he motioned at the choir and the orchestra. “I had Callista and Mauricio help design it.”
Annika gave a meek nod of approval as they walked onto the stage. “It’s incredible.”
Fallon saw right through it.
“You don’t sound very pleased.”
She looked like she was about to be sick. “I’m sorry, it’s just...I don’t think I can do this.”
“Why not?”
“I didn’t think Prince Tristan would be here,” she responded, her voice trembling slightly, revealing her anxiety.
Her trauma.
Sending Tristan to the Norfrost was looking more appealing by the second. There were no other punishments, no consequences for a royal like him. Sacred Sons of Sinaryos might’ve been servants to their crowns, but being descended from the blood of the gods made them act with impunity.
Fallon’s all-seeing gaze lingered on Annika, whose fear and pain added a certain vulnerability to the moment. He rested a hand on his hip, using his long black cloak to shield her from the crowd’s view.
“I can’t send him away. Even if I could, I can’t undo what’s been done to you. Although, if you wanted ...” he waited patiently until Annika looked up at him. “I could let you into my mind. I could lend you the strength to push past this feeling, but my offer is conditional.”
“What are the conditions?”
“I need to know I can trust you.” Fallon studied the subtle movements of her lips, of her eyes, watching for any signs of deceit. “I thought I could, but you seemed unusually curious earlier about the comings and goings of the naval fleet. Why should someone like you care?”
“I don’t know,” Annika replied before wiping away the tears brimming in her eyes. “I suppose it’s because I’m curious what your job is like. My dad’s in the army back home. We talk about his job all the time. I didn’t realize it wasn’t okay to ask you about yours. I’m sorry if it was wrong.”
Fallon waited for her to flinch, for her eyes to dart with the nervous hope of being believed. But as the seconds ticked by, the only thing he could ascertain was that she was being sincere.
Well then…maybe the girl wasn’t lying after all. Maybe it was simply coincidence. Plenty of humans served in the military—why should this one’s father be any different?
“I want to believe you, Annika, but I can’t take the risk of letting you inside my mind unless you let me inside of yours first. I’ll need to go deeper than I did during my first interrogation.”
“Won’t that take a long time? Everyone’s waiting.”
Fallon's eyes scanned the boisterous crowd before settling on Annika's nervous gaze. He leaned in closer and spoke softly as he looked into her blue eyes, trying to calm the anxiousness he saw there.
“Let them wait. Are you willing to open your mind to me? Open it completely this time. Conceal nothing. I need to be able to see it all ...including the darkest parts. Do you understand?”
The redhead nodded, unwavering in her gaze as Fallon observed her closely. The fire from the fountains reflected in her blue eyes, giving them an otherworldly glow. She held her breath as he delved into the depths of her soul, searching for any hint of deception or lies. Her memories were laid bare before him, and he sifted through them with ease, plucking out the most significant moments from her life.
He saw her performing on stage, lost in the music as she played a guitar solo. He witnessed the loneliness she felt as a soldier's daughter, constantly moving and losing friends along the way. He felt her joy when she received her first guitar from her father.
He witnessed her first encounter with the samodivi, and felt her wonder and fear as she laid eyes on Desmondia, the demon realm. He saw her bravery in surviving multiple vampire attacks, and the wild fae blood coursing through her veins as she defended herself with a common fork.
But what truly caught his attention was the memory of a black unicorn emerging from the woods. It was an entity he had never encountered in over three hundred years. Not only did this creature approach Annika with complete trust…it lowered its head and offered her a silver thread that had the power to bind all types of magic within her.
His breath hitched as he watched Annika wind the long hair around her finger, before having a ring placed there by her husband Talvi. He watched as Annika and Talvi’s hands were cut, then bound in a hand fasting ritual. There was pain, then lighting, as the power of elemental magic tore the sky apart before knitting it back together. The unicorn hair fused the wedding ring to Annika’s finger, making its way up her arm, her shoulder, seeking out her heart.
Then the human was gone. The blood in her veins wasn’t elven or fae. She wasn’t a samodiva, either.
She was all of those things…and more.
There was no way this creature had arrived in Fallon’s kingdom by accident or even with ill intentions. Clearly the gods had sent her here for another reason.
Fallon had lived long enough and seen enough that moments of sheer wonder didn’t happen often. But in this moment, it felt as if he’d just discovered the meaning of life. For the first time since they’d met, he truly saw her for what she was.
An answer to so many questions.
And the promise of hope.
He let out a sigh, his voice tinged with awe.
“Remarkable...are you aware that you hold nearly all the elements of magic within your blood?”
Annika’s eyes widened in such a way that Fallon immediately knew she didn’t have the faintest idea of how much power she actually held.
“Air, for the fairy magic that created your wedding ring...a ring that’s taken root inside of your veins. Earth, for the blood that binds you to your wood elf husband, and water, for the samodiva blood you’ve always had. Samodivi magic is twofold—it consists of earth and water. Even though they’re wood nymphs, they have to live near moving water or else their immortality fades away.”
The allure of such pure and potent magic made Fallon forget himself. Taking Annika’s left hand into his, he traced the invisible path that ran from her ring to her shoulder, sensing exactly where the magical thread wrapped around her veins.
It was little wonder that she’d been irresistible to vampires.
“The unicorn hair has woven all of those magical elements together, harnessing your power. Your blood possesses equal measures of earth, air, and water.” He held back a growl of hunger as the demon blood in his veins began to heat up. “All that’s missing is fire.”
Like an innocent wild doe, the redhead blinked up at him in surprise.
“I knew my blood was magical, but I didn’t know about the four different elements. Nobody’s ever told me any of this before,” she said, glancing down at her wedding ring before looking into his black demonborn eyes once more. “What does it mean?”
Fallon hummed in delight, his full attention riveted on the creature before him. Line after line from the Grimoire of Damnation crept out of his memory and into the forefront of his mind. The elusive ingredients for so many spells were all here, standing before him in the flesh.
It was all he could do to contain his excitement.
“It means you have the potential to wield some incredibly powerful magic.”
As hard as he tried to keep his voice calm and neutral, there was no denying that a long-lost hunger had been awakened. The craving for her blood, for her magic was visceral…a primal need that was beginning to gnaw at his insides. It was as real and raw as any other carnal desire. Especially the desires he’d set aside for so many months.
His heart began to beat faster…harder…sending blood to every capillary, every organ…making him breathe faster…making him swell harder with need. He let go of Annika’s hand and caressed her face, silently at war with himself about what he was about to do to her.
But it was a gamble he was willing to make for a taste of her power.
“What is it? Is something wrong?” she asked. Her na?veté only made Fallon want her more.
“No,” he admitted, taking care to choose his words wisely. “I’m having second thoughts about lending you my mental strength. It’s too fleeting. It won’t last. I ought to give you something more permanent. Something powerful. Something that carries elemental fire magic.”
The demon blood coursing through him crackled with anticipation, and he couldn’t help but laugh at how hard he was fighting the very power that made his ancient bloodline so sacred. The chance to fully restore his vitality was too tempting to pass up.
“I really shouldn’t do it...but...I can’t resist.” He let his thumb caress the side of Annika’s cheek before holding her chin in his hand. “It’s not in my nature to leave a task unfinished or a project incomplete. I don’t know what kind of power it will give you, or what we might create. Are you willing to find out?”
“Maybe. Will it hurt?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Does that mean you have something in mind?”
“Yes. Blood of Blackwoods.”
“How hard is that to get ahold of?” Annika asked. “Is it back at the mage university? Do we even have time to find it?”
“Annika, it’s running through my veins. I’m descended from Daiyana, the mother of the entire N?kki race. She was a fire demon.”
“Oh!” Annika’s eyes flew open at the revelation. “OH! Holy fucking shit !”
Although the crowd had started to chant from their seats, eager for the performance to begin, Fallon completely ignored them. There was no way he’d let a musical performance get in the way of attaining such tantalizing power.
“I can give you my blood right here and now, but there’s a catch.”
“What’s the catch?”
“Elemental blood magic only works by entering your bloodstream.”
Fallon closed his eyes, shaking his head partly in disbelief, and partly out of the irony of the situation. The soft grin was still on his face. “And since my blood is sacred, I can’t be caught giving it to you. I’d have to deliver it in a way that no one would suspect...”
When he opened his eyes, he didn’t even care if Annika could see the unspoken desire, let alone the fire burning in them. She’d already let him inside her mind. It wouldn’t be that much harder to get inside her warm, vibrant body. “The obvious method is for me to bite my tongue and…give you a kiss.”
Although she smirked at the answer, Annika didn’t run screaming off the stage.
If anything, she was intrigued.
“Of course it’s a kiss.” She glanced over at where Novi was sitting beside the Duchess of Ordeya, then looked back at Fallon. “I know that Novi won’t care—she’ll probably be thrilled, but you did say that wasn’t something you wanted to do.”
Fallon raised an eyebrow at her, looking exceptionally arrogant and self-important.
“I’m the Crown Prince of Sinaryos. I command the largest naval fleet in the entire Ellunian Empire. I know how to negotiate. What do you want?”
“I’m not sure.” Annika looked around at the orchestra, at the choir, at the temple, and the sheer size of the audience. “I know Talvi would be absolutely livid if I kissed you. Especially in front of so many people.”
“That’s entirely possible.” Fallon nodded in understanding. The young doe was so close to his trap, so close to giving herself to him. But if he pushed too hard, too soon, she’d slip away from his grasp. She had to offer herself willingly. Time to lure her even closer to giving him what he truly wanted. “It’s your magic. It’s your body. What do you want?”
Annika’s hand flew up to cover her face, but Fallon could see her cheeks flushing beneath the delicate fingers. She was seconds away from giving an answer.
Three….
Two…
One…
“I want the missing magic puzzle piece.”
The moment she spoke the words aloud, Fallon grasped her in his strong hands and swung her onto the lower ledge of the nearest fire fountain. A hush fell over the crowd, anticipation crackling in the air like static before a storm. He held her close, feeling her body become pliant in his arms. Her soft pink lips were just inches from his hungry mouth, taunting him, driving him to the brink of madness.
“I’m going to bite my tongue hard enough to give you a fair bit of my blood. Then all you have to do is kiss me until the bleeding stops. I heal incredibly fast, so it should only take a minute.” He gathered her long red hair in his hands, then pushed it back from her face. The hunger roiling inside of him was screaming in his ears, filling his mind, his field of vision.
It was taking every ounce of his self control to maintain his composure.
It was only a kiss.
And yet, it was as rare and exquisite as the sight of a unicorn…as the blessing of Daiyana.
It was everything.
He pulled her hips closer against his body, brushing his nose against hers.
“Oh, and Annika?”
“Yeah?”
The feral look in his obsidian gaze had clearly caught her off guard.
“It would be nice if you tried to enjoy it. I don’t spill my blood for just anyone.”
This was a turning point, a line they couldn't uncross.
Her body trembled against him as he bit into his tongue. Then he tilted her chin up to meet his demon kiss. Fallon easily pushed his wet, bleeding tongue between her soft lips, spilling his precious fluid into her mouth.
Taste me, he urged, still lingering within her mind. Annika hesitated for only a heartbeat, then pressed her lips back to his, drinking deeply from the well of his life force. The exchange was arcane and forbidden, a dance with darkness that bordered on profanity. Yet within that sacrilege lay salvation, the key to unlocking not only her potential…
But also his own.
He traced his fingers along her throat, coaxing her to drink deep, swallow hungrily, and take all of him that she could.
Drink me. His voiceless demand was laced with both power and desire. Give yourself to me completely.
In between obedient swallows, Annika sighed, clinging onto his shoulders as his fire began to take root within. By the time her body swayed from the sensation of his fire in her blood, he’d already caught her. He lifted a foot onto the base of the fire fountain, then scooped up her ass in a powerful arm until she was straddled on his upper thigh.
An unrestrained growl of hunger rumbled through his chest at the awareness of her softness and heat. Months and months of going without the satisfaction of a woman had left him aching to stay nestled in this one’s warm, wet mouth. With every second that passed, every flicker and caress of Fallon’s demon tongue, Annika’s body and blood grew warmer…hotter…catching fire one cell at a time.
No…there was no way that one kiss could have been enough.
I want to feel you . . .I want it all . . .
As he deepened the kiss, he savored the warmth and richness of her magical blood, feeling his demonborn essence coursing through her body and filling him with an insatiable hunger. Their bodies moved as one, swimming in blood, caught in demon fire and friction and the heat of pent-up arousal.
Annika’s slender arms gripped tighter, clinging to Fallon’s shoulders, wrapping around his neck. Her breath was coming faster in his ears, a heated caress that set him ablaze.
But her voice…
Her voice was reduced to a series of soft, broken moans, all of them tempered by the intimate dance of their tongues. Her inner thighs burned Fallon’s skin as she strategically rocked her hips against his muscular leg. Instead of holding her still, he pulled her up higher, maneuvering her over the rock-hard cock trapped inside his pants.
The kiss was momentarily broken by a tortured hiss while he guided her into a slow, yet urgent rhythm. With each breathy exhale and gasp, their noses brushed against each other as their tongues fought for dominance. Every drop of blood, every sigh and gentle thrust only made Fallon’s mind scream louder for release.
I want to feel you . . . he growled once more. I want it all . . .
The flames from the fire fountains grew taller, burning hotter and brighter than before. Then a pale neck came into view as Annika broke the kiss with a sharp gasp. The sound that came out of her throat made Fallon’s blood simmer with such need that it verged on violence.
One shudder of pleasure after another filled his dark elven ears, making him groan with longing. He drank in her climax just as deeply as she’d done when swallowing his blood. Her chest heaved as she gasped for breath, and her body writhed in pure ecstasy as he guided her bucking hips to use him however she wanted.
And all the while, the flames around them reached higher and higher. The giant ice sculpture was melting fast, and the little white flowers that fell like enchanted snowflakes sizzled as they landed on Fallon’s skin.
Never taking his eyes off of Annika for a moment, he sucked the taste of her off his tongue. He held the wood nymph with restrained aggression, feeling the echoes of his demon blood as it moved through her heart. He could sense the different types of magic from the earth, air, and water as they began to shift around in her body, adjusting to his fiery presence.
He’d planted a part of himself within her just as he’d put a child inside Novi. But there was no doubt about it—one kiss from this mysterious creature was not enough.
Gathering her long red hair in his fist, Fallon brought the samodiva’s face in front of his own, locking eyes with her. I want to taste you, Annika... I want it all...
His nostrils flared as the intoxicating smell of her magic and arousal filled his senses. Fallon lowered his head, his eyes glowing like embers as he gazed at his conquest. A predatory smile curled his lips.
Unable to resist the urge to taste her, his tongue darted out to tease her upper lip. A tender flick at the delicate corner of her mouth…a curious stroke along the edge of her cupid’s bow…all of it to ease her into what was about to happen next.
Fallon was simply waiting for the right moment to strike—not unlike the chimeras in the temple who played with their sacrifices before they were consumed.
Flames licked over Annika’s skin. Rather than be burned and blistered by the roiling heat, she seemed unbothered by it. The petite wood nymph was gazing through the inferno at Fallon with both wonder and satisfaction. The heat radiating from her body was so intense that he felt like he might catch fire if he didn't take her right then and there on the stage.
Hunger and raw desire threatened to swallow him just like the fire that was burning all around them. As his lips collided with hers, he deepened the kiss, savoring the way she responded to every temptation of his skillful touch.
Playing with fire had never felt so good. If this was what it felt like to create the first demonborn, it was no wonder that they’d been created in the first place.
Fallon’s teeth grazed Annika’s bottom lip, drawing a moan from her throat that only made him want to push inside her body even more.
He’d already poured his essence into her. At this very moment, his blood was circulating through her network of veins, altering her, changing her. According the the Grimoire of Damnation, the blood ritual was almost complete.
Now to finish what he’d started.
He couldn’t hold back any longer.
With a sudden ferocity that matched the storm raging in his blood, he caught the edge of Annika’s bottom lip in his teeth and bit down. Hard white enamel penetrated soft, pink flesh, bathing his tongue with burning wet blood.
The soft cry of Annika’s pain was lost in the roar of the fire around them, in the mingling of their breaths and the intertwining of their fates.
Fire exploded into life within Fallon, hot and searing, but it was quickly overshadowed by the rush of euphoria that followed. The metallic taste of iron and magic vibrated on his tongue as he drank deeply, savoring the potent essence of their combined elemental magic. Earth, air, water, and fire all flooded his senses, capturing him in a deluge of energy that set every nerve ablaze. He’d never felt more alive, more feral or wild. In that moment, the dutiful Sacred Son of Sinaryos was all but gone.
In his place was an awakened fire demon whose only mission was to consume.
To devour.
To drink.
To fuck .
As soon as the effervescent tang of Annika’s altered life-force hit Fallon’s bloodstream, the fire between them intensified until it was near blinding. Members of the orchestra and choir stepped back in fear and awe as the flames crawled even higher into the sky. The ice sculpture had been reduced to a shapeless, dripping wet stump of nothing.
The air around the two of them crackled with sparks of fire and energy. The audience's murmurs were nothing more than a distant echo as Fallon gave in to the fire demon that lived within his body, flesh, and bone.
MORE . . . he roared inside Annika’s mind. I want it ALL . . .
He let out an impatient groan as he bit down on Annika’s bleeding lip a second time, sucking another taste of her sweet, simmering elixir into his mouth. Annika gazed at him in disbelief, mesmerized by the raw power flowing between them.
His grip tightened on her waist as he rolled his hips against hers, groaning with feverish need, swallowing her magic, unable to break away from the kiss. His control frayed, and the hand that rested on her waist slid down below her ass, crushing her against his erection.
The overwhelming, primal need to be inside her cut so deep that it didn’t just hurt—it ached.
Annika…I need more…
Heat radiated between them so hot that it seared his chest through his clothing. Although his skin felt like he was being branded with molten lava, he still couldn’t get enough of her…no matter how deliciously hot she burned.
“Fallon—you’re hurting me!”
The demon prince snarled and studied his prey as if he’d misunderstood.
Tease.
Such a fucking tease.
He narrowed his smoldering eyes, then leaned down for one more taste of the divine.
Annika reached up and pushed against Fallon’s chest. Her hands were so small, so delicate, and yet they somehow managed to keep his lips from touching hers. A shield of cool serenity enveloped her, protecting her from the fire demon’s searing heat.
Steam rose up between them, soaking Fallon’s military uniform, his cloak, and even his hair. Like a starving chimera at the end of its chain, he lunged towards her again and again.
He had to have her. There was no alternative.
“Fallon,” she warned in a low voice. “ Stop .”
Fallon blinked at the unmistakable rejection. Nobody—at least, no woman—had ever turned him down. And now this one had?
He held back a snarl, staring at her with desire, until something so unholy and unnatural made him take a step back.
“Annika . . . your eyes . . . ” he stammered, struggling for the right words.
The stormy blue he’d been accustomed to seeing had been replaced with pure black. Just like his. Just like Novi’s. Just like every demonborn. The fire magic pulsing through Annika’s flesh and blood had taken hold.
Whatever he’d done to her, there was no turning back now.
“I can see just fine,” she said in a firm voice before stepping off the fire fountain and walking past him.
The crowd in the amphitheater was screaming with excitement, clapping, and roaring, yet none of it mattered to Fallon. All he saw was a vessel of untold power, a harbinger of chaos and beauty.
A vessel that held what he longed for.
A vessel that needed to be filled.
The relentless throb between his thighs propelled him to chase after the siren. Flames continued to roll off his damp hair and shoulders, tumbling down his wet cloak as he followed Annika across the stage.
“I need more,” he insisted between deep breaths. “I want it all !”
He stepped up to his conquest one more time, determined to consume…to devour…to drink…
To fuck.
After all, how could one possess this potent combination of magic and not give in to all its demands?
But somehow, some way, Annika’s hand pushed against his chest, creating another cloud of steam around them.
“No.”
The nerve of this creature! Especially when he’d been the one to give her his sacred blood first!
Wild-eyed and still burning with the last remnants of fire, Fallon glanced around at the rows upon rows of Sinaryans surrounding the stage where he stood. There were tens of thousands of them, nearly all of them cheering, whistling, and chanting his newest title, “Fallon the Stallion! Fallon the Stallion!”
It suddenly dawned on him why they were all calling him that.
Well… he thought to himself, at least they don’t suspect me of giving her my blood.
Ever so slowly, the dutiful son and heir to the Blackwood throne began to overtake the demon within and reemerge. And when he did, he caught the glance of another woman in the stands.
Novi.
Although the look on her face was impossible to define, even in his current state of mind, Fallon knew that she wasn’t pleased.
Against his better judgment, he turned back to Annika, expecting her to come to her senses and invite him back into her arms. The songstress was already reaching for the black guitar he’d provided, treating him as if he were nothing more than a stage prop.
Fighting every primal urge not to give in to his demon and take the creature for his own pleasure, Fallon forced one foot in front of the other and headed towards the entrance to the stage. The feeling of a rope holding him in place made him turn around. Finding nothing there, he gazed at Annika in confusion, then started down the stairs.
Again, that pulling sensation made him stop and turn around. He watched her pick up her guitar. There was no rope, no thread, no strings. The only strings he could see were the ones being touched by her fingers.
Sucking on his tongue for one last taste of the divine, he realized that it didn’t matter how many steps he took away from Annika. He could take fifty...a thousand. He could sail to the Norfrost and it still wouldn’t make a difference.
The tether that bound them together had been born from elemental blood magic and forged in demon fire.
There would be no breaking of it.
Not unless one of them died.