Chapter 50
Much to my surprise, Dion had been a cavalier when he’d maybe caught me staring at his package, and now, even though I couldn’t say exactly how I got there, I was standing at the bank of the lagoon.
The cold water made me hesitate to walk into the lake, and I observed the crystal clear liquid as if I could warm it by glowering alone.
A splash followed by ripples alerted me that Dion had simply jumped into the pond.
Crazy fae.
Lifting my head, my gaze roamed around in search of the prince, and my breath hitched as I found him.
He stood in front of the opening to the grotto, directly under the waterfall, which cascaded over his spectacular body and from there into the basin.
The water barely reached his hips, so I got more than just an eyeful of his perfectly sculpted chest and more than pronounced Adonis belt as rivulets streamed down his skin.
With no care in the worlds, he stretched, his eyes closed.
Without a doubt, his display was an intentional attempt to rile me up, and sadly, his evil plan worked.
He reminded me of the Rainbow Spiders native to the Lannear Wildwood in Ivreia.
According to rumors, their webs were so alluring that they entranced anyone who caught only as much as a glimpse of such a spun masterpiece.
The sheer beauty called to the victim, and even if one knew about the phenomenon, there was no way to escape once mesmerized by its radiance.
Compulsion drew the prey closer until they ended up entangled in the web.
But the lure didn’t stop there. Once a prisoner had been captured in the spidersilk, the material released some kind of toxin, keeping the captive docile and ensnared, even when the spider arrived to gorge on its catch.
And yes, Dion resembled those predators with his perfect features, and I was so deeply enchained in his web, the thought of being devoured didn’t even scare me anymore.
“Will you join me? I promise the water is warmer once you’re inside. And if you freeze—I’ll make sure to heat you up.”
“I’m—” Blanking again, my brain refused to operate. The possibility of so much skin on skin was too overwhelming.
“Ten seconds, or I’m done restraining myself.”
“And then?”
“You’re obviously very…tense, and I’m fighting very, very hard not to ease your tension, but not for much longer anymore.”
And then the bastard licked his lips. Apparently, he enjoyed my flustered state, especially as he started to count down with a giant smirk on his godscursed, attractive fae face.
As he reached four, I finally inhaled deeply and inched into the water, hissing because of the cold assaulting my senses.
But the next step I took distracted me. “These stones on the ground. They’re soft.”
“But only underwater. Take them out, and they are hard as my—”
“Galanta is so crazy.”
Yes, I’d interrupted him.
A few paces before I reached Dion, I halted, eyeing the waterfall with suspicion. Being submerged almost up to my breasts was enough—stupid giant fae, making the water seem much more shallow—I didn’t have to get soaked by a torrent on top of that.
Taking my eyes off the predator in my vicinity had been my undoing plenty of times, and I’d never learned my lesson. Today was no different.
Strong arms caught me and hauled me closer, under the waterfall, then through the natural curtain. At least he hadn’t lied about the temperature being more pleasant inside the cave.
Drenched to the bone, I was about to snap at Dion as I took in the grotto for the first time, and my jaw dropped to the floor.
If I were only allowed to use one word to describe what had appeared in front of me, I’d choose sparkling.
The walls of the small cave gave the impression that they were bejeweled with precious stones of all colors of the rainbow, forming a natural mosaic of some sort.
The soft light inside the grotto was shimmering and shifting in different shades, and the whole place—glittered.
I’d called the clearing magical, but the outside held nothing in comparison to this slice of perfection.
Next to me, Harc’s tip peeked out of the water and rubbed against my arm like a cat asking to be petted, but this time, Dion was determined to keep my attention on him.
As I was still admiring my surroundings, he tugged me to the far edge of the cave and sat down on what must be a natural underwater bench, then tucked my back into his chest. Seated in such a manner, the water reached my chin, and I brimmed with satisfaction at how perfectly this aligned with my height. “Behind us is a dry patch.”
“Yes. I spent plenty of nights here when I wanted to escape court.”
“Your sanctuary.”
“Our sanctuary.”
My breath caught at Dion’s casual declaration, and I was relieved he couldn’t see my face. Instead of an answer, I hummed.
“And now it’s time to relax. Your muscles are stiff from riding. We need to start training again soon.”
“Ugh, don’t tell—ooh.” Dion’s giant hands clamped around my shoulders, and he applied pressure to my poor muscles as if he were offended that tension had dared to afflict me in the first place.
It didn’t take more than one or two skilled touches, and I was melting like a piece of ice in the summer sun.
The mixture of slight pain and relief was so exquisite, I couldn’t stop a sigh from spilling over my lips.
A low, masculine chuckle, accompanied by an exhale directly against my ear, sent a shiver down my spine.
And if I wasn’t already winded enough, there was nothing I could do but fall apart as Dion nipped at my earlobe.
I didn’t even try to swallow the needy whimper, nor did I resist him in any way.
My body, still not fully recovered from our earlier kiss, ignited, and there was no way for me to hide my unraveling state.
“Nayana—” Dion’s voice was a low rumble as he closed his arms around me—giving up on the massage—followed by his lips ghosting over my neck. “There’s more I long to share with you.”
There was no room for doubt about his intentions, not even a little. His entire behavior today had seduction written all over, and as much as I’d chosen to ignore the implications so far, now was the time to face reality.
A simple woman like me could only cling to so much resolve before she broke down.
Dion and I had been drawn together by a magnetic force for too long.
I couldn’t even pinpoint when our mutual attraction had actually begun, and even though I was still opposed to admitting that deeper, meaningful feelings were involved, the same couldn’t be said about acknowledging the over-the-top chemistry between us.
Was I crazy because I truly considered his offer?
Gods, he hadn’t even spelled his aspirations out. Maybe I’d misunderstood him?
No, there was nothing to misinterpret—his possessive embrace spoke a clear language, and his arousal prodding unashamedly into my backside even more.
Somehow, this fae had managed what I’d believed impossible after that fateful encounter in the stable in Credenta—he might not have restored all my faith in the male population, but I trusted him at least.
Truth be told, I couldn’t even remember when I’d last suffered from a random flashback of my ex-fiancé’s assault in Dion’s presence. Without a doubt, he’d turned out to be the remedy for my broken soul.
The male behind me stayed still the entire time during my contemplation, to the point where I wondered if he was still breathing.
Yes, he had his arms enclosing me, my back nestled to his chest, but apart from that, he allowed me the time and the room to make up my mind.
Oh, he could have used the dirty tricks he’d discovered during the few times the line between friendship and more had blurred between us, but he chose not to mess with my ability to formulate rational thoughts.
Like in Ivreiana, he set his ego and his needs aside for me, and I was more than aware of how this was the biggest miracle of all.
So, in the end, the fact that he showed an unusual amount of patience tipped the scales.
My eyelids shut. A shudder ran down my spine, and I angled my head to the side in an encouraging move. But the male behind me stayed unmoving, except for tension sneaking into his muscles.
“Nayana, I need your words.”
His dark, husky voice so close to my ear did all kinds of unspeakable things to me, and after a deep, calming breath, I found the only word fitting for this situation. “Green.”
Now, it was Dion who shuddered, and one of his hands splayed possessively over my belly. Before I could even register what was happening, his lips peppered kisses on my neck. His relief and happiness were palpable in every movement he made and ignited me like wildfire.
The arousal that had been put on hold during the last tense minute returned with a vengeance and seeped right into my core, especially since I wasn’t mulling over everything anymore. A dam had broken as I’d finally given in to what I’d secretly yearned for all this time.
Because yes, there was one irrefutable truth—I ached for Dion, needed him more than life itself. And in this perfect moment, I allowed my craving to crawl out of its box.
But—his damn sharp canines would be my undoing.
My head was still angled from the earlier invitation, and the fae took full advantage of the access my neck granted him.
From the way I’d reacted whenever I caught a glimpse of his wickedly pointed teeth—not to mention how my traitorous body had spilled the truth about how much I liked them—Dion would have been more than stupid if he hadn’t realized what a turn-on his bites were to me.
And if there was something the prince wasn’t, it was dense.