Chapter 28 #2
I drank him in, taking a moment to savour the sight of him, from his fine black tunic jacket, with its silver buttons down his chest and embroidery on the collar and cuffs that shone brightly in the firelight, to the beautifully sculpted planes of his face and those wicked lips that beckoned me for a kiss as he slowly smiled—a knowing smile that reeked of pride as I stared at him.
I didn’t bother to hide what I was doing.
I didn’t shy away from it now that I had been caught.
I didn’t even admonish him for his pride, because that sense of pride he had was deserved.
He was beautiful, and he knew it, but I had the feeling he had never really known it until I had been the one to tell him. Or perhaps it was because I had been the one to say it that it had affected him more.
Like how anyone could tell me I was beautiful, but if Kaeleron told me it, it hit differently.
It hit harder.
Knocking the breath from me.
I kept studying him, gaze drifting over him, fingers itching to brush through his overlong black hair to loosen it from the leather thong that held it back in a half ponytail so I could fist it as I kissed him.
Those same fingers itched to do something else as I noticed the pointed tips of his ears were bare, no silver adorning them.
Now I wanted to stroke them, to tease them until he was putty in my hands, and brush the row of hoops that followed the curve of his left ear, stopping around halfway down it. From there, I would feather my fingers to his lobe, and then his strong neck.
And then I would slide my hand around the back of it to his nape, and I would hold it fiercely as I kissed him, claiming him as mine.
“My little wolf hungers for me. She thinks me beautiful.”
“I do.” I refused to deny it and smiled right back at him as I husked, “My king hungers for me. He thinks me beautiful.”
“I do,” he rumbled, that hunger shining in his eyes, together with a warmth and intensity that stole my breath.
I reached for my glass, deftly raising it to salute him, and he did the same to me.
“Feast, little wolf.” He sipped his wine. “Before you madden me too much and I cannot control myself. My will is only so strong, and you test it fiercely.”
A shiver rolled down my spine and my limbs at his growled words, and gods they empowered me, as heady and potent as the wine I sipped, needing a little liquid courage to keep my nerves at bay.
I had no reason to be nervous around him, not anymore, but some buried part of me I couldn’t quite extinguish still whispered irritating words to me, wrecking my confidence.
One day I would banish those bruised instincts, cutting them out of my heart, and I would heal.
Right now, all I could do was drown them out.
I threw myself into my dinner, greedily piling slices of juicy roasted meats and purple potatoes on my plate, together with a thick gravy that tasted just as rich and delicious as I remembered it as I lifted a forkful of tender meat to my mouth and devoured it.
I moaned, sinking a little into my chair.
Sublime.
Kaeleron admonished me with a scowl.
“I’m not teasing you. Let a wolf enjoy her dinner.” I shovelled another forkful of meat and potatoes into my mouth, chewed and swallowed it. “It’s so damned delicious. I really need to meet your cooks. They need to know how good their food is.”
“I am sure they can hear your moans from here.” His knitted eyebrows loosened as a wicked smile danced on his lips, the glint in his silver eyes warning me that he was going to do his best to make me blush again.
“If it is a contest to see who can make you moan the loudest—the wildest—between me and my palace cooks, then I must warn you, little wolf, I do not take such competition lightly. I will have you howling at the ceiling for all to hear.”
I swallowed another mouthful of meat.
Looked him dead in the eye.
And said, “Good.”
His right eyebrow hiked up. “Good?”
I nodded. “Good. I want to howl. But I have to warn you… I fully intend to bring out a little wolf in you too.”
He grinned at me and swilled his wine, leaning back to slouch in his chair like some debauched king. “If anyone could make me howl, I am sure it is you, Saphira. I very much look forward to you trying.”
“Oh, there is no ‘try’… there is only you howling.” I sipped my wine, all the weight slowly falling from my shoulders and my heart as I let myself enjoy this moment with him, focusing on living in this moment and pushing out everything that waited for me outside of this room.
He chuckled, the sound sending a shiver down my spine and warmth unfurling through my veins.
I would never tire of his laugh.
I would, however, tire of him selecting horribly balanced meals for himself.
I curled a lip at his plate filled with vegetables, planted my hands against the table and stood, pushing my seat back. I grabbed one of the half-eaten platters of meat, popped a delicious pork and herb pie on it, and carried it to his end of the table.
His gaze tracked me, slowly sliding downwards from my hands to my hips.
As I neared him, he pushed his chair back a little, coming to sit at an angle to the table, revealing the lower half of his body.
His splayed legs tempted me to look there but I kept my gaze on his as I stopped next to him, picked up his fork, and added several slices of meat and the pie to his plate.
“You need to eat more meat.” I set the platter down near him. “You need to keep your strength up.”
A squeak burst from my lips as he moved as fast as lightning to snare me by my waist and twist me down onto his lap.
“And you promised to sit on my lap and feed me sweet buns.”
I huffed and pushed at his chest, trying to get up, but he banded one arm around my legs, pinning them to his, and clucked his tongue at me.
He waved his other hand and one of the small plates of buns on the tower of sweets rose into the air and drifted to him, coming to bob gently next to me. He gave it a pointed look.
On another overly dramatic huff, I plucked one of the small sticky buns from the plate.
And turned and shoved it in his face, mushing it against his lips.
“Oops.” I covered my mouth with my free hand, feigning shock and horror with a dash of dismay at my clumsiness.
Syrup rolled down his chin as he took the squashed bun from my fingers and popped it into his mouth. He swallowed and then smiled wickedly as he tilted his head up, bringing his chin towards me.
“Lick it up.” His dark gaze challenged me to refuse.
I shrugged and lowered my head and ran my tongue over his chin, chasing droplets of the delicious syrup, gathering them all and then sweeping my tongue across his lips.
He groaned and angled his head, his mouth coming down on mine as his right hand tightened against my ribs, pulling me closer to him.
I trembled as his left hand came down on my thighs and slid between them, and my breath stuttered as he gathered my dress, slowly inching it up my legs.
My heart thundered, blood rushing as I stilled, all my senses tracking his hand as he found the slit in the silky material and his skin made contact with mine.
Air washed over my left thigh as his hand glided upwards, sinking into the gap between my legs, and I fought to get my lungs working as my dress slipped from my other thigh too, coming to drape near my hips, leaving my legs exposed.
I was so focused on where that hand was going, aching to feel it against my overheating, needy pussy, that I didn’t notice what he was doing.
Until cold liquid dripped on my thigh and rolled down it, startling me.
“Oops,” Kaeleron murmured huskily against my lips.
I looked down at the syrup glistening on my thigh.
And then right into his eyes.
“Lick it up.” Those three words came out firmer than I had intended, an order I had no right giving to a king, someone infinitely more powerful than I was and far above my standing.
I froze, locking up tight, waiting for him to put me in my place as a wolf male would have.
But instead of anger, delight shone in his eyes, wicked heat that scorched me.
On a low, rumbling growl, he grabbed my waist in both hands and lifted me.
Setting me down on the end of the table as his shadows scattered the platters and dishes to make room for me, the clatter of them hitting the marble floor so loud I was sure people would come running. Any moment now, that door would burst open and guards would flock in.
“No one sees what is mine,” Kaeleron snarled, his shadows sweeping outwards as the tang of magic in the air grew so strong I could barely breathe.
Or maybe it was that possessive light in his eyes as he stared at me that had stolen my breath.
He sat again and gripped the edges of the table, pulling another gasp from my lips as he yanked it and me towards him.
My fear over someone barging in on us dissipated the moment his dark head bent towards my thighs and his tongue grazed my skin.
My breath trembled from my lips as I planted my hands against the table, fingers tightening against it to grip the wooden surface as he advanced, his tongue swirling against my thighs, chasing every drop of syrup just as I had.
Oh gods. I sank my teeth into my lower lip, struggling for air as my chest heaved, as I kept my eyes locked on him and waited, nerves fluttering in my belly.
Soon.
“I want to devour you.” Those darkly erotic words rumbled from his lips as his head lifted and his eyes met mine, thrilling me. “I recall you were to be punished for your insolence.”
Because I had called him an asshole at Beltane.
“I believe the punishment had certain rules.” I couldn’t believe I had said that as I stared down at him.
Kaeleron’s darkening eyes held mine, his words stealing my breath as he stroked the table on either side of my thighs and gave me a toe-curling smile that flashed straight white teeth. “This is to be the altar of your sacrifice, little lamb. Prepare yourself.”