Chapter 19 #2
The last time I’d seen her nude, she was emaciated, covered in filth, and some of her skin and body parts had been carved away.
So although I’d known Ornella used aistriú magic to restore Nuala, I was taken completely off guard by the sight of flawless ivory skin.
By the elegant slopes of her narrow shoulders, the delicate grace of her slender arms, and the sensual arch of her neck.
I tried to look away, but my attention was yanked back to her the second I heard her dress hit the ground around her ankles. And as soon as my gaze fell upon the utter perfection of her ass and long legs, I could not seem to pull it away again. She had my undivided attention.
A tormented groan escaped me, and this time I could not resist the urge to reach for my aching cock to give it a consoling squeeze through my pants.
I tried to be discreet, but then she bent over to collect the bathing supplies with unnecessary flourish.
It was clear she was toying with me, and yet I could not stop myself from staring.
I could not help noticing that her nipples were the same pretty pink as her mouth.
And then I couldn’t help wondering whether her cunt also matched, and I was suddenly desperate for a taste of her.
When she straightened and walked over to the pool, I still had not managed to tear my eyes away.
Nuala pretended to ignore me, but the sensual sway as she descended the steps toward the steaming water was meant to own my attention.
Not that she needed to bother. She had every ounce of my awareness on every delicious inch of her.
With firelight from the sconces caressing her skin and steam swirling up her long legs and lean torso, she was absolutely breathtaking.
Nuala sank into the water fully with a throaty groan and tilted her head back to wet her hair. Her expression of pure ecstasy had me clenching my fists at my sides by the time the wicked thing turned to raise a teasing brow.
“Are you going to stand there gawking or did you still plan on bathing tonight?” she quipped.
I fought a smirk and raised a hand to cover my heart as if wounded by her scathing denouncement.
“You are beauty and cruelty given one perfect form.”
“I am,” she agreed, a self-satisfied smile flirting with one corner of her gorgeous mouth.
I knew better than to play this game with her because it could go nowhere good. But I had seen the way she was looking at me earlier, I had sensed her reaction, and there was no way I could resist teasing her back after this.
I unlaced my pants deliberately slowly and watched as her smug expression was softened by her own curiosity.
She did not seem to realize she was giving away every thought and emotion, but I relished every little betrayal.
Especially when she inhaled as if surprised by the sight of my straining erection.
I had been concerned that she could be intimidated after what she’d endured.
But there was no fear in her eyes as she stared at me with the same awe that I had stared at her.
And I was relieved by that, not just for her but for myself somehow too.
Which was ridiculous because this was just to repay her for tormenting me.
Although I didn’t feel very playful as I found myself moving toward her. And she certainly wasn’t laughing as she watched me approach.
I barely noticed the heat of the pool as I waded in and then dove under the water so I could swim to her faster.
Nuala snapped out of her reverie when I surfaced in front of her again and crowded her against the wall of the pool.
She glared at me and put her hands on my chest as if she would shove me away from her, but there was no strength behind her palms. She leaned against the wall and tilted her head up toward me in a subtle invitation that let me know she was exactly where she wanted to be.
So I gently took hold of her wrists and pulled her hands up between us to allow me to step even closer.
Her fire magic began seeping out of her pores and licked across the backs of my hands in the guise of another threat.
But I knew she was perfectly aware that the flames were harmless to me.
Which emboldened me to lean down to nibble and suck lightly on her fingertips until her pupils were blown as she watched the flames roll harmlessly across my lips.
“You are angry. Please stop playing these games with me and share what is wrong,” I said as I released her.
Nuala frowned and averted her eyes.
“You refuse to understand, so why should I waste the energy to explain?”
I knew I should back off and give her space so we both could regain our heads.
I was usually good at controlling my more domineering habits outside of a consenting tryst in the bedroom.
But Nuala had clearly gotten too deep under my skin because before I knew it, I had grabbed her chin and was forcing her to face me.
I was so shocked at myself that I almost let her go and jerked my hand away, but then I saw the spark of defiance and triumph in her eyes. Not only had she wanted to get that reaction from me, she also knew exactly which of my buttons to push in order to get it.
I was unsure whether to be angry or impressed by her as my grip tightened on her jaw, and I leaned down.
“You must know you are playing with fire, little witch. And that I do not like to be teased this way.”
Her mouth quivered with amusement as she pulled her chin away again and shrugged, completely unfazed by my assertive behaviour. Not because she was indifferent to violence because I had seen her reaction when other fey were aggressive with her. But because she trusted me.
Most other males would have simply appreciated what a great honour it was to be given such trust, but I was not an honourable male.
At least not when it came to the way that I preferred to operate in the bedroom.
Knowing now what she craved from me, having her trust only made me want to know how much of me she could handle.
It made me want to know how far I could push her before she was begging for mercy.
Would she still trust me once I had her trussed up and suspended from my yurt ceiling to be used however I wanted?
“I am a fire witch, Rian,” Nuala reminded me drolly as she turned to retrieve the soap from the lip of the pool and began to lather it between her hands.
“I am not afraid of getting burned. But if you cannot handle me teasing you, then perhaps you should go over there,” she suggested with a nod toward the expanse of water behind me.
I had no interest in putting space between us if that was not her wish. And since she had not yet moved away or seriously tried to push me back, I stayed where I was.
“Nuala, I need you to answer my questions about how you are unaffected by my magic,” I insisted.
Nuala did not reply as she turned away again to set the foamy soap back on the edge of the pool.
I was about to ask her why she felt the need to distract me rather than simply have a conversation.
I knew she trusted me, but it was clear she did not feel comfortable enough to discuss whatever was wrong, and I wanted to know why.
But the inquiry died before it passed my lips when she backed up until her firm ass was pressed against my needy cock.
I tried and failed to muffle my sharp inhale of surprise and pleasure at the feel of her against me.
I almost let my head dip down to her exposed neck where her damp hair was tugged over one shoulder.
I managed to stop myself before my lips touched her skin but still couldn’t seem to bring myself to step back as she ran her soapy hands all over herself.
Her every move made her soft body brush against every inch of me until I was nearly feral.
“I know what you are doing,” I choked out, my voice a little rougher than intended. “It is not going to work.”
Nuala snorted a soft laugh and turned back to face me, still close enough for her nipples to brush my chest.
“Are you sure about that?” she smirked.
Abruptly losing my patience, I acted impulsively and grabbed her by the throat to shove her up against the wall of the pool behind her. A small part of me was agonizing over whether I was scaring her, but mostly I was focused on how she laughed with eyes closed and chin tilted up.
“Is this what you are after? You want to make me lose my temper with you?” I guessed in confusion.
“Not quite,” she answered coolly, all traces of teasing gone just before her hand suddenly fastened around my hardened cock and squeezed. Hard.
I hissed, caught somewhere confusing between pain and pleasure while she narrowed her eyes and curled her lip at me. She looked so fierce in spite of the fact that my hand still fully encircled her delicate little throat.
“You. Are. Mine,” she snarled, shocking me with the vehemence of her declaration and the fire in her eyes that dared me to disagree. “I will kill anyone who attempts to lay a hand on you from now on, Rian.”
I was too stunned to reply for a moment as I processed her meaning and realized why she had been so agitated by Geera earlier. And then my temper burned off the shock, and I squeezed her neck tighter.
“You may have declared yourself mine, but I do not belong to you,” I assured her through my teeth as her grip tightened on me as well.
“You can deny me all you want, but if you value their fucking lives, then you will not allow them to touch you,” she reiterated firmly.
I stared at her in uncertainty of how to respond until she suddenly released her grip. I did the same for her and then stepped back so we stood glaring at each other for a moment while I came to terms with her declaration.
That she would kill anyone who touched me.
Her threats were nothing new to me; she was not the first and she would not be the last to become so violently possessive of me.
I usually didn’t tolerate even the most playful suggestion of ownership, and I knew I needed to make my stance on the matter clear.
But I found myself feeling curious about her intentions instead…
“We are not lovers, nor can we ever become lovers, and yet you think you can deprive me of—”
I was not prepared for it when Nuala stepped into me and looped her arms around my neck to drag me down. She pressed up against me again just before our mouths met in a frenzy that pulled me in like a cyclone.
I’d made an art form of seduction over the centuries, but kissing Nuala for the first time was unlike anything that I’d ever experienced before.
There was no need for a slow buildup to establish a mutual rhythm; it felt like we had kissed a thousand times.
Our lips and tongues were in perfect and delicious sync as if we already anticipated one another’s every move.
She gripped my hair tightly at the base of my skull in the exact way that always seemed to drive me absolutely wild.
And the soft and eager sounds escaping her only made me more desperate to know how she would sound while I was thrusting into her.
I did not want to stop, but she pried our mouths apart just enough to suck in an urgent breath.
“We can never be lovers?” she panted my comment back to me and then shook her head. “I disagree.”
I yanked her back against me to kiss her even harder as a sudden and undeniable urge to possess her bubbled up from some primal fey part of me. It overcame me with a demand that would never be sated by anything less than absolutely everything I could take from her. I needed…
To consume her…
A spike of horror snapped me back to reality so fast it was like whiplash.
I jerked my head away to look around and confirmed the fear that I had been utterly unravelled, and now my shadows were free.
The dark tendrils of my magic were caressing Nuala while the water steamed and writhed around her.
The stone edge of the pool behind her was corroded, and the air was hot and thin.
And yet that same power was completely harmless on the witch’s fragile skin.
The shadows almost seemed as if they needed to touch her as much as I did.
They revelled in her, twisting in her hair and clinging to her nipples.
They curled around her throat and brushed across her lips so she breathed them in.
I had never seen them be able to interact with anyone before, but they seemed completely enraptured and content in her presence.
Nuala cupped my face, her thumb brushing across my cheekbone, and her gentle touch grounded me enough to get the shadows under control again. I ached for more of her but was too afraid of losing my composure again.
“Why did you do that?” I growled, my eyes on her lips that were swollen and begging for more. “You have…”
Ruined me. She had ruined me.
“That was exceptionally cruel of you to use your Sight to kiss me like that,” I chastised her furiously.
“I needed you to understand,” she explained simply, her voice now clipped again.
“Understand what?” I demanded impatiently.
“What you would lose,” she replied cryptically before pushing away. She turned and strode out of the hot pool without another backward glance. Leaving me with my writhing shadows, a hard cock, and more questions.
Rian, are you alright? Darragh blared suddenly down our bond in my mind, and I realized she’d obliterated all my mental shields. It feels like you are under attack!
I do not think he is feeling the kind of adrenaline you think he is, Ciaran chimed in tauntingly.
She kissed me, I revealed thoughtlessly, too overcome and disorientated to be discreet about what happened.
Although it felt like more than just a kiss. I could still feel the effects of it in my body while I quickly finished washing and then got dressed in clean clothes.
Like that kiss had altered me somehow.