Page 117 of Merciless Is My Crown

ANARIA

We slept the whole day away, and by the time darkness fell again, we decided one more night wouldn’t hurt anything.

Besides, fuck the Oracle.

Zor’s magic was still refilling. Tristan and Zephryn were so depleted they couldn’t shift. Raziel could still barely hold food down. Torin was sleeping, and probably would be, according to Vesper, until tomorrow.

Bella was working on a potion to boost everyone’s magic, while I was doing what I did best. Trying to figure out how to keep us all alive a little while longer.

The fate of the world rested on the shoulders of a seriously beat-up bunch of rescuers, most of whom didn’t even have their magic. The only good thing about the delay? I had a few hours to explore the now-crowded library and research to my heart’s content.

A dream come true, really, if it weren’t for Tavion Montgomery annoying the fuck out of me while I was trying to read.

He planted his elbows on the table, giving me one of those imperious smiles I’d like to slap off his face. “See what happens when you leave me behind, Anaria?”

“Shite gets done?” I countered, flipping a page in the enormous book. He reached over and flicked my nose. “Ow. That fucking hurt.” Every witch in the vicinity sent us dirty looks.

“No, people almost got killed, smartass.” He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “But we got lucky. After almost losing all our allies, we have the pendant.” Those uncanny blue eyes turned calculating. “Any idea how they plan to free their friend from the stone?”

“Not a clue.” I moved the candle closer to concentrate on some especially tiny writing. “I kind of expected them to ask Vesper or Bella for help, but so far I’ve heard nothing.”

Books were piled in front of me, all of them useless except this one, which showed promise.

Tavion scanned the library again and blew out a bored sigh. “Is this really the best use of your time before we leave for Solarys? Research?” He flipped over the front cover of my book.

“Hemomancer Enchantments.” His lips quirked. “Sounds boring enough to be the death of me.”

Someone behind us made a shooshing sound. I squeezed my eyes closed and prayed for the patience not to murder my husband in cold blood.

“Being down here in the library is a privilege, Tavion,” I hissed. “Don’t fuck this up for me.”

“Did I ever get a chance to tell you”—Tavion dropped his voice and settled his chin on his arms as several witches glared at the back of his head—“how fucking hard I got when you told the Oracle to fuck right off? Seriously, it was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen you do. Besides that strip tease the night you told me to fuck off for good.”

His smile turned wicked. “You’re good at telling people to fuck off, actually.”

“You have a strange idea of what foreplay is, Montgomery,” I whispered, “But I’m glad I could accommodate.” I squinted at a promising line of text…No, not at all what I was looking for.

“Seriously. Why are we here when we could be upstairs?” His croon turned to liquid sex, dripping over my goose-pimpled flesh and turning my pussy slick. “I want to put my mouth on you, Anaria. I want to lick every drop of that sweet arousal I’m scenting from between your legs.”

His fingers skated up my thigh, pausing just before they reached my pussy, the warm weight of his hand making it impossible to think. And that dimple in his chin when he smiled…all I wanted was to plant a kiss right there.

“And yet this is what we’re doing instead.” I shot him a glare and crossed my legs, adding friction to my already tormented pussy. “Research.”

He sat back, focusing on my lips, and for that one second the library faded away. My world narrowed down to a pair of dancing green eyes and a mocking smile and that full bottom lip, dented by white, perfect teeth.

Then his gaze narrowed, the teasing smile turning calculating.

“We’re all leaving tomorrow for Solarys? Or were you bluffing when you said you needed me to contact the royal houses?” Questions flickered in Tavion’s eyes. Questions he deserved answers to.

“Not entirely.” I scootched my chair closer to his, the legs screeching across the floor louder than a dying Howler. “Sorry,” I muttered to the room at large.

“We’re heading to the DeVayne estate, right?” I muttered through my teeth. “How secure is Tristan’s place? Have you ever been there?”

Tavion dropped his preening attitude and switched to the serious, protective male I was beginning to rely on more and more. “The estate is far enough outside of Blackcastle nobody even remembers it’s there. The biggest issue will be getting into the city without being tagged by the Solarys army, since their encampment stretches from the ward to the Keep.”

“She only gave us a week,” I said softly. “I doubt we’ll get an extension.”

Tavion took my hand, his thumb gently rubbing my palm as my stomach flipped. “Everything doesn’t rest on your shoulders, Anaria. You have us. Even though you’d better not even think about leaving me behind next time.”

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