Page 33 of Lies Within the Darkest Tower

I stepped off the smoothed-stone path onto soft, dark moss, and headed toward the bench. But movement out of the corner of my eye and soft sighing caught my attention, drawing me toward a flicker of light coming through the vines.

The vines that were thick everywhere else in the nook thinned in this one spot, entwining around a silver fence and framing the room on the other side. Inside, the light from the flowers was brighter than the light in the nook, enough for me to see clearly, but still soft enough to suggest seductive intimacy. Two men — one completely naked, one just in his pants — stood in the center of the room with a naked fae woman, caressing and kissing her.

Light flickered from the silver spots trailing around her neck, over her collarbone, and down between her breasts. With her long black hair hanging loose down her back in a veil offering teasing glimpses of her body every time the men brushed it, I knew I was watching Rider’s sister — or the woman who I’d turned into Rider’s sister because this was a dream and I had no idea if Rider even had a sister.

Beyond, on an enormous bed with white sheets and a variety of green pillows of various shades and sizes was another man, also completely naked. He lounged on his side in the center and watched Lark and the other two men. He slowly stroked his hand up and down an impressive erection, his dark eyes filled with a searing, heated desire, while another man sat on a cushioned couch in the corner, fully dressed, with a similar look in his eyes?—

No, stronger, darker, more intense. It was as if Lark was the only woman for him and he needed her more than he needed to breathe. The look made my chest ache with a yearning I hadn’t realized I had.

I wanted someone to look at me like that, to love me so completely that I knew without a doubt I could trust him with everything: my life, my hopes, my truth. I wanted someone to accept me for who I was, who embraced the fact that I didn’t want to do the things expected of a woman, who saw me as an equal, who listened and respected my thoughts and desires.

Which was why this was all a dream, a fantasy to remind me that even though I’d escaped from Edred, my life still wasn’t my own and there was no one I could trust.

CHAPTER 21

Sage

I leanedmy cheek against the vine-wrapped fence and watched, my heart aching, imagining it was me captured between those two gorgeous men, their sculpted muscles pressed against me, their hands roaming, caressing, making me sigh against their lips.

The completely naked man with Lark shifted behind her, his lips trailing across her jaw. He drew her long hair away from her neck and pressed gentle kisses on the glowing spots there, making her eyelids flutter shut and sending a shiver of need rushing through me.

His dark brown hair was cut short, like Lord Quill’s, but he had a similar build to Talon and the same stunning sculpted physique. Silver spots encircled both of his biceps, the color bright against his medium brown skin, and pulsed in time with the spots on Lark’s neck. In fact, all the men — except for the man still fully dressed whose biceps I couldn’t see — had silver spots encircling their upper arms.

The other man tangled his fingers in Lark’s hair and captured her lips in a deep, breathtaking kiss. She moaned into his mouth and rocked her hips forward, pressing her mound against what I fantasized was a rock-hard erection. It was difficult to tellwith her body partially blocking him and his pants still on, but the two naked men were fully aroused, and if I was going to fantasize, the other two would be hard and ready as well.

My need deepened and blossomed into a soft, slick ache between my thighs. What would it feel like to have their hard length pushing inside me. Would they go slow, drawing out the sensation? Or would they be quick and hurried like Royston had been?

No. This was a fantasy. They’d go slowly, their eyes filled with a desire just for me, their bodies a tool to worship me, to show me I was precious and desirable.

They would tease me first, just like the men were teasing Lark, but in the end, I’d be filled with a glorious bliss, just like how it was described in the minstrels’ tales and our hearts would be entwined by true love.

I bit back a moan of desire, my body throbbing with a need that wasn’t going to be fulfilled anytime soon.

Jeez. Talon had definitely awakened something within me that I hadn’t known was there. I’d never had an erotic dream like this before. Yes, a few fantasies about finding someone, about sex being as delicious and romantic as the tales claimed and not the fast disappointment it had been with Royston.

But the dreams had never been this clear before, never with multiple men at the same time, and never with the hope of finding that one true love that had never been and was never going to be my fate.

The men drew Lark to the bed. She settled on the soft mattress and the third man took over kissing her lips as the other two men started teasing her nipples with mouths and tongues and fingers. The man on the couch huffed, a low throaty sound that sounded almost animalistic, and loosened the ties on the front of his pants so he could shove his hand inside, his gaze never leaving Lark.

The ache between my legs grew, along with an ache in my breasts. I imagined the heat and rasp of their tongues and the delicious pinch as they sucked on my—hernipples. Her head tipped back in pleasure and the man possessing her lips deepened their kiss, breathing in her gasps and moans.

Then both of the men worshiping her nipples slid a hand down her body and started teasing the inside of her thighs, their fingers drawing closer and closer to her core.

My breath picked up in anticipation. The boy I’d been with before hadn’t played between my legs with his fingers, but I’d caught one of Edred’s men in an alcove with his fingers buried inside one of the castle’s maids which was how I had to be dreaming about this. The maid hadn’t looked like she enjoyed the attention as much as Lark was, but I imagined with the right man and the right intention, Lark’s experience was what it should be like.

And now I ached for a man to touch me there as well— hell, just to touch me with desire.

Which was the truth of this dream that a part of me didn’t want to admit.

I’d never been touched or looked at with the desire that the men with Lark had for her, and now I was surrounded by men who, even when they did discover I was a woman, wouldn’t look at me like that.

Because they’d know the truth. I wasn’t beautiful or feminine. I wouldn’t make a good wife and I didn’t want to be one. I wanted to be in control of my own destiny, not told what to do and who to have sex with by Edred or any man. I didn’t want to look at my feet or smile meekly or be obedient.

But I still wanted to be desired. I wanted to be strongandloved. I wanted?—

Things I was never going to have.

And the sooner I accepted that, the sooner I could focus on what was important, which was keeping my secret long enough for Sawyer to escape.

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