Page 271 of A Flame of the Phoenix

Reylan was so close he would erupt inside her any moment. The shadow of the guard passed over them. He thought they’d go right by, but their steps faltered, likely scenting the depravity right beside them.

He thought they would be caught for sure, but after a few seconds of pause, the guard kept walking.

Reylan knew then Faythe had intervened in his thoughts.

“We could do this more often,” he purred.

Faythe smiled, devious. Reylan groaned, licking her mating mark, which surged Faythe over the edge, and he went crashing with her.

They rearranged themselves to appear as presentable as they could, but Faythe scowled at him with the annoyance as she had to quickly bathe and change before she could resume her training. Reylan merely smiled, leading her out with the full intention of joining her in every second before he had to let her go again.

CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN

Tarly

Tarly had offered to take another room in the castle, but Nerida had asked him to stay with her, and he couldn’t be more glad for it.

Nerida wasn’t her usual self. He didn’t expect her to be. Her smiles were hollow compared to their usual brightness. Her eyes had lost their sparkle. She was still so selfless though, not voicing her upset and even trying to be cheerful, but it was all an act.

He could hardly bear it.

He’d requested the bath be filled, and Nerida sat at the vanity, removing pins from her hair. Tarly reached for the brush before she did, straddling the bench sideways beside her and silently coaxing her to turn. He found such solace even in their shared silence. Every touch and look spoke more between them than words could sometimes.

Tarly began brushing through the tangled locks of her freed braids with gentle precision. Her thick, curly silver tresses wereone of his most favorite things in the world. They were both in need of a hot bath, and he was eager at the mere thought.

“You don’t have to be so brave. You’re allowed to be angry,” he said carefully.

“Anger is an emotion that will only exhaust me and push away those around me. And I need you.”

Tarly sighed in such contentment at those last words. His new favorite sentence in every language.

He swept her loose hair to the side, planting a kiss to her neck. Then he set down the brush, boldly reaching for the ties at the back of her tunic. Her head inclined to the side more, prompting him to trail his lips from the shell of her ear back down to the base of her throat, and Nerida gave a soft sigh of pleasure. He was aching for her.

“We don’t have to do anything tonight,” he said huskily.

“I want a distraction. I want something…good.”

He was conflicted to hear that, wanting to oblige and help her in any way he could. But this was far more to him than a distraction, and he wanted to be far more to her.

With her tunic loose, Nerida stood, slipping the sleeves off her shoulders and letting it drop. He’d seen her in undergarments long before now, but there was a new spark of intimacy between them that painted this picture in a new ravenous light.

Nerida peeled out of her leather pants, keeping her eyes on him, and a twinkle of desire danced across the hazel.

“Are you going to join me in the bath?”

His heart slammed. “Is that what you want?”

Nerida turned, heading for the washroom. She pulled her top undergarment off as she did, dropping it to the floor. Then her lower half followed. He was utterly, foolishly transfixed by the sight of her naked flesh, the firelight casting a soft glow over her beautiful brown skin.

“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want it,” she said—a soft whisper of seduction as she disappeared into the washroom.

Tarly had to take a moment to believe this was real.

He removed his jacket before he reached the open door and watched her climb into the steaming, deep oval tub as he pulled his shirt over his head. His hands undid his pants button and pulled the laces as Nerida drifted around the bath to face him. Their eyes held on each other, and he’d never experienced this intensity of desire building without a single touch before.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered like a slipped thought. Though it didn’t feel like even close to an adequate description of the Goddess he stared at.

Tarly removed his pants, and Nerida’s eyes wandered over him. Her full lips parted, and he was growing lightheaded with the lust she was inspiring with no words at all.

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