Page 78 of Crown of Betrayal and Blood

“Sterling,” I gasp, struggling to form a coherent sentence. “I need you.”

He freezes for a moment before springing into action.

I don’t have to tell him twice.

He pushes up behind me, hands grazing over my skin from my breasts down to my waist. With practiced ease, he pushes into me, replacing the chill of his tongue with the heat I’m so desperately craving.

We have to work together, clinging to each other in order to move. I clutch the wall, body pressed against the slick tile.

He grips my hips, fingers digging into the soft flesh. Each stroke is frenzied, a wild, wordless declaration.

As he thrusts forward, I arch back, meeting him in the middle over and over again.

Sterling grips my wet mass of hair, winding it around his fingers. Gently, he tilts my chin toward him. He trails kisses along my jaw, down my neck, and over my right shoulder.

Pleasure builds, higher and higher until I’m afraid I might combust.

“Don’t stop.” I grit out the words, moisture burning my eyes at the intensity. “Don’t you dare fucking stop.”

“Never.” His grip on my hair tightens, stinging my scalp at the roots as he continues thrusting.

“Yes.” My body quivers at this new, delightful pain. His pace becomes erratic, and I know he’s as close as I am.

“Come for me, love.” He grinds out each word as we reach that pinnacle together. It’s a bittersweet crescendo, a mixture of pleasure and pain so intense it borders on the divine.

I’m left trembling and weak, our demons temporarily washed away as Sterling blankets my body against the tile.

ChapterTwenty-Six

The first streaks of dawn are barely kissing the horizon when I wake up, the bed beside me a cold expanse. Panic grips my chest until I find Sterling, who shifted away in his sleep, still lost to dreams.

Something soft and fierce blossoms in my heart…a love so deep that I’d walk through a blazing inferno to keep him safe.

One of the dragon’s minds brushes against mine.

Chirean. I must have projected my emotions loud and clear because he’s checking on me.

After reassuring him all is well, I slip from the sheets and pad across the room, my motions swift but silent. I dig around in Sterling’s wardrobe for the extra riding leathers I stashed here.

As I dress, I can’t help but cast one last glance at Sterling, his chest rising and falling in a peaceful rhythm.

Leaving him means I can’t keep a close eye on him and watch for any new symptoms. But if I stay, I’ll never find the phoenix tears that may hold the power to heal Leesa—and him if the corruption infects him too.

With that thought in mind, I leave a note detailing my plans for Sterling on his nightstand, then press a soft kiss on his jaw before slipping out the door.

The palace sleeps around me, halls haunted by the ghosts of yesterday. My chest clenches from the image of Blair’s lifeless body on the floor, from Leesa’s soulless eyes as she licked the bloody knife. I slip through shadows, quickening my pace toward my own chambers.

The sooner I leave, the quicker I can return, hopefully bringing the cure with me.

When I open the door to my room, I find an unexpected guest.

Bastian, asleep on my couch. Two packs, mine and his, sit ready by his feet.

I head to the bathing chamber to tame my hair into a braid. By the time I return to the sitting room, my brother is awake and rubbing the back of his neck.

His eyes snap up to mine, determination flickering in their hazel depths. “Time to go then?”

He stifles a yawn with his hand.

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