Page 74 of Claimed By the Fae Lord

I nodded, not able to find words, unprepared for the shift in his demeanor. My brother slapped me on the shoulder and gave me a little push.

“Thank you. Asshole,” I grinned.

A grunt was his only reply before he took up position beside Mirrelle. I turned away, my thoughts a whirlwind of the past and the present.

What was to be my future? I honestly hadn’t given serious thought to it after Raina and I had parted ways. Not, at least, in terms of building a life with someone.

She was waiting for me at the main door, eyes drooping and still red. I twisted the handle and held it open for her, then did the same when we reached the guest house.

I led her up to her rooms, heading straight to her shower and turning knobs.

“What are you doing?” she asked from the doorway.

“Taking care of you.”

“Liam.”

“Don’t make it a big deal, flower.”

She gasped at my use of the nickname and I ignored her shock.

“You look like you’re going to pass out so I’m helping. Deal with it.”

The steam from the shower filled the small space as adjusted the temperature to a soothing warmth.

"Take your time," I told her.

Raina nodded, her purple eyes dim from the day's horrors. I left her there, enveloped in the mist that seemed to offer more comfort than I could.

I hustled back to my quarters, to my own shower, a quick, mechanical affair. The water sluiced over me, but it couldn't wash away my emotions.

By the time I returned to her room, the sound of the running water had ceased. My heart hammered against my ribs, a drum calling me to battle—a battle against my own desires.

The door to the bathroom opened and there she stood, wrapped in a fluffy white robe, her hair damp and clinging to her face and neck. She was the image of vulnerability, and yet she bore an inner strength that shone through the mist like a beacon.

"Liam," she breathed, her voice soft.

She was a vision. A goddess. She deserved to be worshiped, to never look so lost again.

“Raina.”

Before I knew what I was doing, I closed the distance between us and captured her lips with mine. It wasn't gentle. It was the kiss of a male starved, of a beast claiming its mate.

Her initial puff of surprise melted into a moan that fueled my desire. My hands, traitorous and bold, found the sash of her robe and undid it with a swift tug. The fabric parted, revealing the curves and lines of her body, a landscape I'd once known intimately.

There was no stopping the primal urge that drove me to slide my hand down, to feel the heat of her, the slick promise of her desire. She arched into my touch, her body responding as if it remembered me, as if it craved my touch as much as I craved hers.

I broke away from her lips, trailing a line of kisses down her neck and collarbone as she let out a soft moan. I could feel her hands gripping onto my shoulders, holding on for dear life.

"Raina," I groaned her name again, this time as a prayer.

My fingers played with her folds then rose to her breast, spreading her sweet essence on a hardened peak. Her breath hitched as I lightly circled her nipple with my tongue, savoring the flavor of her arousal.

Gods she was so exquisite. I could spend days feasting between her legs.

Raina’s hips rocked forward and I almost lost control, the beast within demanding I plunge my aching cock inside and fuck her so thoroughly she’d never want another.

Frantically seeking her mouth once more, I held her tight with one arm behind her so the other could return to the apex of her thighs.

---