Page 65 of A Cage of Magic and Darkness

Am I being naïve? Too trusting?

I spin back to face him. “Do you want rid of me, Ruarok? Would you do what the king accused you of all those years ago?”

He stares at me. “Rid of you? No, quite the opposite.” He moves closer. “I thought I’d made my feelings clear on that matter. Just because I want to sit on the throne doesn’t mean I can’t also want you.”

A part of me wants to give in. I can let him take the throne, and I will retire to my books.

He reaches out and runs the back of his finger down my jaw. “This isn’t personal, Princess. You need to know that. I think very highly of you. Very highly indeed.”

“I honestly have no idea what you think of me.”

It’s the truth. Being around him is like having the rug constantly pulled out from under my feet. One moment, I think he’s on my side and wants only what’s best for me and the kingdom, and the next I get a flash of the Ruarok I suspect existed when his father had him locked away for ten years.

His touch lingers. My body reacts to him, my nipples crinkling and tightening, the heat condensing between my thighs.

He stares into my eyes as he speaks. “I think you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. I think you’re fearless and loving, and that the kingdom would be lucky to have you at its helm. But that still doesn’t mean you are the rightful heir.”

With every word, he leans in closer. He studies my face, searching for the effect his speech has on me.

I want more of what we did in the tent. He was wrong about me being fearless. I’m weak and frightened, and right now it’s easier to give in to him than keep fighting. I want the distraction from the internal torment I’ve been going through ever since the King’s Tower fell.

“You’re the one who survived with your sanity still intact after spending ten years in that cage,” I say. “I don’t know how you did it. How you didn’t completely lose your mind.”

“I felt as though I had, on occasion,” he admits. “But I thought of you, Taelyn. You were there with me, even if you didn’t realize it. This connection we have, it isn’t just physical. I believe our souls spoke to one another. That’s why I dreamed so vividly about us being together before we’d even met. Some things are meant to be. You and me, together, we’re destined.”

“Destined?” I echo.

His lips part, and my gaze darts down to his teeth and tongue. He’s going to kiss me, and I’m powerless to resist.

“I’ll take care of you, Taelyn. I’ll look after you. Isn’t that what you want? To have someone to support you?”

His lips press to mine, and I moan into his mouth. My resolve vanishes, and I fold against him, my arms wrapping around his neck as our kiss intensifies. He jams himself against me, making his hardness known. Hedoeswant me. Isn’t being desired better than being loathed? I need that right now. I need someone on my side.

Our tongues tangle. We’re like two teenagers, stealing forbidden kisses and touches. Our breathing grows harder and faster, and we claw at each other’s clothing, wanting to be rid of them.

It's as though I’ve been caught in the rapids of a river, and no matter how much I might want to fight against it, I have to let myself be carried along.

He moves me backward, until my thighs bump with a dark velvet chaise longue. His hand supports my lower spine as he reclines me onto it.

“Lie back, Taelyn. Let me do what I described to you. Let me kiss you down there.”

I blink in surprise. I know exactly what he’s talking about. It’s been on my mind ever since he described it to me.

“You want to do that?” I check.

“More than anything. I want you to come all over my tongue.”

The thought embarrasses me, but it also excites me.

“I’m so hard for you, Taelyn. You’re all I’ve ever wanted. We’re something special, you and I. Made for each other.”

I want that so badly, to have someone in my life who is just for me. Someone who loves me and desires me and worships the ground I walk on. I want someone who will listen to my problems and help ease my pain. I have Skylar and Balthorne, but it’s not the same. Though I love them like family, they’ll never fully understand what it’s like to be me. In Ruarok, I have an equal.

He pulls down the front of my dress, exposing my breasts. My nipples tighten further in the cool air.

He stares at me. “By the gods, you’re beautiful.”

I go to cover myself, but he knocks my hands away. He covers my breasts with his fingers, pulling and tweaking my nipples into long points, and then he ducks down and sucks one into his mouth, and then moves to the other. I lace my fingers in his thick, dark hair, my head tilted back against the chaise longue, my lips parted as he suckles me. His hand pushes between my thighs, and he maneuvers around my underwear to touch me. I’m wet down there, and that embarrasses me, too. Will I ever feel comfortable doing this kind of thing? Perhaps if I’d started younger, it would have come more naturally to me, but I’m still a virgin at my age.

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