Page 133 of Crown of Briars
She didn’t. She stood on her toes and leaned up, her face angled toward mine.
I bent down, my mouth claiming hers. We were covered in dirt and blood and sweat, but I did not care. She had almost died, and I refused to live another moment without tasting her. My mouth opened, my tongue gliding along the seam of her lips. She trembled in my grip, uttering a soft sound that I swallowed hungrily. Her lips parted, and her tongue met mine in a clash of desire. Hers was smaller and smoother than mine, and the taste of it, the friction as I licked her again and again, was enough to undo me completely.
Her fingers fisted my tunic, drawing me closer. Her back arched as she met my fervent kisses with a desperation of her own, as if she were just as manic and hungry as I was. She pulled away only to draw in a gasp before plunging back in. Her lips moved faster and faster, devouring me as I devoured her. Her tongue slid over my fangs, my incisors, but she did not recoil. She did not shy away from them. If anything, her tongueand lips lingered as if she wanted to explore them further. As if she wanted to claim them for her own.
I moaned into her mouth, wrapping my arms more tightly around her waist until my hips were aligned with hers. She writhed against me, sensing my hardness, and a soft sigh escaped her.
Mother of Shade, I could pin her to a tree and take her right here, injuries be damned.
Someone cleared their throat behind me, and Sybelle went rigid. She withdrew, fear spiking within her.
I tightened my grip on her, breathless from our kiss. “It’s just Tislora,” I murmured. I didn’t even have to turn around to check; I knew her scent.
This did not abate Sybelle’s terror. “Is she?—”
“She came with me. She stopped the forest’s magic from attacking… me.”
I’d been about to sayusuntil I remembered my vow to Sybelle. Tislora did not know she was fae. I would not violate my wife’s trust. I needed her to understand that.
Sybelle was gazing up at me, her eyes shining. “You really need to get that stitched up.” She gestured to the bleeding wound in my side. It was dripping but not gushing, which was a good sign. I’d certainly had far worse injuries.
“I’ll be fine,” I assured her, then glanced over my shoulder at Tislora. “Are the woods clear?”
“Yes,” she said. “Warwick acted alone.” She eyed me, her expression a mixture of amusement and irritation. “I can’t hold off the magic here much longer. We should go.”
I nodded tersely, then turned back to Sybelle. She had knelt to the earth and grabbed something from the ground before shoving it into her cloak pocket. I watched as she glanced around the forest as if searching for something. Her hand went to the amber necklace at her throat.
“Sybelle?”
She jumped, then looked at me with wide eyes. “Are—Are you safe?”
I frowned at her, not understanding her question. “Yes. We are both safe right now.” I gestured to her. “May I carry you?” I asked.
Sybelle exhaled, her expression oddly relieved. She nodded, dropping her gaze, a sudden blush blooming across her face. My movements were gentle as I gathered her against my chest, one arm braced under her legs. She gasped, arms flying around my neck, then stared at me in surprise.
“Did I hurt you?” I asked.
“No, no. It’s just… You made that look so easy.” She huffed a laugh.
I offered her a half smile. “It’s easy to hold you,dannahla.”
Her cheeks turned a darker shade of red. She drew a finger along my lip, pausing at my incisors as she dragged a fingertip over the sharpened edges.
I held perfectly still, jolts of awareness shooting through my body from that singular touch. Heat coiled low in my belly, and I had the insane desire to kiss her again.
But that was a bad idea. Not only because we were both injured but because it would lead nowhere. Thanks to the curse, it would be impossible for us to indulge these feelings. Whatever passed between us was temporary.
Nothing more.
I forced myself to look away from her heated gaze and faced forward. Behind me, my wings stretched wide, prepared to glide us out of these wretched woods.
“Hold on,” I warned her before I took off into the forest.
“Are you safe?”I had asked Azure.
“Yes,”was her immediate response.“I got away, and I am hiding near the stables.”
As soon as I knew my dragon was all right, I could breathe more easily.
