Page 151 of Crown of Briars
My pleasure mounted, churning faster and faster, ready to carry me into oblivion. But I welcomed it. I would dive off that cliff with Varius.
His eyes opened, and they were all black now, the darkness chasing away the white. I knew now it was a sign of him losing control.
And I wanted him to lose control.
“Varius,” I moaned. “Varius.”
And then his voice was in my head.“Gods, Sybelle, you ruin me. You destroy me. Mother of Shade, take me… Take me hard. Oh gods, I need more. Gods, you areeverything. I can’t hold it in. Damn it all, I want to come all over you. I want to taste you, to devour you. I want to go all night with you riding me like this. Harder.Harder. Yes, like that. Tell me you’re mine. Take it. Take all of me. I’m yours, Sybelle. Oh, that’s it. Yes, yes.”
Flames burst within me, singeing my blood and scorching my veins. I was on fire. My body was burning, but I didn’t care.
Burn,I thought.We will burn together.
“Yes, my love,”came Varius’s voice in my mind.“Burn with me.”
We both moaned, our voices mingling as our bodies crashed together. Release exploded through me, wrecking me, fracturing me into a thousand pieces. I was everywhere at once, mysoul splintering across worlds and realms, carried away by pleasure I never knew was possible.
Varius spilled into me, but I couldn’t contain him anymore. Hot liquid drenching my thighs, dripping onto the stone floor. His arms stretched out on either side of him, his palms smashing into the floor around us. The stone cracked as his claws sliced into it. He roared, making the walls tremble. He slammed into me, hips thrusting once, twice, and then a third time before he finally collapsed underneath me.
My hands shook, but I kept my hold on the dagger, knowing the instant I released it, I would feel nothing but pain. I certainly needed my healing moonstone to recover from this; otherwise, I wouldn’t be walking for a week.
Shivers wracked my body, and I bent over, resting my head against his heaving chest. We both gasped for breath, our bodies sticky with sweat and other fluids.
I lay against him, eyes closed, focusing on the rapid thumping of his heart. I was too exhausted to speak, to move, to do anything at all. His arms settled around my bare back, holding me against him.
“You have destroyed me,dannahla.”His voice was in my mind again.
I licked my lips, finally able to focus on the strange sensation of hearing his thoughts. Was I hallucinating this? Was our lovemaking so violent that it had addled my brain?
“Really?”I thought in response.“You seem perfectly fine to me.”
His chest shook with a wheezing laugh, and I froze, realizing hehadheard me.
“You are my wife now in earnest,”he said.“And I would have you be the queen of this land. Reign by my side, Sybelle. As my equal.”
I drew back to stare at him, eyes wide and lips parted. “Varius,” I whispered, my throat still raw. “Are you—did you?—”
“Be my queen,” he breathed. “Say yes, and I’ll have you coronated tomorrow. Just be mine, Sybelle.”
My mouth went completely dry, and I was at a loss for words. WhatcouldI say? I knew enough about the previous human brides to know none of them had ever been coronated. They were wives and nothing more. Not unseelie queens.
And certainly not equals.
Varius was offering me something that had never been offered before.
“So, you don’t think I’m a traitor?” I asked.
He chuckled again, then leaned in and captured my lips with his. “Never,” he murmured against my mouth. When he withdrew, there was a vulnerability in his gaze I had never seen before. It tugged at my heart, making it twist and lurch painfully in my chest.
He was offering not only himself but his entire kingdom to me.
And he was worried I would refuse him.
“Yes,” I said quickly. “Yes, I accept.”
He grinned broadly before kissing me again, his lips moving hungrily, urgently over mine. He framed my face between his large hands to kiss me harder and deeper. I laughed at his enthusiasm, kissing him with equal fervor.
“Varius,” I gasped. “I—I need to tell you something. Well, lots of things.” I absently traced my finger along the hard muscles of his chest.
