Page 75 of Crown of Briars
Sybelle nodded and took another sip. “Thank you. That is very kind of you.”
Enzira inclined her head, then gestured to the group of females dancing behind her. “Dance?”
I found myself smiling as well. It was clear Enzira was providing Sybelle with a way to escape, if she was uncomfortable with me. I felt Sybelle stiffen on my lap, and I wondered if she would take Enzira’s offer.
I tried to tell myself I wouldn’t be disappointed if she left me. But that would have been a lie.
Sybelle glanced at me, biting on her lower lip. The motion drew my eyes to her full mouth, and that same rumbling need coursed through me with violent fervor.
Mother of Shade, what was wrong with me? She was a human. I was simply aroused and in need of release, that was all. Ithadbeen far too long.
After a moment, Sybelle said, “No, thank you. I’m content to remain here with my husband.”
The powerof the diamonds in my tiara gave me far more confidence than I expected. Enough to dance, drink, sit on my husband’s lap, and look him in the eye as I felt his arousal for me underneath the far-too-thin cloth he was wearing.
The logical Sybelle, who was cautious and calculating in everything she did, would have balked at my audacity. I could almost feel her screaming against the walls of my mind, begging me to use common sense.
But I couldn’t hear her against the adrenaline coursing through me. The heat of Varius’s body seeped into mine, drawing me closer. He was firm and large, and he smelled of spice and rain.
And he was not at all as monstrous as he claimed to be.
Here in the darkened ballroom, I couldn’t even tell that his skin was a different shade from mine. His black horns blended in with the darkness around him, and his clawed hands were surprisingly gentle as they held me securely on his lap.
Sitting so closely with him reminded me that he was just like any ordinary man. Yes, he had his differences, but his firm chest and muscular biceps and… well, hard arousal… were exactly the same as the human men I’d encountered.
I leaned into his chest, and a rumbling growl vibrated through him.
Well,I amended,perhaps notexactlythe same.
But, to be honest, I was more intrigued by Varius than any human from my own court. Even Gerard.
And I wasfartoo interested in how much his body responded to mine. We were different species, after all, and he had made his disgust for my kind clear.
But when I arched into him or leaned closer or writhed against his hardness, he visibly reacted.
Perhaps it was as he said, and it was only a result of the revel.
But the daring side of me, brought out by the diamonds, wanted to test my theory.
I dragged a fingertip between his two pectorals, tracing a path all the way down to his navel. He stiffened, his breath catching as he held perfectly still while I stroked him.
A couple had each other pressed against the wall next to our sofa. The male kissed her neck, and the female’s legs wrapped around him as she threw her head back.
They weren’t the only ones engaging in such activities. In fact, the entire ballroom was full of such couples. But this one was so close. I could hear the male murmuring something in Agnarrish against her throat as he licked up and down. She cried out, gasping as she tugged on his violet hair.
The male reached up her skirt, his fingers working her, and she moaned loudly. In Agnarrish, she told him, “Don’t stop. Oh,pleasedon’t stop.”
Her skirt hitched higher, and the male fumbled with his trousers. She ground against him, and the wall rattled as he slammed her hard against it. She shouted in ecstasy, her legs tightening around him as he thrust inside her. They both grunted from the impact as he drove harder and deeper inside her. Her animalistic sounds rose in pitch and volume until she was screaming. She rode him so hard that she was bouncing on him, and he continued to plunge inside her, growling and snarling, his movements becoming frantic and demanding.
The female’s eyes closed, her mouth falling open as she continued her strangled sounds of pleasure.
Varius’s voice in my ear made me jump. “Enjoying the show?”
My thighs clenched around his knee as desire turned my insides molten. The way the female was crying out, the look of intense delight on her face…
I said nothing for a long moment, still watching the writhing couple. They only seemed spurred on by their desire, moving faster and harder. But still they did not stop.
“Do—Do the fae have a longer stamina than humans?” My throat was dry.
