Page 76 of His Dark Delights
“I am sorry. A thousand times over, I am sorry.” He shifted forward, intent on reaching for me. A vine shot up from the soft soil beneath his boots and wrapped around his ankle, stopping him before he took a full step.
“I need more than an apology, Soren,” I said.
He glared at the vine holding him back and jerked his head up. “When I saw you yanked out of that window, I didn’t stop to consider what I’d heard. I was so worried, so distraught, so terrified for your fate that I didn’t care if you were a fae. In your absence, I despaired. Day and night, I was wrought with distress. Gods—” he swiped a hand over his face “—I even talked to your cow in the garden as if she would give me some sage advice on what to do to get you back.”
My words sounded like half a sob. “And what did Millie suggest?”
“She told me to come for you. So, I did,” he said.
“You listened to a cow.” A shaky laugh broke free of me.
“Your cow.” His mouth split into a smile, a wide genuine smile that contrasted with the regret swimming in his eyes. “I would have done anything to get you back, Lilly.”
I believed him. Gods help me, I believed him.
Soren would have burned the fae realm to ash. He would have slaughtered every fae man and woman to get me back. Not for revenge for his mother, but to have me at his side again. It wasn’t a pretty fact. It wasn’t a glorious thing to imagine, but it was our truth, and it was beautiful to me.
He knew what I was and wanted me despite his past and the conviction of his rage. In all the madness, he would end his war for me. But that wasn’t enough. I needed him to say three words that meant more than life, and I needed to know he meant them.
“And why would you have done anything to get me back?”
“You know why…”
“Then say it, Soren. Tell me why.”
“Because I love—”
“No,” I cut him off, “remember what I told you. How were you meant to say those words to me?”
The Fairy Butcher—the king—arched his head back. A serene sense of duty fell over his calm expression. He nodded once, inhaling steadily, then dropped to his knees in the dirt. My heart fluttered like a startled, excited bird against my ribs. My eyes flared and heat coiled in my belly to see that mountain of a man on his knees before me.
“Lilly, fae or not, you belong with me. I love you, andI love everything that you are.” His ragged, husky voice and the confidence threaded through his words made me quiver from my heart to the apex of my thighs.
I stared down my nose at him, making sure he noted the disparity between us at that moment. I was a fae, and I was standing above him, and the proud king was on his knees for me.
“Crawl to me then,” I commanded.
“What?” He swallowed hard. Yet a wicked eagerness glimmered in his eyes.
“Prove that you love me more than your pride. Prove that you love me more than your vengeance. Crawl to me, Soren Carnifex, and prove your love.” The vine on his ankle sank to the ground, releasing him.
With his freedom, he grabbed the opportunity to surge forward. His chest heaved, breathing hard, and his eyes darkened. But he did as I asked. The butcher king remained on his knees and crawled.
As a reward for his obedience, I unclasped the armor corset binding my ribs. His nostrils flared, and his jaw tightened at the sight of my breasts falling free, barely hidden by the sheer pale fabric around my frame. His eyes locked onto my nipples, pert and hard under the dress, whispering against my skin.
His storm-wrought eyes drank in the sight of me. When he saw the hint of reddish pink hair nestled over my sex, his movement quickened. He flicked his tongue over his bottom lip like a madman, and a hungry one.
I lifted my dress over my legs and kicked off my boots next. They landed in the corner of the cell at the same time Soren reached me.
My breath hitched when he bowed his head to the floor… and caught my ankle in his large palm. Goosebumps flared up my legs, and I trembled from the warmth and strength in his fingers.
Without warning, he picked my foot off the ground and sucked my toe into his mouth. Heat swelled in my core and a surprising pulse rocked through me. The sucking, wet warmth of his mouth felt strangely good. Before I could fight it, I’d leaned back into the wooden bars for support as my eyes closed and my back arched.
Soren licked my instep before swirling his tongue over my ankle. He maneuvered my leg up and peppered kisses up my calf. He pressed an open-mouthed kiss to the inside of my knee, nearly growling like a beast the higher he went.
His eyes glinted tumultuously, savage and hungry, when he glimpsed the slick folds between my thighs. I rested my knee on his shoulder, stopping his path, but revealing more. His position allowed him to see my swollen, needy clit and the arousal dripping from my entrance. But my knee barred him from dipping his head in for a taste.
“Lilly.” He spoke my name like a harsh prayer. “Please.”
