Page 19 of Mistake of Magic
“At this hour, I imagine they are sleeping,” Shade said. The cavern was seldom used in the evening, save for visiting fae, as it was more practical for the trainees to attend to bathing earlier in the day. It was the reason he’d brought Lera here, to offer her an oasis of private calm after two days of being watched and assaulted and discussed and tested.
Lera stirred in Shade’s arms, her feet seeking the ground, as Shade maneuvered to the far pool. It was his favorite, perfectly hot and deep, with slightly murky bubbling water. The girl’s motion rubbed over Shade’s already taut cock, sending a jolt of fire through his loins. The male swallowed a curse and nipped the girl’s ear.
“You’ve done more than enough the past two days, cub. Let me take it from here. You can stand up to the Elders Council, face an arena trial, and discover magic again tomorrow, if you wish.” Still supporting the backs of Lera’s knees, Shade set her down on the pool’s smooth stone lip. The warm tub was smaller than the other pools in the cavern, but still large enough to let several fae soak comfortably, and the soft foam of its bubbling waters lapped the stone.
Shade’s heart quickened as he crouched beside Lera, pulling off her leather boots and undoing her long braid. Shade hadn’t the power to halt the Citadel’s trials, but a massage and a warm bath, yes, that much he could give the girl.
That much and no more. That was the rub of it.
A soft moan escaped Lera’s lips as Shade ran his fingers through her thick, silky hair, the tiny sound going mercilessly to his cock. His body tightened, his hands stilling on Lera’s scalp while he swallowed and fought for breath that suddenly came at a premium.
“Are you all right?” Lera asked, shifting until her eyes met his, sending another jolt of need through Shade’s core.
No.No, he wasn’t all right. He was one breath away from pouncing. Shade shook himself—only to find Lera’s palms on either side of his face, her lips so close to his skin that he could feel their heat. In the flickering candlelight, Lera’s melted-chocolate eyes were as deep and warm as the cavern itself.
Shade’s heart stuttered a beat then pounded so hard that the impact against his head and cock drowned out the world.
“Shade, what is it?” Lera’s hands slid from his cheeks to the tops of his shoulders, each friction of flesh spurring his desire.
Shade shuddered again, this time more violently, and caught Lera’s wrist. “It would be better if you just enjoyed, cub,” he said hoarsely. “I won’t be able to keep myself in check if you start... reciprocating.”
Lera frowned, tipping her head to the side so a single strand of hair fell over her dusting of freckles. “Do you have to?” she asked slowly, though Shade could see the rapidlub dub, lub dubof her pulse in the hollow of her neck. “Keep yourself in check?”
Stars.“Yes,” Shade said firmly. “I very much do.”
Her shoulders fell, a hint of pain flashing in her eyes almost too quickly to catch.
Shade’s heart tightened. “It isn’t because I don’t want you, cub. On the contrary. I want you too greatly.”
“Then let me explore you.” Lera rose to her knees, her voice filled with power. “When is it my turn? I want to touch you, discover what makes you—”
“There is very little secret as to what makes me hard, Lera. You sitting beside me is enough to drive me insane. But tonight isn’t about me. It’s about you.”
A quick flash of her brow. “Then I should have a say in how it proceeds.”
Shade caught Lera’s free hand before it could reach its pulsing target, and pulled both of her slender wrists into one hold. The night was quickly heading where it should not, and Shade’s sweat had little to do with the steaming bath. “I’ll make you a bargain, cub,” he said, his breath hitching. “You keep your hands to yourself and I’ll make it worth your while tonight.”
Lera’s eyes glazed over slightly, her thighs tensing.
Holding her gaze, Shade released Lera’s wrists and pulled loose the laces of her shirt collar and that wide sash holding the tunic against the girl’s slim waist. He moved slowly, savoring every touch as if life, not cloth, hung in the balance. Shirt loosened, he pulled it over Lera’s head in one short motion, brushing his hands down her sides as soon as they were bare.
She was new to this, though Shade had no idea how that was possible unless all the males in the mortal world were bloody blind. Still, the girl seemed unaware of her distracting beauty, and while she plainly enjoyed touch, she was shy about her own pleasure.
Lera’s breath caught as he removed her chest bind, her face heating as the round swells of her breasts tumbled free. Lera’s nipples, pink and all but begging for Shade’s mouth, stiffened with their sudden taste of air. Shade brushed his hands down Lera’s supple skin, tracing his fingers along her collarbone, her sides, her hips, his gaze drinking in her face. She bit her lip, her eyes drifting closed. Even out of his wolf form, Shade scented the mix of desire and hesitation that hung around her, thick as perfume. The pants could wait until they were in the tub.
Making short work of his own boots, Shade lifted Lera against his chest and walked them both into the bubbling pool. The water—so hot, it rose in steamy curls into the air—soaked at once through Shade’s pants. Setting Lera on the cleverly molded bench beneath the water’s surface, he let the bubbles shroud her body while he tugged away her bottoms. “It’s a bath, cub,” he said into her ear. “It’s not generally taken dressed in Lunos.”
Lera’s eyes narrowed. Pushing away from the bench, she slid toward him, straddling his bent knee. The soft feel of her sex along his cloth-covered thigh, her skin pressing against his, her hands—
Shade growled, the tremor running through his cock and muscles. If the girl didn’t stop squirming and let him make her scream his way, the evening was not going to end well at all.
“Let’s make tonight about us,” Lera said, her hands now on his pectorals. His nipples.
“No.” Lifting Lera, he stood the girl up, turning her safely sideways. With one arm around her waist, keeping her that way, Shade used his other hand to open Lera’s thighs and stroke his fingers firmly along her slit, back and forth, back and forth, until she clenched with need. “I told you I would make it worth your while,” he purred into her ear, his hand halting its progression. “Now, will you behave if I let you go?”
She gasped, wriggling against his hold, her sex seeking the pressure of his fingers again.
“Will you behave?” Shade bit softly along Lera’s neck in emphasis. In possession. The girl gasped softly at each new nip, her sex growing slicker despite the water, her weight shifting desperately in his hold. He circled her opening, felt it clenching with desire, and knew—savored knowing—that he could make her scream in frustration in a heartbeat just by moving away, only to bring her to the verge of release again with a scrape of a nail along her swollen nub. The wolf inside Shade stirred. “Will you behave?” he demanded again, moving his fingers in a slow, torturous circle that closed in on her apex.
