Page 92 of Oath of Betrayal
Ari stalked towards me until I stopped him with a push of my foot to his face. This time, however, it seemed my wily fae was done following my orders. He took my foot and planted a kiss on the ankle, then another and another, moving up and caressingmy skin. I bit my lip before asking the question I needed the answer to.
‘Was that the reason you pulled away? Because you wanted us both?’
‘No. I stayed away because my mother’s curse connects me to the Lich King. He speaks to my mind, and he wants you, Ani. I made a blood oath to not pursue Anchoring you until I’m free of him. He may kill me, but I will never give you to him.’
I gaped, my skin suddenly freezing under his touch. Alaric raised his head and looked me in the eye. He was so bitter, so resigned to his fate that he must have assumed that would be the last straw; that I would reject him.
My powerful, broken fae. Little did he know how much he meant to me.
The Lich King could fuck himself if he thought I’d let him have my necromancer.
‘Now you know why I can’t Anchor you. I won’t subject you to his influence, his voice …’ Ari pulled away, but I stopped him.
‘I understand, but this changes nothing for me. Come to me, my darkness. Show me how much you want to be mine.’ I crooked a finger, leaning back. Alaric’s eyes widened before he gulped and gave in to my siren’s call.
He seemed to flow forward as his lips trailed over my calf and thigh, and as his lips parted, I felt the edge of his fangs tease my skin. I shivered and whimpered, then moaned as he kissed my sex. I slid my hands downward, but as Ari’s tongue slid through my folds, my back arched, and I grasped the sheets instead.
‘My sweet, cruel Domina. I’ve waited so long for those words,’ he murmured, feasting on my body, and I fell back onto the pillows, giving my wicked lover free rein.
Ari’s hands were gentle, and the cool touch of his fingers added to my excitement, especially when his thumb brushed over my pearl. I whimpered again and the sound seemed toplease him because Alaric redoubled his efforts, enticing a stream of delightful responses until I felt my body tense in anticipation of the upcoming release. ‘Stop,’ I commanded as I fought for control of my body and the magic that so wanted to take him.
He did, but when Alaric looked at me, there was nothing gentle left in his gaze. Those burning, crimson eyes looked at me with the inhuman gaze of the elder races. He looked feral, and I gestured him closer. Ari glided forward with predatory intent, and I couldn’t look away. As the soft caress of his silken hair brushed over my body, I reached up and captured Ari’s lips, pulling him into my embrace. The press of his shaft to my entrance made my eyes flutter closed, and I couldn’t help rubbing myself all over his cock.
‘I need you,’ he said through the clenched teeth.
‘Then take what you need,’ I challenged, using my nails to pull him closer, and he pushed forward, breaching my entrance.
The room became bathed in crimson light as Alaric’s curse lit up, his teeth bared in a tortured grimace. I bit Ari’s chest, feral in my need to protect my lover, as he drove his cock into me over and over again. Perspiration covered his body, his breathing uneven as he drove me wild with his harsh, punishing pace. My conduit magic wrapped itself around us, the aether dancing to my heartbeat as I felt my pleasure cresting.
‘I love you,’ he cried out, his body tensing in approaching climax.
‘I forgive you,’ I whispered.
I pushed my magic away before pleasure overwhelmed all thought. Alaric groaned and I felt his release filling me while I held him tight, floating on waves of bliss. He collapsed, his head resting on my chest while I stroked his silver skin.
‘I can’t accept it … your forgiveness,’ he said after a few moments, but I heard the hope in his voice. He craved painbecause he thought he deserved nothing else, and I barely held back my tears, realising his spirit was even more broken than mine.
‘You have to if you want my love, but that’s the last time you hide something important from me. I believe it was fate and not your deception that brought us all together. You saved me from an empty life locked in grief. I love you, Ari. I love you, my beautiful fae.’
I embraced him, stroking the white strands of his hair. The man who had always held his head high and faced the world with a sardonic smile just buried his head in the crook of my neck, a silent sob shaking his body. He held me as if his life depended on it. And maybe, in a way, it did … because I doubted even Orm knew the pain he kept inside. I held him for a while, and when he raised his head, I saw something that had been missing from his face for too long.
Hope.
‘Rest a little longer,’ he said, stroking my cheek with a smile. ‘I will send someone with breakfast, and once you are ready, I would like you to come to Orm’s office. He needs to know what’s happened between us, and I want us to tell him about it together.’
My answering smile faltered when the door to Ari’s quarters burst open. Alaric threw himself in front of me, shielding me from the sudden intrusion. Orm strode in, his face thunderous, only to stumble to a halt when he caught sight of me peeking out from behind Alaric’s naked body.
‘Ari, please leave us.’ I looked at the dark fae calmly, and to my relief, he didn’t argue.
‘Call me if this overbearing idiot gets to be too annoying,’ he said before grabbing a robe from the chair and, with an uncertain smile, walked towards the door. When he passed Orm,he bowed his head. ‘With your permission, Commander.’ There was too much sarcasm in his voice to take his words seriously.
As the door closed quietly behind Ari, Orm frowned before turning back to me. We stared at each other, and the silence weighed on my nerves so much that before I knew it, my temper exploded. ‘If you stormed in here to give me a lecture or express your jealousy, think again because I won’t take it kindly.’
‘Did you Anchor him?’ Orm asked, worry etched on his face. My face must have given away my confusion because his next words were not what I was expecting. ‘Oh, you thought I was jealous? I told you—I’ve accepted your feelings for him, but I won’t accept him putting you in harm’s way.’
‘I didn’t. We made love, but he stopped me from going further.’
Orm’s eyes opened so wide I nearly laughed. ‘You stormed in here like a savage because you thought I Anchored him? Ari was worried it would expose me to the Lich King’s influence. I agree with him. Besides, in the state he’s in, his spirit would likely refuse anyway, and we both know how that would end, but you should have told me about his oath and … what exactly did he swear?’
