Page 101 of The King's Man
‘Like any other skill we get better at using it with practice—and the stronger our bond, the wider the distance we’ll be able to reach each other across.’
I like the idea of that.‘So, how do we grow it?’
‘Just keep using it. Like any other muscle, it gets stronger with repetitive use.’And then the little she-devil chuckled and arched her back, rubbing her ass against my groin.
I hissed and tightened my grip on her belly, though it wasn’t needed with the straps we’d arranged that crossed behind me and around her to keep her to me, whether I used my arms or not.
‘Careful,’I growled in her head, grinding against her so that she gasped.‘Two can play that game.’
She laughed lightly, but stopped teasing me.
‘Tell me about this,’I sent, lifting my hand where our wrists were bound.‘Melek told me it’s your tradition for marriage,’God, that was a humbling thought. She wasn’t just my mate, but my wife.‘But he and I never spoke about it in detail. What else should I know? Is there magik in this? Or someway I should honor you for your people, Diadre? Whatever it means, I want to understand.’
A small shiver tracked down her spine, but the bond swelled with pleasure. I had pleased her. That made me smile.
‘The binding is a symbol,’she sent after a few thoughtful seconds.‘There’s no magik to it. But it… it’s intended to be a visible symbol of our souls. And leaving it in place is a show of our commitment.’
My brows rose of their own accord.‘Some people stay tied together for the rest of their—’
‘No! No. That’s not possible, of course.’
I was relieved. As much as I wanted her to feel sure of me, I was a warrior. I needed the freedom of movement.
‘It’s only… Most of the bonds in our society are chosen, not divine. People marry and invite a bond. They aren’t divine mates. In those relationships there’s a belief that the longer you stay tied to each other, the stronger your bond will become.’
‘Then we won’t be impatient,’I sent firmly.‘We’ll keep the binding until our duties require us to move apart.’
She nodded, but didn’t respond otherwise. She stared at our bound hands.
I’d lifted my palm, flattening it in the air in front of her when I asked her about the ties. As she told me about the binding and its significance, she’d been spreading her fingers and sliding them in and out between mine. Now, her touch became more hesitant. She watched herself trace the lines in my palm and fingers, even sliding gentle caresses over my callouses.
And that spark, that thrum between us swelled in the bond.
‘You have very… attractive hands,’she sent breathlessly.‘I love looking at your hands, and feeling them on me. I love how big they are.’To demonstrate, she lined the heel of her palm up with mine and splayed her hand against it.
The tips of her fingers barely reached the first knuckle joint of each of mine. I was struck again by how small she was. She held such presence in my mind and in any space she entered, I often forgot howlittleshe was. I sighed and my cock twitched as she ran her fingers between mine, sliding them in and out.
‘God, Dee. That feels—’
‘I know.’
I was growing hard, which wasnotgoing to help my focus.
We might be flying through the night over the plains, but I still had to watch for other Neph or even archers on the ground. It was unlikely anyone happened to take the same course as us through the skies, or that anyone with nefarious purposes happened to be searching the sky tonight… but a good soldier knew complacency was death.
Sucking in a deep breath, I pulled our hands down to her waist and held her tighter against me, burying my nose in her neck as I fought the urge to land, throw her over a boulder and take her until she screamed.
Diadre inhaled sharply.‘I saw that. Ilikethat.’
I grunted and twined our fingers of those hands.‘You aren’t helping. We have to put as much space between us and Melek as we can.’
‘Can we… I mean, in flight?’
The mental image she sent of us soaring in the sunlight, bodies entwined, and voices thrown to the empty sky was so thrilling, so erotic, I inhaled too deeply and sucked my own saliva into my throat and choked.
My flight was erratic for several moments, and she laughed as I spluttered and coughed, trying to find my way back to some semblance of control.
‘Dear God,yes,’ I snarled in her head.‘But notnow.Not with the bags and weapons and… and…’and a need for sanity.
