Page 168 of A Crown of Tears and Treason
Then he plunged his tongue inside me once more, and I was lost. Again and again and again.
I wokewith a start when the stars still ruled the night sky. Zandyr’s powerful arm was draped over me, his chest to my back, our legs twisted together. Our new favorite position, apparently.
I blinked the sleep away from my eyes, my body feeling utterly, deliciously spent and satisfied. Gods, the things this man could do with his tongue and fingers…
It felt so good, so right, to lay here, Zandyr’s soft breaths tickling along my jawline.
But the thought that had woken me wouldn’t let me rest.
I had to get up. Now.
We were leaving tomorrow morning and I already knew Goose would come knocking at the crack of dawn, to be sure we checked and rechecked everything. Adara would probably be right behind him. She’d been pouring over maps for the last few days, muttering under her breath about “strategic points” and farmers who could be “assassins in disguise”.
Getting up was easier said than done when a steel arm coiled around me. I relaxed my body into Zandyr’s for one more moment, images of our night bursting to the front of my mind.
The sounds.
The groans.
The unbelievable, exhilarating feeling that had ravaged through my body.
Exquisite. I almost giggled at the idea of tomorrow night. Another evening spent with Zandyr. Maybe next time I’d be the one kneeling, with him guiding me through it.
I twisted my body to the edge of the bed. I didn’t get far.
Zandyr’s arm tightened. Still caught between reality and dreams, he growled.
“I’m safe and I’ll be right back,” I whispered, but he kept his hold. I bent and kissed his forehead. “I promise.”
In his half-conscious state, he smiled. His arm loosened, but didn’t drop away from me until I slid out of the bed.
I looked back at him over my shoulder. Gloriously naked, his skin glowed in the moonlight. He shifted his position, muscles tense as if ready for an attack. Always on guard, this one. No wonder, when he’d spent his life defending his Clan, shouldering all the duties which should have fallen to the king and queen.
I picked up the pen and paper from where they’d fallen on the floor, casualties of our desire. They had been taunting me these past few days, since Zandyr had given me his letter and I only gave him a promise of one in return.
Silently, I climbed out the window overlooking my wild garden; it was officially Zandyr’s in my mind. It led to nothing but a steep drop down overgrowing with stubborn plants and trees, but above it, a sturdy beam kept the roof up.
In my silken slip, I pulled myself up and climbed on top of the roof, bare feet skittering over the terracotta tiles withouta sound. I wiggled between the two dormers jutting out, completely invisible for anyone who bothered to look.
I took a deep, steadying breath as the emotions whirling inside threatened to spill. And spill they did, right onto the paper. The pen scratched furiously, with only the moon and the night breeze as my witnesses.
Ironic that I’d hesitated to start writing and now couldn’t stop. Every line I filled, every sigh that ruffled the paper, they all spoke of the same thing.
I felt safe next to Zandyr.
Protected.
Seen.
Cherished.
He saw the potential in me, the things I could accomplish given the chance.
He laughed at my weird jokes.
He mesmerized me with his very essence and made my body and mind sing.
My greatest enemy had become my closest ally.
