Page 52 of Realm of Wind and Vines
A small cloud of black smoke explodes into the room as he shifts back into his fully human form in order to quickly put his armor back on.
I remain lying there naked on the bed, drawing in unsteady breaths to calm my thundering heart.
For a moment, we just watch each other while tension crackles through the room like lightning. Then Draven spins on his heel and simply starts towards the door without another word.
My heart jerks.
“Wait!” I call, scrambling up from the bed.
But my legs are still wobbly from the intense orgasm that has barely left my body, so I stumble the first two steps and end up crashing down on my knees on the floor.
Draven turns around, but when he meets my gaze again, there is only a mocking glint in his eyes and a cruel smile on his lips. “And there it is. You on your knees, a trembling mess, begging me for another orgasm.”
Heat flushes my cheeks. But it’s more anger than embarrassment.
Raising my chin, I level a knowing stare full of challenge back at him. “Who are you trying to fool, oh Shadow of Death? I could feelyourpleasure too. Remember?”
His eyes flash.
I try to get to my feet as he suddenly stalks back towards me again, but my legs are still too unsteady. Still on my knees, I have to settle for arching a cocky brow at him.
He stops with his boots right in front of my knees so that I have to truly crane my neck if I want to keep eye contact. A ripple of pleasure rolls down my spine as he draws soft fingers along my jaw.
Then he suddenly takes my chin in a punishing grip and lockshard eyes on me. “If you ever pull a stunt like this again, I will make sure that you spend every night for the rest of your life with your hands shackled above your head. Understood?”
I flash him a lethal smile and make my voice deliberately seductive as I reply, “Yes, sir.”
Desire flares in his eyes again.
With a growl, he snaps my head to the side as he releases my chin and whirls around. His boots thud against the floor as he stalks back out the door and slams it shut behind him. I watch the poor slab of wood vibrate in the door frame while I draw in a deep breath.
Well, that went… mostly according to plan.
I think?
CHAPTER NINETEEN
There is a tightness in my chest that I wasn’t expecting. As I look out over the darkened streets of the Seelie Court, I suddenly feel trapped. Even though I’m currently lying atop a roof with the open night sky above me, I still feel as if walls are closing in on me from all sides.
I suppose it makes sense, given that I have literally been trapped in this city for most of my life. But it’s more than just the feeling of being physically trapped in a specific place. The tightness in my chest and the uncomfortable emotions that twist inside me like cold snakes have more to do with who I used to be when I lived here.
When I’m in this city, it makes me feel like everyone is trying to force me back into a mold that I no longer fit inside. Because this city only remembers the person I used to be when I lived here. It has no idea who I have become after leaving it.
It’s ridiculous. I know that. Cities don’t have emotions or an agenda. They’re just a collection of buildings. But still, as I look out across the darkened streets below, I can’t help but hate this city. Once this is all over, I never want to return here again. I want to leave this place and the person I used to be behind.
“Any sign of him?” Orion whispers from below.
I scan the streets around me again, but from this angle, I can’t actually see properly down into all of the streets, so my surveillance abilities are somewhat limited. With a sigh, I roll over, grab the edge of the roof, and then drop down to the stone street below.
After dusting myself off, I take up position next to Orion and at last answer his question. “No. But Alistair said that he saw him heading in this direction earlier. So he should pass by here within ten minutes or so.”
Orion nods.
Since we can’t just walk up to Gremar Fireclaw in his own homeland, we had to devise a strategy to get him to come to us. But if he knows that we are the ones who want to talk to him, he is more likely to contact the Icehearts so that they can ambush us rather than actually coming to talk to us. So in order to get him here without risking a trap, we need to use someone else to lure him in. And I know exactly who.
“Ah yes, by the way,” Orion begins. His eyes gleam as he gives me a knowing look. “Next time you and Draven have wild hate sex, would you mind being a little quieter?”
I whip around to stare at him, my cheeks blazing. “I… we… what do you… we didn’t…”
