Page 35 of Claimed By Stone
She liked me.
Shetrustedme.
So did Thavros.
And I was terrified I would ruin them both. I wish I could shake this feeling, but memories flickered again: firelight, metal bars, whispered commands I couldn’t quite hear but knew had been meant for me. I didn’t remember what I was supposed to do—but I could feel the shadow of it, curled somewhere deep and waiting.
Yet as we climbed the stairs to Thavros's study, I pushed those thoughts aside. I was nervous, not because of the dreams and dark thoughts, but because I wondered what he would think of my new dress. He'd only ever seen me in the flowing gown of my statue. I wanted him to like what he saw.
But as we came into view and his mouth dropped and his gaze heated, I knew he did.
"You look...." It was as if his words vanished.
"My work here is done,” Callie said. “Maybe I'll see you in the great hall for dinner?" she asked.
But as Thavros stood and walked to me, unaware that Callie was still here, I heard her give a small chuckle.
"Or maybe not," she said, noticing the shift in energy between them. "Have fun! Don't do anything I wouldn't do, “she called as she descended the stairs.
Chapter 17
Thavros
Icould not take my eyes off her.
The dress was simple. But on Seraphina, it was a vision. Deep emerald green, cinched gently beneath her breasts, the fabric hugging her curves before flaring at her hips. She looked radiant, ethereal, painfully beautiful. And she was completely unaware of what she did to me.
I had always found her captivating. Even in stone, I’d been drawn to her. But now? Standing in my study, warm and soft and so very alive? I was utterly ruined.
She smiled at me, slightly uncertain, as if testing how she fit into this world in her new, fully awakened state.
And I, orc that I was, could barely form a sentence. The sight of her undid me.
When she leaned over the table to examine one of the open scrolls, her hair slipped over one shoulder, and I saw the delicate curve of her neck, leading into the shadowed dip between her breasts. My hands twitched. My body ached. And for the first time in my life, logic was nowhere to be found.
“Thavros?” she asked, peering up at me with that look that was always part mischief, part vulnerability. “Are you even listening?”
“No,” I said honestly. “Not even a little.”
She laughed, and Gods, I was a goner.
I crossed the space between us before I could second-guess myself. My hand found her waist, and I watched her breath hitch.
Then I kissed her.
There was nothing tentative this time. No slow build or testing of waters. Just a deep need, fierce and heady. Her lips parted beneath mine, her hands finding the front of my tunic, fisting the fabric as she pulled me closer.
I deepened the kiss and let my hand drift lower, sliding around the swell of her hip. I lifted her, setting her on the desk before me as I pulled at the hem of her dress until I could feel her. I let my hand trace from her calf up her leg. Her skin was warm silk. A small moan escaped her mouth as she kissed me back. Her legs widened slightly, and I took it as a sign. Slowly, I trailed my hand to the apex of her thighs, giving her time to stop me. When she didn’t, I found the heat between her thighs already slick and wanting, and I groaned against her mouth.
She gasped, but she didn’t stop me. She arched into my touch like her body had been waiting for mine.
And maybe it had.
Her fingers, small and warm, slid along my sides. They were tentative at first, then they grew bolder. When her palm grazed my chest, my breath caught. But when she reached lower, trailing down my stomach, I stilled.
She hesitated at the lacing of my pants, eyes flicking up to meet mine, searching for permission. I gave her a gentle nod.
Then her hand slipped beneath the waistband and wrapped around my hard length.
