Page 193 of Cruelly Bitten
The ballroom had more or less turned into a war room over the last few days, curtained walls now covered in images. Some of them were potential royal allies. Another section held known Lilith supporters.
Then across from it were notes drawn up by the lycans, their lists mostly revolving around those they still needed to convince of Lilith’s lab work.
Without proof, it was difficult to bring a lot of them to the table.
Which led to the urgency of attacking the compound and the strategies strewn across the meeting table.
I waited, observing as Ismerelda leaned over to study one of the items intently. It was an image of the interior Coventus, one Juliet had drafted based on her time there.
Ismerelda was mentally pairing it to the video feeds she’d observed from my laptop.
She seemed to feel something was missing, like perhaps the feeds she’d seen had been of another area.
It was something she’d need to ask Juliet about tomorrow, as we were the only two left in the room, everyone else having gone back to their rooms for morning dinner.
I’d expected to go on another walk, as that’d been our routine since our first one the other day.
The walk usually led to dinner, which ended in a shower. Whereby I worshipped her with my hands—in a chaste manner—then tucked her into bed.
However, watching her bend over this table right now had me wanting to do something else entirely tonight.
It wasn’t just her sensual position, but also the thoughts rolling through her intelligent mind. My cunning lioness was a little strategic genius.
Yet the others didn’t seem to call upon her much. They listened when she spoke up, but they kept looking to me for answers—and that was despite Jace’s obvious dissatisfaction with my leadership plans.
Not that I truly had plans. I simply liked the idea of delivering Lilith’s and Michael’s remains to the alliance.
Ismerelda hummed, the sound a sweet benediction to my ears. It drew me closer to her, my need to touch her mounting with each passing second.
I wanted to grab her hand. Tug her from the room. Distract her with the view. Then disrobe and bathe her. Just like I’d done all week.
Yet she bent over again, derailing that desire and inspiring a dark hunger. One that involved stripping her here. Devouring her. Making her scream on that very table. And leaving the scent of my queen’s pleasure behind.
A marking.
A claim.
Amating.
My beast growled inside, approving of this craving.
But I fisted my hands at my sides, determined to temper the urge. To respect myErosita. To win her trust.To wait.
At least, that was my intention.
Until her thoughts started responding to mine.
Visions of me between her legs, staring up at her while I licked her to completion. Her body subtly tensed with the recollection, her thighs seeming to quiver.
But then her memory evolved into a more recent encounter, one where I bit her and left her to suffer.
Another when I’d pushed her too far, causing her to pass out.
And finally, to all the times I’d fed from her there without remorse. Taking. Forcing.Hurting.
I grabbed her hips from behind, burying my face in her hair as I accepted her agony. Rather than comment, I shared the experience from my point of view, showed her how I’d thought she was enjoying it. How I’d wanted to pleasure her. Yes, it’d been for me. But I’d wanted it for her as well.
And I still did.
