A sensual smile curved his lips. “What do I think should happen? I intend to use these last moments as best as possible.” The sexual promise in his tone sent a jolt of molten heat through my body, nearly making me forget about the darkness between us.
“But I’m not going to kill you,” I said again. “So you can put that dumb idea out of your pretty little head.”
Perhaps I could convince him to stay here with me, just me and him. Even if he was cursed.
His lips were just inches from mine now. Gods have mercy, he seemed to have the ability to take me apart completely. With his erotic magic curling around me and the feel of his powerful hands on my waist, it was hard to think clearly. His thumbs moved up and down over the hollow of my hips.
“You’re not going to be the death of me,” I said, “nor me of you. Because it’s like I said: I trust you completely, even if you’re Lucifer. I know you can’t talk about it, because that’s part of the curse. But I think the curse is what turned you evil. I think it’s the story written about you by someone else.”
His eyes shone as he looked at me, too bright, too intense.
I kept my palm pressed against his chest, even if it wasn’t actually healing him. “Maybe you were a bit of a jerk before. You pissed off your wife, got yourself cursed. But I don’t think you were the devil when you first fell. I think the curse changed you, corrupted you. And now, after fighting off this evil for all those years, you’re yourself again. Or nearly there. And most importantly, you’re mine.”
Something like exaltation flashed in his eyes. He took a deep breath. “I want to believe that’s true.”
“I understand your former wife wants me dead, though.”
“Our time is limited, one way or another.” His head dipped, lips near my neck, breath warming my skin. “You really trust me completely?”
“Yes. I don’t want that sea glass back. And you can still control my mind completely, and I’m not even worried about it.”
“Is that right?”
I reached for his throat, my fingers around it as I looked into his eyes. “Yes.” An idea burned in my mind as I remembered my fantasy in the boat. “You should do it now. Take control of my body.”
“Aenor, you do surprise me.”
“Mmm. Well, I’m your queen, aren’t I? So that’s a command.”
He dipped his head again and kissed my throat. “I want to get to know every inch of your body, my queen. I want to hear you moan and gasp, and I want to see all of you, Aenor, because you are mine.”
My breath was speeding up. I wanted what he was promising. Instantly, his magic boomed in my mind, that steady, vibrating beat.
I wasn’t looking at his eyes, but at his full lips.
“Aaah, there we are, under my control,” he said, and the erotic promise in his voice made my skin heat. “I’ll get to explore you to my heart’s content.”
Already, I could hear his magic beating in my mind—that low pounding of the drum. It pulsed through my body, deep and hot. As liquid heat sped through me, I wanted to shift my hips on his lap, but he was in control. Around us, the air started to feel heavy and warm.
I suddenly felt as if the room were blooming with life. With his control of my mind, he slid my hand down his chest, grazing over his abs.
My gaze was transfixed on Salem’s face, the faint moonlight tinging his strong jaw line and sharp cheekbones. The only thing I didn’t want to look at was his eyes—those heartbreaking, almond-shaped eyes that shifted from amber to dark indigo—because they reminded me so sharply of what I would lose. Because when I looked into his eyes, the full weight of it pressed down on my chest. The heaviness of the inevitable separation between us. Easier just to lose myself in the pleasure.
A deep need was building in me, and I felt acutely conscious of every inch of my skin now—of my damp dress riding up around my upper thighs, of the way it molded to my breasts. Salem compelled me to lean forward and kiss him, and my nipples went hard as he kissed me deeply.
When his tongue swept against mine, heat bloomed in my body.
He relaxed his hold on my mind, and I moved my hips against his hardness, an ache building deep inside me. The kiss grew deeper, more passionate, and I wrapped my arms around his neck.
He ended the kiss by taking my lower lip between his, and I gasped a little. I opened my eyes again to see him staring at me intently. He took a deep, shaking breath, like he was trying hard to restrain himself.
I dropped my gaze, overwhelmed by looking into his eyes.
Once more, that booming magic sounded in my mind, and I felt my fingers moving to the buttons of my dress. I started unbuttoning it from the collar down, and once I reached midway down my chest, Salem slid his hand inside the collar.
Slowly, he pulled off one side of my dress, sliding it just a little down my shoulder. He leaned close and kissed my neck, heat radiating out from the place where his lips met my skin. His tongue flicked against my throat slowly, deeply. I felt my neck arching at his exquisite kiss. I breathed deeply, an ache building inside me.
He pulled away from my neck just a little, breath hot on my skin. “I’m going to draw this out as long as I can, Aenor.”
And that declaration sent both nerves and a thrill down to the ends of my toes.
Aenor
All I could think was that one phrase—just that he was mine, and I needed him to stay with me. There were no other words in my mind, just that one, rolling around. Mine. I wanted to blast back through time and find him where he’d fallen and tell him everything would be fine and that he wasn’t alone.
Dimly, through the sexual haze, I felt aware of the wet dress clinging to my body, draping over my breasts like a subtle kind of sexual torment. With another kiss on my neck, Salem pulled the shoulder of my dress further down, exposing the top of my breast. Molten desire swept through my belly.
He moved his mouth lower, trailing hot kisses over me, and I realized I was unbuttoning my dress further, under his control.
With a sharp tug, he pulled the shoulder of my dress down further still. My nipple hardened in the castle air, and he took it in his mouth, sucking on it. His tongue whirled, hands rooting me in place at my hips. My thighs clenched around his, and I found my hands sliding into his hair, gripping it.
When he looked up at me with that beautiful curl of his lips, his dark hair ruffled, he looked exactly the way he should. I’d never seen a hair out of place on him before. I liked him this way—looking up at me, imperfect, himself completely.
I leaned down to kiss him on the mouth again, but his magic boomed in my skull, stopping me. My lips hovered just an inch from his, and our breath mingled. I could feel him starting to take over more completely. Gods, I ached to kiss him, to move my hips against him, but this was what I’d asked for. This would be a game between us, and we were about to start playing.
“Ahh, Aenor,” he murmured. “Like I said, I will be drawing this out as long as possible.”
From the hollows of my mind, he was commanding me to rise, and I felt myself slide off his lap, standing before him.
He had me take a step back from him, and my body hummed with need. Now, I realized I was unbuttoning the rest of my dress while he watched me with that beautiful, wicked smile. He was commanding my body, in complete control of me—but I liked it, because I knew he’d never hurt me, not of his own volition.
His magic was a deep, rhythmic heartbeat in my mind. My fingers obeyed his wishes, and I was pulling off my dress. As it dropped to the floor, the air kissed my skin. Every inch of my body felt sensitive, desperate for his touch, and now, I wore only a pair of lacy white underwear.
He gripped the side of the bed where he sat, looking like he was trying not to jump up and grab me. “You are perfection, Aenor.”
He released his hold on my mind for a moment, and I crossed to him again, sliding into his lap. Straddling him, I leaned in to kiss him deeply. My nipples brushed against his steely chest. Gods have mercy, the swe
et ache pulsing between my thighs was driving me insane. As he slid his hands into the back of my panties, it only grew more intense, and I longed for him to touch me.
I drew a shivering, gasping breath, moving against him.
Gods, I wanted him now. I started kissing his neck, yearning to have all of him. Some insane, primal part of my mind thought that if I claimed him here, and then again and again, we would be with each other forever. He wouldn’t leave.
I reached down to unbutton his pants, trying to tug them off.
“Mmm…” A low chuckle escaped his throat. “But I said I’d take my time, Aenor.”
His pulsing magic took over my mind again, a throbbing beat in my thoughts. My body obeyed his desires, and I slid off his lap, finding that I was now crawling on the bed on all fours. I clutched the soft moss beneath me and waited to see what he would do. I ached for him so deeply that all I could think about was how much I wanted him to touch me, to make me come.
“Aenor…” His silky voice slipped over my skin. “I love how you burn for me.”
My body trembled with anticipation, and I wished I could clench my thighs together, or touch myself. Gods, with the need building between my legs, I needed satiation.
I felt the bed depress as he moved forward, and I breathed in deeply while he slowly ran a fingertip down my spine. Hot tingles followed in its path; my thoughts homed in on his touch. My breath was unsteady, the erotic ache making me tremble.
He brushed my hair from my back, sweeping it over one shoulder. “Aenor Dahut, Queen of Ys, on her knees before me, quaking with lust. Mine and mine alone. Of course I have to savor this. I want this burned into my memory until the end of time.”
A wild need opened in me, and I wanted to move back into him, to move against his hand. Gods, I needed to feel him stroking me—but I couldn’t move. Not with him controlling my mind.
Another slow sweep of his warm finger down my spine, and pleasure trembled in its wake. “The sound of your racing breath, your speeding heart, is the sweetest music I’ve ever heard.”
My thoughts now were pure filth. I just wanted him to grab me from behind, yank down my panties, and fuck me hard.
But he was tormenting me—just one finger on my skin, heat racing behind it.
If I could have moved, I would have pulled my panties down and jumped on him. But all I could do was stay where he had me, quivering with sexual heat. Now, he was tracing lower, over the curve of my ass.
I wanted to whisper his name, to beg him to make me come, but my mouth wasn’t moving. I felt his fingers skim the silky fabric between my legs, and I would have done anything, anything for him to slide them inside that fabric and touch my most sensitive spots.
Another light stroke, and a desperate, wild noise escaped my throat. So, this was what he meant by drawing it out, and it was a slow and pleasurable torture.
“You belong to me,” he murmured.
And you to me.
One way or another, Salem lived to torment, and that was what he was doing to me now. But gods help me, I liked it—enjoyed being exposed and vulnerable before him. I wanted him to ride me hard.
“If you were my queen, Aenor, I think this is how I’d like to live out my days. You, naked, panting, aching for me. My queen, slick with desire, ready to be fucked.”
Another sound rose from my throat, one of pleasure and frustration at the same time—a wild, animal sound.
“Mmm… I need to see you better, Aenor.” As if hearing my desire, he slowly pulled my panties down my knees. Gods have mercy, I needed him to fill me.
I heard his deep, shaking sigh—a trembling breath that sounded like he was losing his grip on himself. I knew he was looking at me, that he could see how turned on I was. And that made another wave of hot desire pulse between my legs. Salem…
This wasn’t far from my fantasy on the boat: me on my knees, wild with lust, exposed. For a moment, I wondered if he’d bring his hand down hard. A blush warmed my face as I thought of how much I liked that idea.
But instead, he moved closer, and I felt him skim his hands over my breasts from behind, brushing over my hard nipples. I gasped. They were sensitive to the touch, and ecstasy hummed over my skin. Gently, he continued to palm my breasts, then slid his hands to my back once more.
I heard the sound of what I thought was his clothes hitting the floor, and relief washed over me. Finally, I’d be getting what I needed. Anticipation tingled through my body.
He moved his fingers to the apex of my thighs and stroked me with slow circles over my sensitive point. I gasped loudly. Then the movements stilled again.
“Your heart is beating so hard that I can hear its echo. That pleasure that you feel—that I feel, Aenor—is why we were meant to be together.”
At last, he dipped just one finger in. More. Gods, I needed to come. I could have screamed. He was slowly stroking me to a fever pitch.
At one time, I had hated being under his control, when I’d thought evil imbued every cell in his body. Now? I was in his head as much as he was in mine. He’d sacrifice for me, again and again if he had to. Much as he was in my thoughts, I’d carved myself into his.
He released his mental hold on my mind just a little and brushed a finger over my clit. Desperate to come, I started moved against his hand shamelessly. Pleasure rocked through me, making me moan. It didn’t take long for me to climax, and ecstasy rippled through me. I caught my breath.
But the ache in me was so deep that I needed all of him, and I wanted him inside me now.
Free from his mental control, I shifted up to my knees and turned to him. My breath was wild, chest flushed. I grabbed him by the shoulders and moved him down next to me on the bed.
I hooked one leg over his, taking a moment to look at his beautiful body again. For a moment, I was hovering just above him, and he made a low, agonized noise that sounded a little like my name. Guess I was in control now.
He gripped my waist, holding on so tight that I could sense he was about to lose his restraint, his breath fast and labored. Salem, always so composed, was losing control.
I liked seeing him untethered. I kissed his neck.
“Aenor,” he growled, sounding desperate now. “My queen.”
“You made your queen wait,” I said with a sly smile. “I guess it’s your turn now.”
I saw a look of complete awe on his face, the divine heat of a star. But it was too much, and I pulled my gaze away again.
“You could stay with me here,” I whispered to him.
He didn’t answer. Instead, he stroked a hand up my back, then thrust his fingers into my hair, tilting my head back. Slowly, I slid down onto him, and as he filled me, my mind went blank for a moment. I started moving on him, hips shifting against him. He kissed my throat deeply.
My thoughts fractured with ecstasy, like I was with him in celestial bliss. This was what it was like to be in the heavens, this sense of perfect completion, of wholeness. Sublime.
I rocked my hips on him, breathing in his beautiful scent. He was right—this was meant to be, a temporary star gleaming in the darkness.
But I kept my eyes closed. This moment wouldn’t last forever, and I didn’t want the reminder of what I would lose so soon.
“Aenor, look at me,” he whispered.
It was too much.
A boom in my mind, a deep throb. One last pulse of his mind control, and I found my eyes lifting to meet his. Those twilight hues shifted through his eyes—dusky purples, fiery reds.
“I love you,” he whispered, his eyes gleaming.
I felt tears sting my eyes, and the pleasure had me shuddering against him. We climaxed together, and I’d never before felt so alive.
He reached for the side of my face, catching his breath.
I knew, then, that I couldn’t let him go.
Salem
With my release, I rested my head against Aenor’s shoulder. We were catching our breath, bodies dewy with the heat.
I couldn’t l
et her see the look on my face, the one that was complete devastation. The idea of our time together ending felt fundamentally wrong—wrong as plummeting from the sky, my wings broken, soul empty.
A part of me thought that she was a goddess on Earth. Maybe she’d been living among the humans, dwelling underground. But only two things could make me worthy of her: ascending to the heavens, or my death. And if I stayed here, my former wife would find a way to get her revenge. She would force me to kill Aenor as soon as she had the chance. Clearly, Richelle had been working for her. Who else?
I brushed Aenor’s damp hair out of her face. She smiled at me, her eyes looking drowsy, cheeks pink. “You look more divine than ever,” I said. “But tired, too.”
“I am.” She shivered. “And cold.”
She slid off my lap and lay back onto the mossy bed. I was regretting the state of the place—at one point, I would have been able to cover her in silk sheets and warm blankets. I would have stationed guards outside the door and ordered servants to bring her a warm meal, hot tea. But instead, here she was, lying naked on the moss in a dark, unheated room.
When she shivered, hugging her chest, I felt compelled to fix this situation. I glanced across the room at the ancient stone fireplace, covered in cobwebs. Once, I’d had a fire burning in there every night.
I leaned down to kiss her forehead. “I think I can help with the warmth.”
But before I lit any actual flames in here, I needed to make sure we wouldn’t draw any undue attention through that enormous, gaping window.
I crossed to it, my footsteps echoing. An ancient curtain of dusty velvet hung to one side of the window, wrapped up in vines. I tore through the green ropes, letting them drop to the floor. Then I dragged the curtains across the windows. The rusted hoops scraped across the curtain rod as I pulled it shut.
Aenor had sat up on the bed, watching me with a faint smile. She was hugging her knees to her chest. “Are you going to fix up the room?”
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