Betrothed

by Lola White

  “You are Bane!”

  Alexandru leaped from his chair, sending it toppling back before Vasile could catch it. Even knowing that it was coming, Georgie flinched. The old man’s face was red, his body shook with rage. Costel slowly stood up, reaching for his grandfather.

  “Dear God, he’s having a spell!”

  The woman on the other side of Silviu spoke the ironic words and Georgie clutched at them, seeing them for the gift they were. She glanced at her cousin, sending the message. It only took a moment for Christiana to catch on, then a spark of silver flared over her head.

  Silviu gasped. Alexandru stumbled. Costel and Vasile both grabbed for him, keeping him upright as the nurse at Silviu’s side shot to her feet.

  Christiana threw her napkin to her plate and waved the woman back. “No, ma’am, we’ll take care of him. He just needs rest.”

  Georgie rose, tugging at Silviu until he was standing, as well. “She’s right, though we thank you for your help.” Christiana herded the Lovasz men out of the room and Georgie set about smoothing things over as Silviu hauled her in their wake.

  “I’m sure he just needs rest. It’s been a long day. Agatha, please remember to convey my birthday wishes to your mother.” Georgie turned to bestow a smile on Daniel. “Thank you for your kind words, sir. You can be assured I’ll remember them in the future.”

  His eyes gleamed and she vowed to never underestimate the man. “It was only the truth.”

  “It was still lovely to hear,” she said brightly. “Especially since we’ll practically be Family, after the weddings.”

  Daniel blinked and Georgie left him to chew on that little tidbit. It was no small thing to have the front-running Davenold heir make a public announcement equating their alliance to a familial relationship. A relationship that ran through Eliasz.

  Georgie found Adam, Constance nearly in his lap. “Stay and finish your dinner, honey. There’s no need for you to skip dessert on our account.”

  Silviu pulled Georgeanne from the room. She practically ran to the stairs at the front of the hall. “Where’s your sister?”

  “Otherwise occupied with her groom.”

  “Thank God. She’d have been very upset by all that.”

  Silviu stopped her on the first step. “What did you do to my grandfather?”

  “Nothing. I was next to you.”

  “You had your cousin cast a spell.”

  Georgie rolled her eyes and pulled away from him. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  He grabbed her, hauling her against his chest. “Didn’t you pay attention when I told you, Georgeanne?” He shook her and a cold wave of understanding crashed over her. “I can see magic. And I saw your cousin use it, right before my grandfather fell back.” She opened her mouth, but he shook her again. “Don’t lie.”

  She closed her mouth and shot him an angry glare. “I just helped your Family immeasurably, Silviu.”

  She pulled away and stomped up the stairs, refusing to look back, refusing to feel guilt.

  Chapter Eight

  Eliasz

  Ileana was spread out on Eliasz’s desk, his for the taking, exactly where he wanted her. Her hands were still tied behind her back, her face in shadow. The pale curves of her body were luminescent in the moonlight streaming through the wide window behind her.

  Need clawed at his gut, magic roared through his veins. His cock was so damn hard it throbbed against his pants, visibly moving the fabric with every beat of his heart. Distantly, he was aware of the clock ticking, counting down the seconds until dinner would be served.

  He couldn’t care less.

  Ileana had challenged him in a way he couldn’t ignore. She’d tried to take the lead, tried to direct his wants. It fired his senses and his imagination, providing a nonstop flow of images of just how he could play with her. The desire to make her submit prowled in his chest, tugging at his patriarchal arrogance.

  She shifted on the desk and he knew that the wait was killing her. He could feel the heat rising from her skin, could hear the breath singing in her chest.

  Her bra closed in the front, convenient for his desire. She’d known how to tempt him, how to dress for maximum effect, maximum pleasure. He didn’t doubt for a single moment that she’d planned a seduction.

  He reached forward to flick the bra open. Red lace cups sprang free, sliding to the sides of her full breasts, catching on her rigid nipples. A smile pulled at the corners of his lips as he watched her chest swell with her next breath.

  “That needs to go.” He pinched the lace between his fingers, rasping the material over her nipples as he slowly dragged it away. Need surged higher as he bared her to his sight. Beautiful breasts, perfectly suited to his hands, with a little left over to fill his mouth, too.

  He pulled the bra straps down her arms until they caught on the makeshift binding of her dress. He leaned back to study her, watching goosebumps flow over her skin. He stepped close, brutally upright, keeping his body from hers, and licked her lips.

  Her breath whispered over him and he had to close his eyes to maintain his control. His muscles locked, his nerves stretched taut—aching, pleading with him to press close and indulge them in the silken feel of her skin. He wanted her mouth, first.

  So he did what he always did and simply took what he wanted. He captured her mouth with his, demanding entrance. She resisted, playing her own game, holding firm against his invasion. He slammed his hands on the desk to either side of her hips and gripped the edge until it bit into his palms.

  With a frustrated growl, he pulled back enough that his lips were barely touching hers. He licked her again, fleeting drifts of heat, damp trails tracing the full curves. Tasting and teasing, easing and melting. Slow, quick, warm and wet, he wore her down until her lips trembled and parted, unable to resist any longer.

  He didn’t rush this time. He dipped in, savored, retreated and licked her lips again. He tasted her, a hint of mint a cooling counterpoint to the warmth of her. Slowly he drew her out, tempted her into following his lead until her tongue peeked from between her lips and reached for his. He withdrew and she came to him.

  He opened his mouth for her and she moaned at the illusion of her own power. She stroked across his tongue, danced with him. He gripped the desk harder and gave her the moment. Then he thrust into her mouth with a bold stroke—there and gone—that sent tension shimmering through them both.

  She bit his lip and he felt it in his cock. A hot band of lust streaked through him, tangled around his spine, cinching tight. He thrust his tongue into her mouth again, just to see if it would earn him another nip.

  She didn’t disappoint.

  The sharp edge of her teeth dug into his bottom lip, scraping against nerves that caught sudden fire. His lip tingled, his magic sparked. The temperature of the room rose until his blood boiled.

  She deepened the kiss. She held him in thrall as she flicked into his mouth, taking him with an audacity that left him gasping for breath. She lifted her chin, pressing a soft kiss on him, then twisted, taking the caress further.

  Finally she fused their mouths. Then she sweetly handed over control, pulling back into her own space and beckoning him to follow. He surged in, taking advantage, taking her.

  He lost track of time as the kiss went on. She shifted against the desk, arching toward him, but he’d locked his arms, stiffening them to keep from the temptation of her naked body. The taste of her, her scent, already made resistance difficult.

  He had to draw back for air, for control. He pulled from her, forcing his fingers to release the edge of the desk so he could back up several steps.

  “Don’t move.”

  A tremor racked her at his words, but he was too far gone to smile. He reached for the buttons on his shirt and slid them free. He felt her gaze like a brand as he exposed his chest, inch by inch.

  The silk slid against him in a cool caress. She’d primed him too well, every new sensation heaping the pleasure higher. Finally the shirt swun
g open and he shrugged it off, letting it fall to the floor. Just for her, he stroked his palms down his chest.

  He heard her suck in a breath as his hands reached his belt buckle. Slowly enough he had to grit his teeth against the snarling impatience that shook his fingers, he dragged the supple leather from its clasp and tugged it through the loops. He threw it carelessly and dimly heard something crash.

  He flicked open the button of his pants and paused. Ileana was rocking against the desk, eyes glued to his body, legs spread, breasts arched from the position of her arms. Gorgeous. His own face felt hewn from marble, unable to soften.

  She looked very soft.

  He unzipped his pants, the sound scraping his raw nerves, pinching in his ears. Ileana licked her lips, leaning forward now, ass still balanced against the edge of the desk. He kicked off his shoes and let the pants fall.

  “Oh, my God.”

  Her whispered words skittered over him, sending a shaft of arrogant pleasure through his balls. He never wore anything under his trousers. His cock jutted out, a proud escapee of its fabric prison. It flexed under her appreciative gaze.

  He wrapped his hand around it and stroked—a long, smooth pull that teased them both. Up and down, her eyes tracked his motions, appreciation and eagerness shining clearly when she turned her head into the light. She only turned away for a moment before looking back, unable to help herself.

  He liked that.

  Eliasz kicked out of the pool of fabric and stepped close to Ileana. Not close enough, his body screamed. His nerves flickered, his magic reached for hers. It was a curious sensation, a welling up of heated thickness, a small pull in the center of his chest. It added a new level to the pleasure, an extra edge only the strongest of witches could offer.

  Her magic met his in a gentle flow, soft to his hard, docile to his wild. It rubbed against him as if the magic were its own being, connected to them but separate, able to feel and add the feeling into the sensations blazing through them.

  Again, he fisted his cock and stroked. He stood just far enough away for her to have a good view while still feeling his heat. Ileana matched her movements against the desk to his hand. He stroked up, she arched back. He stroked down, she arched forward.

  His balls pulsed. He let go of himself and reached for her, aiming between her thighs with unerring accuracy. His fingers slipped over her, found her, drove deep without warning.

  Her body clamped down on him. Liquid silk, burning fire, tight muscle rippling over him, giving way as he pushed deeper, easing around him as he withdrew.

  “Eliasz!” She threw her head back, illuminating the curve of her throat.

  He dipped his head and licked the long line of her neck, beautifully exposed to him, vulnerable. He suckled her pulse, scraped his teeth over the taut tendons and pushed his fingers deep into her pussy. His magic streaked from his hand, directly into her core.

  He felt her inner walls spasm as the energy sank into delicate flesh, the silk of her rubbing his knuckles, moisture flooding around his penetration until she was beyond slick. He stroked her walls, pressing firmly, sliding and stretching as she shifted, restless, breathing brokenly.

  Satisfaction exploded in his skull. There would be no more teasing from her, no more coy shuffles that created an unwanted separation between him and her submission. She couldn’t shimmy away and make him keep his touch light and incomplete. She was at his mercy—curved over the desk, tense legs spread wide, bound arms trapped beneath her. He could touch her how he wanted, take her how he wanted. He had all the control, stripping even the illusion of it from her.

  Every muscle in his groin pulled tight, causing a chain reaction that swept up his body. Hot drips of need wound down his spine, splashing against every vertebra until nerves in his lower back quivered and twisted.

  He’d deliberately resisted touching most of her. Raising her anticipation, denying her need until she relented and gave him what he wanted. Her small defiance had stoked the flames of his desire, her gentle rebellion had taunted him. Her surrender soothed a savage part of his soul, satisfying it on a level too deep for Eliasz to examine just then.

  He withdrew from her hot clasp and lifted both hands to her shoulders, slowly stroking down her body, to her thighs and back up. A possessive gesture, but the softness of her skin nearly brought him to his knees. He let his fingers drift over the curves of her breasts, teasing her nipples. He dragged his palms over her belly, dipping into the shallow indent of her belly button, her muscles trembling beneath his touch. He smoothed over the flare of her hips, kneading the firm contours of her ass as his hands shifted lower.

  He gripped the back of her thighs, remembering the needy little noises she made when he’d caressed her there earlier, while his tongue was buried in her blazing heat. Compromising with his own need, Eliasz lifted her left thigh and anchored it at his hip. He held it tight as he stepped closer, notching his heavy cock between her folds, shifting until her wet flesh enclosed him and he was caught between their bellies. Her moan reverberated in his skull.

  Her height was to his advantage.

  He sent his other hand trailing up her body to catch her breast. He thumbed her nipple, captivated as the pebbled peak contracted further, pulling at the skin around it, darkening before his eyes in the moonlight.

  He lowered his lips for a taste and discovered he couldn’t get enough. He licked over the peak with the flat of his tongue, prodded with the tip. He blew on the wet trail he left behind and had the pleasure of hearing her cry out. He closed his lips on her and sucked hard.

  It was as if she’d been struck by lightning. Her spine contorted, throwing her body over the desk, her breast pushed tight against his mouth. Her groin shifted against his with the movement, creamy folds slipping up his dick, pressing tight, painting his length with her pleasure. Eliasz couldn’t stop his hips from bucking, sending his cock over her clit, the hard bud dragging against his throbbing flesh.

  He pulled in a breath and locked his muscles, determined to bring her to the begging point. He wanted her writhing beneath him, unable to deny him anything, no thoughts in her head beyond how good he would feel deep inside her. Because he knew, once he was buried in her body, he’d lose all control, handing her the power in that sphere of their life as he lost his mind to her slick heat.

  And she would be quick enough to take advantage, unless he could throw her over the edge of bliss, first.

  So he sucked her nipple and rocked against her clit. He licked her satin skin and kneaded her thigh. He set out to decimate her senses, to overload them past the point of all rationality, leaving no plots or plans behind. He raised her need, poured his magic over it and forced it into new shapes. Her cries became louder, more frequent as she lost her ability to hold them back, though she still tried—biting her lip, her eyebrows pulled together, nostrils flared.

  He shifted his hips, slowly pulling his cock over her clit before driving back, hard enough to smash his balls against her wet heat. He rotated against her and her thigh jerked in his grasp. He tightened his hold on her and did it again.

  She was barely able to force the sound from her lips, but he heard her. “Pl… Please.”

  Broken and breathy, it still showed cognizant thought, and some demanding predator in Eliasz’s soul snarled in outrage. He wanted her beyond words, to the point of madness, at the edge where he, himself, balanced, all but mindless in his need.

  He bent at the knees, enough that when he pulled his hips back, the eager tip of his cock slipped against her opening. He stilled for a magic moment, her honey kissing his crest, her heat burning his skin and her body rippling over his sensitized flesh. Begging.

  He held her there, hovering on his tip for an endless minute, feeling her cream coat him. Her delicate muscles flickered around him, beckoning, tempting. Her chest swelled with a hard breath, her nipple nudged his lips. He licked over it and her hips arched, driving him a fraction of an inch inside her.

  Just enough to stretch her o
pening. Just enough to let him feel the promise of her heat and her pleasure. Just enough to drive him insane.

  He gritted his teeth, jaw bulging with the effort of his control, sweat running down his back. He rocked subtly, satisfying neither one of them. Not even a little. A torturous tease, straining nerves and patience. His balls tightened in demand but he ignored the throbbing ache within them, determined to win this game at all costs.

  She writhed on the edge of the desk. She rolled her hips and bucked, but had no leverage to force him deeper. His hips were locked against the need to surge into her, his mind closed to the softness of her pussy. The pressure was exquisite, both physical and emotional, the greatest challenge he’d ever faced.

  His first time with his bride, and he couldn’t afford to be vulnerable or show weakness. He had to please her beyond her wildest imaginings even as he pleased himself. A game of power, and Ileana had to surrender completely.

  He waited, letting time stretch, distantly hearing the clock bong, the murmur of the guests as they moved into the dining room. Inside his office, the atmosphere was thick with lust, the earthy scent of Ileana’s sex filling Eliasz’s nostrils, the roiling power of magic dripping down the walls, covering everything.

  He pushed forward a bare inch and stopped, closing his eyes as silken tissue wrapped around him, scorching his cock as her body gave way. She threatened his sanity. Fire licked over his balls, pulled until they were snug against his body. His muscles turned to stone.

  She clamped down on his tip, strangling his dick in a wet embrace. There was nothing he wanted more than to feel her do that to his entire length, but still he waited. Her breath was beyond frayed, as if she’d forgotten how to make her lungs work. Fine tremors rolled through her body until she was practically vibrating beneath him.

  He pushed forward again, another inch lost in her depths. A shivering cry rang from her mouth, a wordless plea. Her wide eyes were sightless as she stared at the ceiling, her hair pooling, heavy and dark, on the surface of the desk, the moonlight gleaming over the strands in silver waves.