“You’re not going to win this,” Vesryn said, chuckling with more smugness than anyone had a right to possess. “Not when I can tell what you’re feeling through the bond.”
“Stars scorch you,” Serenna seethed, squeezing her eyes shut, attempting to sever her mind from her body. She sensed the prince fully intended to force her into obedience by swinging her pleasure out of reach.
Behind her eyelids, she felt Vesryn shift his weight lower. Blood jerking in every direction, the return of his mouth between her thighs brought a renewed wave of warmth. Serenna emitted a discouraged sob at the way his tongue flattened against her aching center, delivering only half the pressure she needed to chase a release.
Serenna spent what had to be years straining to block out every sensation, forcibly steering her awareness away from the pleasure the prince was wringing out of her body. Since he intended to continue torturing her forever, she stubbornly refused to break first and demand that he stop.
Against all odds, Serenna distanced her mind enough to reach the intangible space where Essence lay waiting. She recklessly snatched at her magic, desperately hauling rending from her Well.
It took multiple tries.
Power igniting, shadows thrashing, Serenna hurtled her entire strength against the prince’s restrictive magic, severing his rending with a vicious slice of her own. Her body bolted up as she disintegrated his grip.
Grinning, Vesryn peeked up from between her legs. Serenna seized his hair and shoved his face back down, grinding against his mouth before collapsing back to the bed.
Vesryn laughed against her, the rumbling from his lips burying a rapturous tide of vibrations deep into her core. Theprince doubled his efforts, fingers pumping, tongue flicking. Serenna locked him in with her thighs, savagely moving with him. Chasing pleasure, she rode against his mouth, building her release.
Serenna whimpered, mind unraveling, lightheaded, so close to the brink. This time, Vesryn let her tumble over the edge—shoving her off when he did something inexplicable with his shadows.
Magic ricocheted against her from the inside out, sending Serenna’s spine arching off the mattress. She fissured and shattered, her climax shuddering, barreling through her body in crashing waves. Serenna went limp, collapsing onto her pillows.
“Scorching stars,” Vesryn panted against her, hauling himself up to her face. He smoothed her hair away from her eyes. “That felt…” He didn’t finish the thought before his ravenous lips collided with hers.
Serenna didn’t have time to catch her breath as their mouths kindled against each other, stoking coals in the fire. No longer willing to be the only one unclothed, Serenna tackled the half-tied laces of Vesryn’s trousers.I’ll die if he stops me again.
“As much as I want to,” the prince said, halting her hands.
Serenna’s wordless objection began flying off her tongue before he interrupted her.
“Jassyn has been badgering me telepathically for the past fifteen minutes.” Vesryn’s voice was tight with annoyance. “Apparently, he requires my assistance at thisexactmoment and refuses to take no for an answer.”
If it was anyone but Jassyn, Serenna would’ve protested. She propped herself up. “Well, you deserve it for all the times you’ve harassedhim.”
Rising, Vesryn tied the laces of his trousers and slipped back into his boots. Serenna’s mouth twitched with amusement from his disarray. The prince yanked his leathers straight, shoving stray strands of hair out of his eyes.
“I plan to continue this later.” Leaning down, the prince brushed his lips against hers. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Muttering to himself about Jassyn’s atrocious timing, Vesryn opened a portal. Serenna leaned back into her pillows, watching him disappear. As the cloud of lust cleared from her mind, she frowned, realizing they’d never truly talked.
CHAPTER 15
JASSYN
Sensing a surge of power, Jassyn jerked his head up from the tome he was reading at the dining table.About time.He’d only been persistent in bothering his cousin since Vesryn was stubbornly balking.Let’s see howhelikes being the one pestered.
As expected, the prince’s portal tore open in the middle of his sitting room. Readjusting his plated ear cuffs from the sudden jarring, Jassyn pushed away the remnants of his dinner.
Vesryn stalked through the portal, snarling. “This had better be life threatening or I’m opening a rift to the Hibernal Wastes and tossing you through.”
Folding his arms, Jassyn leaned back in his chair. He returned the prince’s scowl, sweeping his attention over his cousin’s disheveled state. Silver hair half out of his topknot, rumpled tunic, and—
Jassyn yanked his gaze up, clashing with his cousin’s eyes. His mouth pinched further into a glower upon noticing that Vesryn’s excessively tight leathers only highlighted his blatant erection.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Jassyn grated out through hisclenched jaw, thinking his teeth might crack. “You obviously need to cool off in a snowdrift before we go anywhere.”
The prince’s nostrils flared as he released his magic, the rift fading behind him. “I don’t know which part of ‘I’m giving Serenna the most mind-blowing clim—’”
Jassyn slammed the book in front of him shut, cutting his cousin off. “It was my mistake to assume you were simply being lewd.” His cheeks heated with discomfort that he hoped the prince interpreted as anger. “I assure you, it won’t happen again.”
