“Why? And where the fuck was your guardian?” His face was a promise of unyielding violence.
“Everett had the day off. It had nothing to do with him. Thea and I went to the human quarter to work on my healing arcana.Captain Evergreen was there, and he was roughing up an innocent family. I asked him to stop, and this was his response.” I gestured vaguely to my bruised and swollen face and body.
“How do you know they were innocent?” Sterling spat back.
“Seriously? How do I know that people who are incapable of possessing any arcana at all are not involved in some underground dark arcana plot with the Obsidian Court? Call it common sense,” I hissed, wincing in pain as my split lip worsened.
Sterling’s eyes softened as he reached his hand out toward me and then quickly pulled it back. The gesture appeared to create conflict within him. Seconds later he shook his head and redirected his ire toward Thea. “And where was your companion, Lady Thea, while all of this was happening?”
Annoyed with his frustration at Thea, I stepped toward him, nearly closing the distance between us. “She was busy making sure the rest of the guardians didn’t jump in and assist with the assault.”
Sterling took a small step forward, glaring down his chest at me. “The least you could have done was clean yourself up and not show up to a royal function looking like a beggar.”
I craned my neck upward, doing my best to appear menacing. “You and your folk need to see this. And if that makes you all uncomfortable, then maybe you should all look at yourselves in the mirror and figure out why that is. You’re all so quick to say that you saved those people from a life of servitude and enslavement, but did you really? As far as I can tell, those people are no better off in your court than they would have been in the Obsidian Court.” I jammed my finger into his chest. “You and your family are not better than the Obsidian Court. You’re worse! You’re oppression masquerading as righteousness!”
Sterling’s jaw tightened as he stared down at me. “Your mouth is what gets you into trouble, Aurelia. It has nothing to do with who or what you are. It has everything to do with you never knowing when to leave well enough alone and shut the fuck up.”
Without warning, Sterling’s hands were on my hips as he forcefully pulled me close, his lips crashing into mine. Pain and confusion exploded in me as I tried to push away from him. His arms wrapped around me, unwilling to allow any space between us. The heat from his imposing frame surrounded me, and my brain was shouting at me to fight back. This was the fae man who had abandoned me when I’d needed him the most, who, despite promising to love me always, mocked and ridiculed me, made me feel small and worthless, like many others before him who had all promised the same.
While all of that was true, my cowardly heart ached and longed for what we had once shared. The quiet moments, the jokes and laughs, the thoughtful conversations, the tender kisses, the wild and exciting nights in bed.
His intoxicating scent was beginning to wreak havoc on my loosening resolve and sensibility. My body leaned into the kiss, responding to Sterling’s firm grip on my backside. The sheerness of my dress did absolutely nothing to withstand the brain-altering friction his hardened length created between us. Conceding that it was losing the fight, my brain stopped resisting and let my carnal instincts have what they so desperately craved. This didn’t need to be more than what it was, which at present was two adults falling victim to their baser urges.
I reached my hand up and grabbed a fistful of Sterling’s hair as I returned his forceful kiss in kind. I pressed my hips into him, eliciting a muffled moan from him.
Sterling picked me up and placed me on the countertop. Taking a moment to come up for air, he smiled at me deliriously. His lips were smeared in blood-red lipstick. He softly kissed the hand-shaped bruises on my neck, while his hands gripped my thighs. “The captain will be punished for every bruise on your body,” Sterling muttered as he placed another gentle kiss on the other side of my neck. His hands roamed up my body, and I winced in pain as he held on to my waist. He pulled back and looked at me, concerned.
“If you’re going to keep stopping every time you touch something that hurts, you might as well let me go now,” I responded breathlessly.
Sterling’s eyebrow arched, and the look of violence returned. “He will die for this.” The words were spoken like a promise.
His lips were on mine again, his tongue exploring the inside of my mouth. I pulled myself closer to Sterling on the counter, my brilliant dress of rebellion preventing me from wrapping my legs around him. I grunted in frustration, wishing I had taken Thea’s advice and worn the silver one with slits instead. Picking up on my annoyance, Sterling reached down and pulled the dress up until it was just at my hips. In thanks, I wrapped my legs around him. My breath hitched as his stiffness rubbed against me.
“I’ve missed you. I’ve missed this,” he moaned as he pressed in closer, thrusting his hips into mine.
I shook my head at the admission, refusing to acknowledge this unexpected change in vulnerability. “No. Please don’t,” I answered softly. The words left my mouth before I had a chance to stop them spilling out. “I can’t do this with you right now.”
He reached his hand up and cupped the side of my face. “Can’t do what?” he asked softly as he gently rolled his hips into mine.
I leaned into his touch and smiled sadly at him. “I can’t do this thing where we reminisce about what we were,” I replied as a small moan slipped out of me. “You promised me that we would face this realm together.” My breath caught as he placed several lazy kisses on my neck. “But you left me. To face this realm. Alone.”
I pushed Sterling away from my neck, holding his face in my hands. I took in his striking cheekbones, his strong jawline, and stunning eyes. I pressed my swollen lips gently to his. “You promised to be mine. For as long as I’d have you.” I pulled away, taking in the pained expression on his face. “But I never said you could go.”
He wrapped his hands around my thighs, delicately caressing them. “I thought it would be easier. If you hated me.” His handswandered up to the spot between my hips and thighs. His thumbs slowly grazed over the sensitive crease. “But all it did was hurt you. And destroy me from the inside out.”
I placed a single finger on his lips. “Shh. Not now,” I begged.
Sterling nodded morosely in response before returning his attention to his hands and the chaos they were creating between my thighs.
I couldn’t make heads or tails of his sudden change in demean-our toward me, but it didn’t matter. At present all I wanted was him. And I was going to take him.
Reaching down, I unbuttoned his pants and pushed them down past his muscular backside. I wrapped my hand around his hardened cock, thumbing the glistening wetness at the tip before tightening my grip and stroking him. My mouth returned to his, the pain in my lip no longer an issue, as my senses were currently preoccupied with other things.
Sterling pulled aside my moistened undergarments and sucked in a breath as he slowly inserted one of his fingers inside me. “Mothers Above,” he whispered onto my lips.
“More, Sterling,” I ordered as my strokes became more frantic. A hot, dizzying tension was building deep within me. It had been weeks since I had been touched like this, and I feared I would implode if I did not find release soon.
He pulled his finger out and pressed two against my wettened centre. “Call me Forrest. Please.”
