Page 76 of When Roses Burn

I barely suppressed a whimper as the excruciating ache between my thighs strengthened. If he set me free and I crawled to him and spread my legs in invitation, he’d screw me in every way possible.

A whimper lodged in my throat. No. Stop. STOP!

If he sets you free, you must remain in control.

Neither of us wanted to let our baser impulses take over. We’d both hate that we’d been propelled into each other’s arms by urges beyond our control, but I craved him so badly I could taste his semen on my lips.

I used to enjoy taking his shaft deep into my mouth and the way his body moved while I sucked and stroked him. He was too big to fit completely, but that hadn’t stopped him from enjoying it.

He’d thread his fingers through my hair and draw me closer as my fingers grasped his taut ass while he rocked against me. When he came, I’d enjoyed the pulse of his cock against my tongue and the salty taste of his seed before swallowing it.

The memory was so vivid that, for a moment, I was there once more as he groaned deep in his throat and thrust one more time. Once he finished coming, he’d pull away and claim my mouth in a kiss that stole my breath before taking me to the ground.

I closed my eyes against the memory as I tried to rid myself of the ache, but it was an incessant part of me that had burrowed into my veins. It pulsed outward with every beat of my heart until my toes and fingers burned with it too.

It had dug into my bones and embedded into the very marrow of them. As it crept through my skeleton, it felt like my bones might shatter from the lust quaking through them.

Can I die from my Needing? I pondered again, because it certainly felt that way.

“The curse, Briar.”

My eyes flew open, and I laughed bitterly as he returned to this maddening line of questioning. “I told you everything I know about the curse! Since you like hearing me repeat myself, I don’t know how to break it, and I don’t know how she knew our plan!”

I didn’t realize I was yelling until my throat became raw from shouting. I winced as I tried to swallow, but my parched throat made the movement difficult.

Determined to ignore any more of the same questions, I took a deep breath and focused on the wild beat of my heart against my ribs. It didn’t shut out the pain in my bones, but at least I wasn’t so focused on it.

My heart raced so fast I could feel its pulse as it rushed through my ears and out through my body again. My fingers curled in on themselves, and I took another steadying breath as I sought to calm myself.

I couldn’t open my eyes; I couldn’t look at him. I could still smell him, and despite my focus on my heartbeat, his scent taunted me with something far more enjoyable, but I couldn’t have it.

I could get through this. I would get through this. Even if he didn’t free me, I’d do this on my own by focusing on the here and now, but I still wanted the chance to prove I could do more.

“Please, free me,” I whispered.

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

Knox

I studied Briar as she kept her eyes closed, and some of the pinched look left her delicate features. Her breath still came faster than normal, but it had slowed as she gained more control of herself.

Her last words echoed in my head. I didn’t know what to make of them. If I set her free, what would she do? Was this some ploy to gain her freedom?

Did she know that if she offered herself to me and grasped my dick, I wouldn’t say no to her? Is that what she was trying to accomplish?

I’d intended to use this time to torture her into giving me information, but she’d spent hours in those chains and still wasn’t budging on her answers. And as much as I knew it was an incredibly bad idea, I was curious to see what she’d do if I released her.

Perhaps her words would prove to be nothing more than a lie, and I’d know for sure she was exactly who I believed her to be. But I couldn’t set her free until I was certain I could control myself.

Grinding the bones in my hands together, I struggled to restrain the beast. It still craved her, but I restrained it until my hands finally returned to normal. When I was certain I was in control again, I untied my ruined boots, pulled them off, and tossed them aside before rising.

Briar remained unmoving as she leaned into the chains; her breathing had steadied, and her face looked almost serene. I’d never seen anything like this from the casters before. It might prove to be a decision worse than the one to trust her in the first place, but I had to see what she’d do once freed.

I removed the key for the chains from my pocket as I strode toward her. The only indication she showed of my approach was her eyes moving a little faster behind her closed lids.

When I grasped one of the manacles around her wrist, my fingers brushed hers. She winced as her breathing picked up and her mouth compressed.

I’d never witnessed a caster seeking to avoid touch while in the harem. It only confused me further, but I’d already started this, and I would finish it.