Page 75 of Fated to the Demon Lord

“You can’t be certain of that⁠—”

“It doesn’t matter,” he cut me off. “You have your family with you. You can be free here.” His hand grazed mine, and he looked at me with urgency. “I won’t drag you out there to undergo death or torture. Stay here and stay safe.”

I caught his hand and looked into his face, fear and desire and want mixing in a confusing mess. My eyes stung. “If you leave, you’ll never return.” When the slavers trapped us, I feared he’d disappear from the world.

But now, I feared him disappearing from my world.

Vaelor ran his fingers through his hair, his jaw clenching. “What do you want, Denara?”

Rising onto my toes, I gripped his lapels and pulled him down until our lips met. Vaelor held perfectly still, as if caught off guard.

“I want you,” I said, sliding my palm along his square jaw. “I want you, Vaelor.”

He hesitated only a second before he placed his hand against my spine and kissed me, his mouth cold yet claiming. He pulled back slightly, breathing hard. “You don’t know what you are asking. I’m dangerous.”

“Don’t act like you don’t care for me,” I murmured. “It’s already too late.”

Something close to devastation tugged at his lips. “Denara⁠—”

“Don’t fight it.” I ran my hands over his shoulders and chest as I stared into his eyes, which ignited with an undeniable heat. “Just take me. Tonight.”

He kissed me again, lifting me and shoving me against a tree.

I tilted my chin up as his lips traveled down my throat, his fingers at my bodice, working on the ties.

“I left the festivities because I could smell your desire,” he rumbled. “It was the only way to resist the urge to take you right there.”

“I didn’t realize I had that much of an effect on you.”

His teeth grazed my skin, sending a shiver through me. “Every time I’ve smelled it, I’ve had to fight myself. Fight the need to touch you. To claim you.” He dragged his mouth along the curve of my neck. “The only way I could keep control was to leave—to go scouting, to stay away, to…” His words dissolved into a low growl that vibrated against my skin, igniting a fresh wave of heat deep inside me. “And here you are offering yourself to me⁠—”

“Make love to me, Vaelor.”

My bodice loosened, and he peeled it apart, revealing my breasts. He descended lower, kissing my soft skin. A shiver of delight rolled through me.

“I’ll make love to you,” he replied. “I’ll do whatever you want me to.”

I placed my hands to either side of his face. “Don’t go too fast. Make me want it more.”

“As you wish,” he softly uttered before sucking my tit into his mouth.

Oh gods. The sensation of his tongue as it lulled against my sensitive skin made my whole being ache for him.

He gripped the fabric of my dress and slipped his hands up my skirt.

“You’ve longed for this, haven’t you?” His icy fingers spread my thighs, ascending gradually, inevitably. “You’ve imagined me doing the most despicable things to you.”

My body was betraying me. I trembled under his touch, a craving sparking so strongly I had to suppress the noise rising up my throat. “I have no clue what you mean,” I lied breathlessly.

A smile curled his lips, and he leaned forward, his mouth brushing my skin as he whispered in my ear. “I haven’t just scented your desire. I’ve seen the want burning in your eyes. Your… lust.”

The back of his finger stroked my center, and I fell against the tree, releasing a primal moan. His grin turned wicked.

He stroked again, the back of his nail sliding over me, its tip gentle, yet I knew what he could do with those claws. How he’d used his dragon claws to pull out the creature’s own heart, how easily he could kill me if he chose.

My desire spiked at the danger of it. Of him.

“Fuck, Denara. The way you’re looking at me. Fuck.” He removed his hand and came closer. He positioned his hips between my thighs, and I sensed his hardness through my dress. I gasped as he thrust, dragging it over my most tender area, sparking me to life. Gods, that felt good.