Page 143 of A Thread of Breath and Bone

“Asshole,” he mumbles, opening another gateway. “Speak with your friends. You all have the day off from training, but tonight—” He looks to the other gateway thirty feet away where Carys disappeared, then back to me. “We’re all having dinner with the king.”

Raea stirs, stretching her hands overhead, exposing her bare center from the very short camisole she’s wearing. I feel like a damn child going through puberty all over again when my cock twitches at the sight.

There’s a dark, primal satisfaction in the way she wakes to my scent—the way her pulse jumps before her eyes even open. I can feel her desire through the Bond, a warm, honeyed pull that tests every ounce of my self-control.

Her eyes flutter open as she meets my gaze. I set the cup of tea on the bedside table as I shift, moving to settle over her. She inhales deeply as her legs hook over the backs of mine. “You didn’t have enough last night,” she says against my lips as I lean down, taking her mouth with mine.

“Never,” I grumble into her mind.

She grins against my lips.

I breathe deeply, letting the mingled scent of us settle the burning desire within me. Yes, I am insatiable.

Raea stretches beneath me, the lines of her body and her new strength shifting me atop her. “I need food and a bath. Thanks for the tea.” She rolls me off her as she slips from the bed, taking a long sip of the tea. She thinks she’s being subtle as she sways toward the bath, but through our connection, her intent is as loud as a shout.

“I see you, Princess,” I purr down our Bond, watching the way her shoulders tighten in a delicious shiver. “And I’m keeping score.”

Chapter 52

Raea

I think I’m going to spend the next fifty years of my life eating and lying beneath my mate. I won’t even need to get dressed. I’ll pay whoever I need to to deliver all of our meals. There may be a war looming, but I’m quite content living in denial for now.

I groan as berries burst in my mouth, mingling with the browned butter, cinnamon, and the faint chill still lingering in the fruit baked into the muffin.

“Wow,” Ciara says flatly. “He really worked you into an appetite.”

I glare at her over my third muffin. Across the table, Tate snickers. I kick him not so gently until he whines about his leg. Meanwhile, Ryker sits at the end of the table chatting with Trysten and Kamden about the awakening and his morning rendezvous with Riven.

He is paying attention to the conversation, but I also know he’s aware of my every breath, every shift of my body in the chair. This whole mind-speaking thing is new, but I’m not against testing out its limits.

“Just wait,” I say, licking each finger. “Food is a whole experience. It’s orgasmic.”

Down the table, Ryker begins coughing up the coffee he just inhaled.

I had been so overwhelmed yesterday that I couldn’t bring myself to speak into his mind. I was in a new body with new magic and knowledge, and I had needed a minute to exist inside it. But now…

I smile to myself, taking another bite as I send an image of him above me last night, roaring my name like a prayer as he reached his climax. I giggle this time when he spews his coffee, blessedly missing Trysten’s head. It hits the wall, coating the white stone in dark droplets before it runs for the floor.

Ciara’s head swings toward me. Her brows shoot up toward her hairline. “Raea, what did you just do? I know that was your fault.”

I set my muffin down before picking at it with a smirk. “Whatever do you mean?” I ask, taking a sip of my tea. “I’ve just been eating my muffin, minding my own business.”

Ryker wipes his mouth, chuckling darkly. The sound wraps around my skin, causing me to shiver. “Two can play the game, Soraea.”

I wait for whatever payback he has planned, but it never comes. A moment later, Aolyn and Kellan walk into the dining space where we are seated, and pause, his eyes bouncing between each of us. “What did I miss?” he asks, pulling out a seat next to Tate, who is now fisting a honey roll in one hand and jerky in the other.

Ciara’s teasing gaze settles on me, but I pay her no heed as I pick at my muffin, shaking my head.

Tate is the one to answer, “They’re doing some weird mind thing with each other.”

Ryker and I still, my mouth drops open.

Beside me, Ciara barks out a laugh, throwing her head back as she claps me on the shoulder. “Gods, Rae, you should see your face right now.”

Without turning my head, my eyes slide to my mate seated ten feet away. His eyes are already on me, a satisfied smirk pulling at his mouth. I am so not prepared for the absolute theft of my breath as Ryker’s memory slams into my mind. It’s not just a picture. It’s the heat of his skin, the salt on his tongue, and the low, guttural vibration of his voice as he claimed me.

An embarrassing whimper escapes my mouth—a sound of pure, unadulterated need—and I jump to my feet so fast the chair clatters to the floor.