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He was acting very strange, indeed.
“You shouldn’t be in here,” I said, slightly dazed.
“Shhhh,” he whispered.
What were we discussing? And more importantly, why was he touching me?
I tilted my head up, and our eyes connected. He flicked his gaze down to my mouth for the briefest second, as if weighing his options, before he pressed his lips against mine.
It wasn’t a shock, and still I gasped as his tongue traced over my lips, tasting me, owning me with his attention alone. I opened my mouth wide, hungry, starving, and moaned when he plunged his tongue into my mouth.
Scion lifted me with one arm and pressed a thigh between my legs, forcing my hips to grind down until heat pounded in my core.I couldn’t recall what I’d been concerned about a moment before as his fingers tightened in my hair, sending sharp tingles over my body from the crown of my head all the way down my back.
Pushing me back roughly, he climbed over me on the bed. My knees fell open, and I tilted my head, another soft moan of surrender escaping my lips.
I felt his warm fingers trace up my sides, and I shuddered in anticipation, desire rattling through me. Brutal. Unyielding. My pulse thrummed too quickly as he moved his mouth to the curve of my neck, down to my breast, tugging thin fabric aside to wrap his lips around one nipple. “Do you like that, darling?”
I wrinkled my nose, something dissonant pricking at the back of my mind, like an insect, humming, nipping, stinging.
“Say that again?” I breathed.
“Darling.”
He moved to the other breast, tongue swirling, and sparks of pleasure that trailed down my body to my core dragged another ragged gasp from my throat.
I opened my eyes, blinking, and stared down at where the moon hit his skin, shimmering, glowing. I reached out, pressing a hand to his face, and felt a slight buzz beneath my fingertips. Then, he shimmered around the edges, and I pulled back, watching as some of the hazy fog dissipated from around us. “Wait, what did you call me?”
24
SCION
THE CUTTHROAT DISTRICT, INBETWIXT
Iwatched with narrowed eyes as one of Cross’s daughters led her up a flight of stairs to the main house. The moment they disappeared, I stood as well, my chair screeching against the floor. “What the fuck were you doing in the capital?”
“Hello to you too.” Cross leaned back in his chair. “It’s good to see you, mate.”
I ground my teeth, not feeling all that friendly anymore. It was good to see him before he decided to be a prick and drudge up ancient history for her amusement, like he had any reason to have to please her. “Answer the damned question, Cross.”
He looked at me like I’d sprouted a second head. “I had business in the capital. Is that alright with you, Your Highness?”
“Not if it involves her, it isn’t.”
“She involved herself,” he scoffed. “And why the fuck do you care, anyway? Am I mistaken, or is that not the woman who killed ol’ Penvalle?”
“Among other things.” I nodded shortly, not particularly liking the reminder. “She was attacked recently. Know anything about that?”
He stood and crossed in front of me, making his way to the bar he’d been eying for the better part of the last hour. Reaching out of sight, he pulled out a bottle and knocked it on the edge of the wood to remove the cap before taking a swig. “Yeah, actually, I did hear about that. The whole damned continent heard about it. That’s what you wanted, though, right?”
I tried not to smile at that. Yes, actually, thatwaswhat I’d wanted. Glad to know the surviving thug was doing his job well, running messages all over Elsewhere for me. Perhaps I’d track him down again since it seemed he was better at getting shit done than two-thirds of the people who worked for me currently.
“The tavern upstairs is practically empty,” I said, my anger not entirely abated. “Kaius said you were worried about assassins, and I heard you’re giving more trouble to the lord and lady than usual.”
“So?”
“AndI noticed the district has expanded. Are you taking on different contracts?”
Tiny tendrils of shadow began to leak, unbidden, out of my fingertips, and I brushed them angrily away before they could spread. I looked up to find Cross watching me curiously.
