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“Eyes on me, Anaria.” Raziel’s soft, menacing tone pulled my eyes right back to him as he stepped between me and those grappling males. I didn’t know if he didn’t want me looking, but my breathing hitched, the shiver turning into molten desire.
The darkness paused, even the fire seemed to go still, all my awareness narrowing down to him.
I surveyed his hardened face, the lines fanning out from his dark eyes, the scar that nearly cost him his sight. Raz’s low chuckle was a dark, erotic promise. “Don’t look at me like that, Anaria. It gives me ideas.”
My eyes drifted to the collar and my blood chilled at the sight of those spikes, the scars on his face, his body. My plan was utterly absurd.
He was a hardened warrior, a hundred years old.
I was…a hapless, clumsy virgin, ridiculously out of her depth.
“I should get back to the Keep.”
“Is that a royal servant’s uniform?” His eyebrow lifted, taking his time looking me over. “You went to a lot of trouble to find me. Now that you have, spit it out.”
“Spit out what?”
“What you want, Anaria. And tell me straight, because I don’t play games.”
“I want you to fuck me.” There. Quick and concise and to the point. Raz’s eyes widened, his mouth falling open. “And I want you to do it tonight.” The fire blazed behind him, outlining every hard muscle and line, his unbound hair spilling over his shoulders, down his chest.
Holy Hades, he was a work of art.
An edge of forbidden excitement hummed through me as Raziel’s shock turning to narrow eyed curiosity, my mouth watering in anticipation. Heat radiated up through my belly—between my legs—breathing in gulp after gulp of his dense, musky scent. Gods, as outrageous as this was…I wanted him.
And not just to claim the magic.
Because this was Raziel and I wanted to erase those shadows in his eyes, soften the harsh edges on his face. I wanted to see him smile.
To listen to his secrets.
I just…I sighed. Right now, I wantedeverything.
“Go back to the Keep, Anaria.” Raziel’s rough purr went straight into my core. He hadn’t moved, his gleaming torso less than a foot away. Close enough to touch, if I just reached out, stroked my hand down his stomach.Lower.
“You don’t even know what you’re asking.”
“I most certainly do.” I tilted my chin higher. “I want you to fuck me.” I repeated, “And if you won’t, I’ll go find Tristan.”
This was madness. I turned to leave and his hand snapped out and caught me, his thumb tracing circles on the inside of my wrist, his dark eyes calculating. “No,” he said slowly. “Don’t find Tristan. Tell me this. Why come to me, and not the others?”
I didn’t want to lie.
Not to him, but I’d be a fool to volunteer my true motives.
“Because you understand who I am.WhatI am.” I held his gaze. “I’ve never owned land or run up gambling debts, much less have a king pay them off for me. As for Zorander…” I bit my lip and Raz stopped breathing. “Zor isn’t a possibility, because...well, he just isn’t.”
Raziel’s eyes caught fire, as if I’d just revealed some deep, dark secret.
“So, it’s you, or whichever male the Shadow King gives me to.” Every stroke of his thumb over my skin sent a fresh wave of heat through me, and I swayed, completely lost.
“We both know what’s coming, once my usefulness ends.” I murmured softly. “I want to make one choice in my life, before that happens.”
“Fuck.” Raz shook his head. “Why the fuck do you have to be so godsdamnned convincing?”
“Because we both know our only chance of surviving is to do whatever it takes to stay alive.” I couldn’t help myself; I reached up and stroked my fingers down his beautiful face, his eyes widening. “What it means to hold onto a piece of yourself, when they’re trying to destroy you.”
I was talking about all of them: Solok, the kings, the Mistress, Crux and Lyrae. “That’s all I’m trying to do. Survive, because we both know there’s no one to protect me.”
