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I rolled my eyes at him and that earned me a smirk. I closed the distance between us and took his hand. Araki stared down at me, his violet eyes intent of my face. He pulled me closer to him until I was pressed firmly on his hard body. I licked my lips, my heart throbbing from nervousness of flight and being so close to him. Warmth filled my veins when I felt his hand enclose around my waist.
“Wrap your arms around me,” Araki ordered, his voice gruff.
I lifted my hands and wrapped them around his neck. I let out shrill when he took off without warning. I held on tightly as his massive wings flapped hard and fast, carrying us further from the ground and up. The autumn air needled my skin and I pressed deeper into him as he flew us faster. I rested my head onto his chest, finding the rhythm of his heartbeat steady unlike my racing heart.
“Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall,” Araki spoke calmly, looking down at me for a moment.
I dared to peer down and everything was like a speckle of grain when we were soaring and gliding among the clouds in the sky. I sensed it then when my nervousness and fear subsided, the subtle hum of his magic. It brushed against my skin, enticing me to weave it but I knew that wasn’t a great idea.
“How far is it?” I asked instead.
“About an hour,” he replied.
*
That late afternoon, after an hour of flying, we ended up in a tavern. I had convinced Araki the best hunting ground for a vampire with the ability to pass out as an ordinary human, was the tavern where drunken men stumbled home after too many drinks, bartenders returning home from a late shift, and couples that stayed up until the sun came up. There were many options for a Bruxsa. I just hoped Araki and I looked like one of those options and lured something. Gossip, a bloodthirsty monster, anything to aid us. Yet as we sat alongside each other in a secluded corner and surveyed the room, I realized there was nothing to talk about that wouldn’t lead to an argument.
“So, tell me, Reilyn, any lovers waiting for your return?” Araki asked.
I sputtered and coughed. I lifted my head from the mug and turned to look at him. Araki stared back at me as he leaned back in his chair beside me.
“No,” I replied, then added, “My lovers are none of your concern.”
“Hmm, no lovers,” Araki mused.
“I didn’t tell you that I don’t have any,” I scowled.
Mirth danced in his eyes as the smirk on his face grew bigger, his dimple showing.
“Who is Nadine?” I asked.
“Why are you asking?”
“You asked of her earlier,” I shrugged. “Is she your lover?”
“She is someone I know,” Araki answered cryptically.
I rolled my eyes at him.
“Why? Are you jealous, Reilyn?” Araki whispered.
“You wish,” I snorted.
Araki smiled, “I’ve noticed the way you look at me. You don’t have to deny it.”
What an arrogant prick!
I blinked into my mug, looking at the frothy liquid, feeling his intense gaze on my face. But I could play this game too. Slowly, I lifted my eyes to his face and met his eyes.
“Does it get you hot, Your Majesty?” I leaned in closer, my mouth almost brushing his jawline. I raised my hand and lightly dragged my fingernail on his sexy throat, following a swallow. Araki eyes hardened as he looked out at the tavern. At that moment, I didn’t care if anyone watched us.
“Does it get you hot under the collar thinking about me with another man?” I teased. Araki would’ve likely sooner spat on me in disgust than the thought of me in such a way. But still, I inched my head just below his ear, ignoring the quickening beat of my heart and the pool of heat in my belly. It was only because of the bond, I told myself. It was not because I felt any real attraction toward the king of Halafarin. “Do you imagine yourself in their place?”
I gasped when his fingers gripped my knee, pulling my thigh flush against his. Araki moved his hand on my hip, settling close between the juncture of my thighs. The heat from his hand seared through fabric of my clothes. His violet eyes burnt into me with an unmistakable desire.
“What if I do?” Araki murmured huskily, his lips lightly touching the shell of my ear. A shiver of excitement coursed through me.Push him away, a voice in my head warned as his fingers tightened on me, digging in with the right amount of pressure. I bit my lip, stifling a moan in my throat. I tipped my head back, allowing him more access.
“What if I wished you’d had a night with me? Would you imagine it’s me in place of the men you’ve been with?” He purred.
