She does.
Her head tips back, exposing the line of her throat. I press a kiss there, then another, feeling her shiver.
Each sound she makes feels like a gift.
Each breath, a vow renewed.
Her legs wrap around my waist, drawing me closer, and my tail follows, sliding along her spine in a slow, deliberate line before curling around her again—this time firm enough that she feels held.
Safe.
Claimed—but never owned.
Her forehead rests against mine as the space between us disappears entirely. I hook my thumbs around the bottom of the armor they make her wear. Then I shift out of my own pants until my cock springs free.
“I don’t want to waste any more time,” she breathes.
So I find her entrance. Wet and soft, just as I remember. I line myself up, and finally, I come home once more.
As I shift forward, pushing into her, the song in my chest sings loudly. I need her to hear this again.
Need her whole.
I would take this night, but I am growing greedy. I need her for as long as I possibly can.
I need us both to survive tomorrow.
Chapter 38
LIANA
“And citrine is used for?” I say conversationally. My face is my own again, no longer weighed down by the thick glamour.
“Creativity, problem solving. Often given to those looking for success,” she recites.
“Very good,” I murmur against the clink of her instruments as she works. Vesilane starts to hum, sifting through herbs. Alongside her bottles, I’ve placed a collection of crystals for her to memorize and incorporate into her practice.
She was always smart, even as a young girl.
I look away from her to the stone in my hands, the one I’d given to Ayla Daecaryn when she left to help Mrath.
We will be in the city by tomorrow evening,the message reads.
My gut is in knots, despite the cheerfulness of my lodging companion. Castien was not able to find the seed that she had prepared to put on the throne. The thing that would turn the power back to the right god, and it is just gone. A guard could’ve taken it. It could’ve been thrown away or destroyed—or perhaps simply fallen somewhere around the palace.
I don’t know how Mrath will solidify her rule without it.
And apart from all that, so many women have died in the last few days. So many of Mrath’s troops.
I know she brings an army with her, but I mourn the lives of those I traveled with.
Taking a deep breath, I lean back in the soft, padded chair of Castien’s luxurious home. When he’d said “safe house,” I’d pictured a shack somewhere.
I should’ve known. Castien prefers things lush and beautiful.
Looking around the house, with its thick furs, deep yellows, greens, and blacks, I can picture him lounging around this place so easily. I imagine he enjoys it here.
How lovely that must be to enjoy with Vesilane.