His breath reverberates within his helm, and he shifts, leg pressing harder against me. My hips quiver and I writhe, suddenly desperate for more friction. The crevice between my legs pulses, and the crowd disappears. There’s only the bewitching siren song and Ezryn’s broad thigh beneath me.
His left hand trails up my knee, and his right hand pushes aside the strips of fabric to grip the soft flesh of my thigh. He presses so powerfully, indentations form. My breast shudders with my rapid breath. He’s pretending to watch the show, but those deft fingers skirt higher and higher.
My hand drifts up to caress the side of his helmet. “Say something to me in a language of Spring.”
He tilts his head, and I can almost picture him—that strange, faceless yet familiar image I have—lowering his brows and staring at me with a seductive gaze.
“Please.” The word comes out more plead than pleasantry.
“Anon caria mirel baelorin,” he whispers. “Yavanthy caeotin. Darisfeli em onore, Rosalina.”
Each syllable drips with a musical lilt, and there’s a hint of mischief that has me screaming to know what he said. I grind against him with more conviction, and he continues to speak to me, each word seeming to dance upon the air.
The mermaid’s still singing, and the guests are lost in her pull, but I can barely hear her. Ezryn drives his leg up, and I bounce on his lap until I’m sitting with my back pressed to his chest, my thighs on either side of one of his. This angle makes the pressure of the steel plate over his leg even more punishing on my throbbing center.
I should adjust, but the thought of losing this delicious friction makes me only want to rub harder against him.
The cold metal of his helmet leans into the crook between my neck and my bare shoulder. I so badly wish I could feel his breath upon my skin, know the sound of his voice without the reverberation of the helm. But these thoughts take a back seat as he drapes an arm over my waist and pulls me tighter to him.
My slit heats as he drags me over his thigh, and I bite my bottom lip hard to avoid a moan. Does he know exactly what he’s doing? He’s pretending to watch the songstress, but his hands keep finding their way to my skin—
“I’ve searched the reefs and caverns deep, calling out your name,” Ezryn hums, “I’ve swum across the four realms’ seas, but nothing’s ever been the same. For every night I dream of you,” his voice becomes a breathy rasp, “and our love so true.”
“Oh, Ezryn,” I breathe. His hands feel too light on me; I want them hard and disciplining, the way I know he can touch me. The way he grabbed me the very first time we met.
I arch my ass back against him, wishing he wasn’t wearing this damned armor. Is he hard? Or is he wondering why I can’t just sit still and watch the mermaid?
Every nerve in my body feels on fire. Sparks of pleasure surge through me each time I rock my hips over him. The slits of my skirt have fanned out all around his leg until there’s only my soaked panties pressing against his metal thigh.
Then a realization hits me.
I’ve forgotten to wear panties. I’ve been grinding my bare wetness against him, drenching his thigh in my arousal.
Oh god. A wave of shame rushes to my cheeks as I imagine Ezryn’s repulsion when he realizes there’s been nothing between me and his armor. I whip my head around until I catch sight of the alleyway leading out of the courtyard. There’s an opening in the crowd.
The mermaid stops singing and everyone erupts into thunderous applause. I take the opportunity to leap from Ezryn’s lap and run away.
58
Ezryn
I inhale a deep, rattling breath. Every nerve of my body stands on edge, but I hold myself perfectly still. Rosalina darts through the crowd, but I don’t move to follow her. Not yet. I allow a single moment to bring myself under control.
Because if I don’t, I’m likely to devour her in the middle of the party.
My cock throbs against my steel armor. Her skin, soft as a petal, feels imprinted upon my fingertips. I barely grazed her and yet that touch was enough to make an untamed craving flare within me, something both thrilling and terrifying. The gleam of her arousal on my armor only fuels my need.
I stand and move through the crowd with slow but deliberate purpose. I lost her in the throng but I’ll find her quickly enough. Her scent drives me forward. My senses zero in on that delicious smell, letting the din of the party die away. She’s here…
Brown hair flashes before me, and I spot the familiar profile of her nose. Mine. I reach out and snag her arm.
“Don’t touch me,” the woman snarls, and I release her. This is a fae, not Rosalina. I notice now her hair is much shorter, and her eyes flash with a feral glint that would never match Rose’s sweet demeanor.
“Apologies, I thought you were someone else.”
The fae woman looks me up and down, and a smirk darts up her wild face. “Interesting.”
“Excuse me.” I push past her and give my head a shake. My senses must have been confused among all these people. But it doesn’t take long for me to pick up her trail. She ducks into a passage that connects the courtyard to the rest of the castle.
I slip into the shadows behind her, taking a moment to watch as she catches her breath in the quiet. Beautiful. I’d said I was going to murder Marigold for dressing her in such an outfit, but only because no one’s eyes are deserving to stare upon the majesty of her radiance. Not that I am more worthy… But she is the mate of my brother-in-arms.
That does not make her yours, I tell myself. So why are you torturing yourself like this?
The answer comes with a flick of her dark hair over her shoulder, the sway of her thick hips.
Because the pleasure is worth the pain.
In a single swift movement, I’m pushing her back against the stone wall. My hand wraps around her small wrists and pull her arms over her head. The act causes her chest to shudder in and out, beautiful breasts barely hidden by the inky black designs dripping down her bodice. “Rosalina, what did we say about going off by yourself?”
Her eyes are wide and unblinking. She licks her lips and flicks her gaze down to my leg. “Ez—”
“Eyes on me when I’m talking to you,” I growl.
A flash of mischief crosses her face. “What if I don’t obey? Are you going to choke me, tin can?”
I can’t help my smile. “Only if you ask nicely.”
Her perfect mouth drops into a delicious O. I tighten my grip on her wrists. “Where did you think you were going?”
“Away,” she whispers. “I was… embarrassed.”
I trace the hand that isn’t holding her wrists up along her jaw. “Now, why would you feel something so ridiculous as that?”
Her breast heaves close enough to touch my chest plate. Suddenly, I understand Dayton and his preference for going without a shirt. “Because I couldn’t help myself—”
“And you should never have to.” I inhale deeply, tilting my helmet to curve into the dip between her neck and shoulder. “It is a privilege and pleasure to be at the beck and call of your arousal.”
She squirms beneath me. I tighten my hold on her in response and push in closer, trapping her between my body and the wall. “Ezryn…”
I drop my hand from her jaw down the line of her neck. “You deserve to be satisfied, Petal.”
She barks a laugh, which is quickly cut off by the light press of my hand on her neck. “Did I say something humorous?”
She gasps, and I feel the delicious bob of her throat against my hand. Her heart beats in a nervous cadence, but she swivels her hips to brush against mine. “Well, not everyone thinks that way.”
A growl rumbles through my chest. “Who dared not satisfy our lady?”
She looks sheepishly to the side. “Dayton—”
I swirl her in my arms, reveling in the press of her body against mine. She looks up at me with wide eyes and a genuine smile, and for a moment I’m mesmerized that I’m finding joy in such an evil place.
I dip her, and she throws her head back, long hair dusting the ground. “Dayton is a fool,” I say. “His mistake should be rectified immediately.”