Her other hand drifted down her front, and a sharp breath hissed through her teeth as she pinched a nipple, the slight sting mixing with pleasure as she pressed her thumb harder into her wetness—
The door burst open, and she sat up with a scream.
“Whatare you doing?”
It took Ella a moment to understand that it was Ryu standing in the middle of the room, staring down at her in the dim light like a man possessed. His eyes glinted with a silver light, and his usually sleek hair was falling out of its topknot as if he had been running his fingers through it.
He lookedferal.
She found her voice after a moment. “What areyoudoing in here?”
He stepped closer, looming over her, and Ella suppressed a full-body shudder. She would stay strong.
She wasn’t going to fall victim to the bond and prove that all of Ryu’s taunts about being aweak humanwere right. She could control herself.
This was just a sudden, inconvenient pang of lust.
She’d wake up and everything would be normal again tomorrow.
As soon sd Ryu left, and she had the chance tofinishwhat she’d started.
“How do you expect me to stay away when you’re in here—”
He broke off, the tips of his Elven ears going red, and Ella flushed. Had he known what she was doing? How could he? The bond didn’t let him read minds, did it?
“Yes, well, get out, and you won’t be bothered anymore,” Ella muttered.
His eyes narrowed, and he took a step closer. “Liar,” he said softly.
Ella narrowed her eyes. “I’m not lying.”
He nodded silently to the hand that still lay between her legs, and Ella flushed again.
Well, it seemed the only way he would leave her alone was if she went on offense.
Feigning a calmness she didn’t feel, Ella did her best imitation of him, and raised a single, haughty eyebrow.
“Surely you aren’t affected bythis, are you?” she said, laughing mockingly. Ryu’s eyes glittered as they darted to her fingers, and she bit her lip at the expression of purewantthat flashed across his face for a single moment, before it became impassive again.
He raised a shoulder in a shrug, apparently unable to say anything. Ella would have found it pathetic, if only she could control the pounding of her heart and the tingling between her legs. She squeezed them together, trying to give herself some relief, and Ryu swayed closer to her, as if he couldn’t help himself.
And that was it, she realized. The way to get him to leave her alone before they both did something irrevocable.
“Can’t control yourself, can you?” she taunted. Holding his gaze, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and arched her back. His eyes latched onto her nipples, which she knew were standing out in hard, aching points through the cotton. “The Elf lord brought low by his lust for a human. Hah!”
She saw the exact moment when he snapped, his eyes flared silver, and his control gave way. He was on her in a heartbeat, his mouth meeting hers and he pulled her shift apart in his hands.
But then he grew gentle, his mouth leaving hers as he drew back to look at her for a long moment, his silver gaze held her captive once again.
Very slowly, he raised his hand to her face, running a gentle thumb over her cheekbone. Her lips parted as she drew air in a harsh pant, and his gaze fell on her mouth.
Her heart pounded as his hand shifted, and then he was passing his thumb over her lower lip.
“This doesn’t have to mean anything,” he said in a soft whisper, waiting until she nodded.
Her head was spinning at the look in his eyes, and her blood was sparking in her veins from theanticipation—but he was right. This was just about a biological need. It didn’t have to mean anything. To either of them.
And really, what was wrong with having a little fun? She was stuck here for the time being, what was wrong with her enjoying herself while she was trapped here? When she finally got back home, it wasn’t like there was going to be a long line of young men waiting for her.
