His gaze followed the path of her tongue, and she swallowed, rattled by his unblinking regard.
“I have something for you,” he murmured, watching her throat as she swallowed, his ravenous gaze watching her as if she was his prey.
Trying to distract herself, Ella sat at her dressing table, offering Ryu her arm chair. She was safe if he was all the way over there on the other side of the room from her.
“You said you had something to show me?” Ella asked.
“Here,” Ryu said. He stood and crossed the room to her, dipping a hand into the pocket of hishaori.
He handed her a long silver chain, on which hung a large pendant made from a single blue crystal, glowing with a magical inner fire.
“What is it?” Ella asked, touching the crystal with a curious finger. The glow inside the crystal reacted, shrinking before turning blinding for a moment.
“This is for you,” Ryu said, taking it from her limp hand and slipping it over her head. “Lady Maya, an arcanepunk inventor, made it for me.”
Ella shook her head, trying to take it off again. “Why do I need it?”
Ryu frowned, pushing it back on. “It’ll protect you. Wear it at all times.”
“But why?”
“Sunvaara may hope to be a new ally, but I don’t trust the princess. That’s why I had this made for you.”
When Ella still stared at him, Ryu cursed under his breath.
“Do you need me to say the words before you understand?” he snarled. “You’re my only weakness. If anything happens to you, I’ll—”
He trailed off, but Ella understood. She ignored the pang in her heart, wondering why she had ever thought it could be anything else.
Of course, he didn’t care abouther.
Ryu was protecting her because they were linked. Anything that happened to her, affected him.
She looked down, picking up the crystal in her palm as she stared into its depths.
“Why this necklace?” she asked dully.
“The crystal stores magic,” Ryu said, running a finger over the crystal that now hung between her breasts. “I infused it with magic. My magic.”
Ella gasped as he ran a finger over the crystal, causing it to pulse. The magic sent athrobthrough her, and she met Ryu’s gaze, her eyes wide. He looked back at her, his own eyes wide with surprise, before lust overtook the shock in their depths.
“Ella,” he murmured, his eyes dilated into fathomless black depths.
He leaned closer until their heavy breaths mingled together, and he repeated his gesture, sending that same unbearable throb through her again, making her cry out and jump up and into his open arms.
“Stop using your powers on me,” she hissed, tightening her fingers into claws that dug into the skin of his shoulders. Her hips rolled against his, seeking friction and heat.
“You don’t even know how much power you have over me,” Ryu muttered, dragging his mouth over her neck and down to her collar bone. “Sotempting…”
Ella arched her back, her head spinning too much to think about his words.
All she could think of was the throbbing in her body, the craving that would only be satisfied by joining with Ryu—
As if he could sense the direction of her thoughts, he groaned, jerking her closer until he caught her under the thighs and lifted her up onto the mirrored vanity table behind her.
Hairbrushes and little pots of makeup clattered to the floor, but both of them were past caring.
Feverish hands moved her heated skin, untying knots and parting fabric, the buzzing in their minds cooled only by the contact of skin on skin.
