He trailed his mouth down her smooth neck, leaving soft kisses behind. “Lexandra,” he murmured, shocked at the desire that turned his voice gravelly.
“I think I like kissing,” she said. “Should have been doing this a long time ago.”
He grunted in agreement. Then pulled back abruptly. “With whom?” The words came out sharper than he intended.
She dragged his head back to her chest, where he’d been kissing her decolletage. “With you. Stop talking and get back to that thing you were doing with your tongue.”
Garrin grinned and resumed kissing and lightly tasting her soft skin, her scent drugging him into a contentment that probably wasn’t wise.
“Much as I hate to, we should stop,” he finally murmured, forcing his mind back to more prudent matters. “The king will not wait long before he insists on an audience with you.” He kissed her jaw, then the corner of her mouth. Then he was tasting her again, the fire inside him building.
She pulled back, panting. “That’s how you stop? By making my body shake with the need to be closer? And what’s with that? Why do I want”—she stared at his clothes as though frustrated and waved her hand up and down—“all of this out of the way?” She looked at him skeptically. “Are you doing this? Making me want you?”
“No,” Garrin said, and ran stiff fingers through his hair. “I don’t know what’s come over me.”
Garrin had never allowed pleasure to come before duty. His search to findthe onehad been his sole purpose. He’d never felt the need to protect a woman more than his kingdom. Yet he was feeling it now.
“Your mother must be mistaken about the past,” Garrin said. “But I agree with her on one point; until I know the truth about what transpired, we cannot risk your life. We must tread carefully where your powers are concerned. And that could take time.”
She crossed her arms. “I won’t stay inside that vipers’ den. Your women want to eat me alive.”
He raised an eyebrow, finding pleasure in her jealousy. “First my harem is the equivalent of Earth lions, and now snakes? I doubt that very much; Fae don’t eat their kind.”
Lex tilted her head. “Whatkinddo they eat?” She covered her stomach. “Oh God, I ate the food without thinking, and now you’re telling me it was something weird?”
Garrin sighed. This wasn’t going the way he’d planned. “I don’t know what my court offered you, but our food is much like yours. You are perfectly safe.”
“And the meat?”
Garrin glanced to the side. Their animals were not at all like Earth animals. “Perhaps we should discuss your ability further.”
Lex’s eyes widened, but she seemed to think better of it before asking more questions. She nodded, her pretty mouth burnished from his kisses.
His gaze snagged on her lips, and he dragged his eyes away. He had to focus on his purpose.
But it was no use, because hefelther. Imagined her back in his arms…
Garrin looked to the ceiling and clenched his jaw. He’d need better control if he was to keep her safe.
He leaned over and braced his forearms on his knees, careful to not look at Lex’s mouth and flushed cheeks. “Someday you will master your abilities, but not until we know there is no danger in doing so.”
Her hands clamped together, fingers twisting. “I don’t know what my ability is.”
“Your mother said you magnify others’ abilities. She said there was no one like you, but I’ve heard of individuals with similar powers. They are so rare that some believe them myth. They are called ‘puppet masters’ for their ability to pull the strings of other magic-wielders.”
“I have no idea how I gave my mother her magic. I don’t even remember it happening.” She sat straighter and compressed her lips. “If I can do this, though, it would give me a leg up. Because I don’t feel safe here.”
He reached for her hand, wanting to do more but not daring. Garrin had a court full of women, and he would have protected every one of them, but he’d never considered any womanhis. Until now. “No harm will come to you while I draw breath.”
Lex slid her hand out of his. “You said that before, and we both almost died in the ravine.”
Garrin swallowed. He’d overestimated his ability to protect her outside his kingdom’s walls. He wouldn’t allow it to happen again.
He rubbed his brow and grudgingly stood. “I must go.”
Lex frowned and climbed to her feet. “Why?”
“Remain with the women in my court. They will protect you, as will my guards.” He had made certain the women in his court were trained in battle, as every Fae should be.
