She really wanted to taste those lips. The bite on her neck throbbed, and she tightened her thighs at the arousal building between them. She needed to control her increasingly filthy thoughts. The intensity of them was surprising and would have been unnerving if she hadn't also been so aroused that she could barely think straight.
Valentine shifted her arm and kept working. If he noticed her close study of him, he didn't show it. There was a slight haze of scarlet around him like an aura.
"I can feel the magic tying together. It's working, Valentine," she said, wetting her dry lips.
"I learned some new techniques when I stayed with the elves over midsummer," he replied, not looking away from his work. "Their ink shamans are amazing. They create beautiful designs for their mates."
"I know. I've seen Layla's. They are lovely." Yelena ignored the dragon in her chanting 'mate' every time she so much as looked at Valentine. She was distracted enough. She needed to steer the subject away from mates altogether. "Tell me about your adventures in France? How is Apollo?"
"Ridiculous, now that he and Lachie have finally admitted their feelings for each other. At least Bas and Bridget keep all their gross stuff telepathic. Apollo is like a cat that got into the cream," Valentine replied, but Yelena could tell he was happy for them.
She sat as still as she could as he worked and talked about everything that had happened with the alchemist blood mages who had been kidnapping and experimenting on creatures. It was despicable.
Yelena found the human world a combination of great wonder and cruelty. Faerie could be as bad, but there was something about the cold science that repelled her.
"I'm glad you rescued all of those prisoners. I wonder where the griffon came from? I have never seen one of those," Yelena said once he had finished.
"It's living with Killian and Bron at his castle here in Faerie. They didn't want to keep something as rare as that in the human world. A lot of the prisoners are in bad shape, but they can at least talk about it. The griffon can't, so it's best it's in an environment where it can fly and be free as it needs to be," Valentine replied."If you like, once this business with Midir is over, I can take you to see it."
Yelena's stomach flipped. "I would really like that."
"Then I'll make it happen." Valentine's neck was a little pink, and it surprised Yelena that he would be shy about asking her. She knew he didn't let anyone close to him, and she would have to tread carefully to make sure she didn't accidentally say the wrong thing and push him away. She was done pretending she didn't want to be with him, but the aggressive side of her possessiveness needed to be tempered.
"You look worried all of a sudden. Do you need a break?" Valentine asked, glancing up at her.
Yelena shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I'm not worried. Just thinking."
"About?"
"Magic," she lied.
Valentine raised a brow but went back to tattooing. "Sure you were."
Yelena drank some of her water, and it did nothing to cool her insides. "I was thinking about the feeling of your magic on my skin. I like it."
The corner of his mouth twitched. "I like my magic on your skin, too. I'm about to add in your bits to this sigil. I'll try not to mess it up."
"I trust you," she replied.
Valentine's neck went red again, and he said softly, "Thank you."
Yelena felt the magic in the air charge and shift. A silvery thread of power rose out of Valentine's hand, and it wove its way over the gun and down to touch the needles. They both sucked in a surprised breath as their magics danced and sang, making the sigil on her arm glow with scarlet and silver light.
"It's working. Don't stop," Yelena whispered.
The power was coursing through her arm, up her shoulder tothe bite on her neck. It circled around it, making it throb like another heartbeat. Yelena whimpered, her eyes fluttering shut. The threads of power climbed higher, making the back of her neck tingle before fanning out over her head.
"You still with me, Yelena?" Valentine asked, his voice cracking.
"Yes. Don't stop. I feel it inside of me, Val. It's...connecting. It's in my skull, dancing about. Is it almost done?"
"Five more lines," he said, and dipped his needles into the ink. "Don't pass out on me."
"I won't," she replied dreamily. "You feel so good inside of me, deep under my skin."
"Fucking hell," Valentine cursed softly.
"Don't get distracted. It's almost there."
