Raking my fingers through my hair to push the wet strands from my face, I stalk from the river. The way Rapunzel’s eyes graze my body warms me more than the lash of the sun’s rays in the heart of summer. In the quiet of the night, her soft sign whispers so loudly. Her heart hammers a frantic beat as I stride toward her and when she backs out of the water and blinks those wide, enchanting eyes at me.
I swear on all that’s holy, I almost remember what it’s like to have a soul.
Almost.
“No, Rapunzel, there’s nothing we need to say.”
I’m no fool. Rapunzel believes she’s riding toward her death, and this is her wanting to say her goodbyes. To make sure we leave nothing unspoken.
Heedless of the cold, I cup her chin and capture her gaze. “Whatever you need to tell me can wait until after Rygard’s crown is safely on your head.” I brush my lips over hers. “Do you understand what I’m telling you, Rapunzel?”
“Yes.” Her hesitant whisper nearly breaks me.
“That’s my good girl.” I stroke her hair, finding how she leans into my touch precious. I trail my hand lower until I have a firm hold on her throat. Her rapid pulse against my palm feeds my excitement. I squeeze just enough to cut off her air. To ignite sparks of green fire in her eyes. Enough to help her forget why we’re here. “Let’s test your obedience, shall we?”
“You think I’m frightened?” Rapunzel raises her chin. “I dare you, Quinn. Test me. Do it. I’ve had excellent teachers.”
After a quick scan of the surrounding forest to ensure we’re safe, I turn my predatory stare back on Rapunzel and give her a slow, purposeful appraisal. “What’s about to happen here will make the devil turn away in shock.”
She swallows hard against my grip. “The things you say—”
“Make you ache for my cock,” I finish for her. A flush darkens her cheeks. “Go ahead, Princess. Deny it. I dareyou. Even if your words lie for you, your body doesn’t.” The frantic rhythm of her heartbeat fills my ears. “I smell the desire on you.”
“I do like it,” she confesses on a whimper. “Oh, God, Quinn, I like it too much.”
My wild spirit and her need for freedom collide. They whip into a frenzy. Grow into a blaze that spreads. It quickly becomes an inferno—that inferno threatening to consume us both.
Her touch makes the world fade, with the trees, dirt, moon, and the whispering sounds of the forest suddenly so distant. Even the demon’s perpetual grim and haunting presence disappears. Right now, all that matters is Rapunzel.
So small.
Delicate.
So fucking mine.
“Can you hear it, Quinn?” She rests her hands on my bare hips, but it’s a lightning strike right to the tip of my hard cock.
I always hear so much.Toomuch. It’s why I traded my soul. My heightened senses allow me to hear Wren and Dax’s conversation as if I were sitting among them despite the distance between us. The thundering of her heart and the rush of blood through her veins. “Hear what, Rapunzel?”
“Rygard. It calls to me.”
I release her throat to grab her ass over the cloak. Pull her close and grind my cock against her stomach. Lean in to press my lips to the sensitive shell of her ear. Rub my cheek against her hair, with her silken strands catching on the stubble of my beard. “All I hear is you.”
Her purposeful little fingers kneed at me. “I’ve heard the voice of this kingdom all my life, like a whisper in my mind, but never realized it was Rygard.” She reaches up to cup the nape of my neck, sending chills down my spine. “I never understood what it told me until Wren took me from the tower.”
I lean back to stare into her storied eyes. “And what does it tell you, Rapunzel?”
“That I’m stronger than a mighty king.”
“What about a soulless man?” I graze her sensitive neck with my lips before I sink my teeth into her sweet flesh, pulling a gasp from her. “Are you stronger than me, Princess?”
“We all have different strengths. You taught me that. But tonight.” Rapunzel drops her head back to give me better access to her throat. “Tonight, I’m whatever you need me to be.”
“Smart answer.” My eye catches on the silver pommel of my freshly washed sword. Then I look back at her, mesmerized by her courage and beauty. Always so eager to experience pleasure. To teeter on the edge of pain. With an arrogant grin, I leave her to retrieve my sword. “Let’s see how beautiful you are when the limits of your obedience are tested.”
Her eyes whip to the weapon, her brows furrowing in question. “Quinn…?”
Each rapid beat of her heart betrays her trepidation. Every hard swallow is fascinating as she fights for courage. How brave of her. How wonderfully captivating—and utterly reckless in her quest to experience everything in life. Everything that I want to give her.
