He chuckled darkly. “Good. Fuck the whole town if it suits you. When I claim you, I want you to know how to please me.”
He slowly dragged the dagger’s tip down the slopeof her neck. Her breath hitched as he turned it, and then the flat side slid against the bare skin on her chest. The metal was cold, but the shivers racing through her body were from the heat of his proximity. With a flick of his wrist, her top button detached and fell away. Her shirt minutely parted, catching his gaze. The knife continued to move, traveling over the swell of her shirt-covered breast. Pleasure jolted through her as it caught on the budded peak.
Her heart beat quickly, the urge to flee strong. The desire for him to lean closer equally so. Her chest rose and fell, her skin humming with a strange but pleasurable current. Her thighs rubbed together to stem the odd eroticism that flowed through her and burned along her skin. Transfixed, she watched him watch the knife as the point moved ever so slowly down her front to her stomach. At any moment, he could thrust it forward and spill her entrails. For some strange reason, though, she had no fear of his doing so. Knew he wouldn’t. The touch stayed light. Dangerous. Strangely erotic.
The dagger paused at the opening of the sheath at her hip. Then he pushed it home in a slow, deliberate slide. Tingles and heat raced across her skin. She’d read that the fae were good at destabilizing their prey. This one was fuckingamazingat it.
The object tucked into her bra started to hum against her breastplate. She could barely see the green glow through the fabric of her navy-blue shirt.
She felt more than saw his smile.
“You have something of mine,” he said. “My chalice. I require it.”
His large palm touched down on the base of her throat. She jolted at the shock of intense pleasure. His breath became heavy as his fingertips trailed down her skin to the neckline of her shirt.
“What a very curious feeling this is,” he said quietly, as though to himself. “It is unlike anything I have ever felt. So…incredibly…intense. I almost can’t resist it. What strange magic is causing it, I wonder?”
The hum of the object intensified before he pulled it away from her skin.
“That isn’t a cup,” she said, mouth suddenly dry.
“So it isn’t. I need it all the same.”
“You’ll ruin this world if you shepherd the fae across the fringe.”
“No, no.” His other hand came up to rest just below her jaw line. His thumb gently stroked the edge of her lip. She barely held back a moan. “Notacross. That would take more power than any of the seven kingdoms possess. The gods made sure of that when they tied the Celestials to the fringe.Over. A bridge, up where the magic is weakest. It still takes a lot of power, both to build and to thwart the Celestials, but with the right equipment, it is possible.”
“Why? Why come here?”
“There are plentiful spoils in this realm. Slaves to do our bidding who don’t have the power to revolt.Freedom. The Celestials and their high sovereign, their glittering Diamond Throne, are no better than jailers. Their version of balancing the realm is suffocating. Restrictive. Here we would have vast lands to conquer. Whatever size territory we want with more all the time. Can you blame us?”
“You have the wrong magic for this place. There’s a reason the old gods shored you up in that realm and built a barrier to keep you put. There’s a reason they created an overall ruling body to keep your kind in check.”
“But was it a good reason?”
“You’d destroy this place. I think that is a pretty good fucking reason.”
“Nonsense. We wouldn’t destroy it. We’d remake it in our image.”
“Your image would be a nightmare.”
“For you. And a haven for us. Come now.” He tilted his head at her. “It’s too early in our acquaintance for a lover’s spat?—”
He tensed and then ripped his hand away. It jetted past her and slammed against the wall beside her face. He twisted, looking behind him. She followed his gaze.
There, carving a slice into the bottom of the crescent moon, she could just make out wings. In a moment, she noticed the glittering golds and tangerines of more, moving in the moonlight. The wingspans were immense, too big for any bird.
“What is that?” she asked in confusion.
He spun back, all humor from a moment ago gone. His eyes took on a severe intensity. The mocking, teasing tone disappeared from his voice, replaced with panicked urgency.
“Celestials! Even a very clever assassin sometimes gets caught sneaking across the fringe. You now bear the flavor of my magic. Run! Flee! Hurry! They are nearly as powerful as one of your gods. You do not want to find yourself in their clutches.”
The magic pinning her vanished. He stepped backward into the empty air. A gasp was pulled from her lips as he dropped. His fingers caught the ledge, he swung, and he was gone. She barely heard his footfalls on the ledge below.
There was no way she could duplicate that move. No way in hell. She had to get Zorn and then get down the slower way. Hopefully she had the time.
5
