Her knees damn near buckled, and a pleased rumble of a laugh moved through his chest. Deft strong fingers reached for the perfect spot again and again as she rocked into the palm of his hand. Vision hazy, she looked down at the man she had loved, and the sight of him crouched beneath her, working her perfectly, sent a thrill of power through her. She bucked against him, urging him on, and Topp complied, increasing his ministrations to the rhythm she demanded.
Heat spread through her like the flames of a furnace as she reached higher and higher. Breaths short and fast, her body folded into him as a brilliant feeling flooded her entire being like a cosmic shot of light, racing to every last corner of her. And then it wrecked her, plowing through the flimsy walls she held and bringing an unwanted wave of emotion to her eyes. She stayed where she was as he held her there, planting small kisses along her hip as she rode the final waves.
Topp stood, the question back in his eyes, if they should continue as he saw the wet emotion in hers, but Elysia didn’t want to talk or acknowledge what she felt—there was no point, so instead she reached for him, ridding the prince of his trousers. Elysia pushed his chest, bringing him down to the ground where she sat astride him, taunting him as she slid over the length of him.
Hands digging into her ass, the man’s eyes squinted shut.
“You’re fucking killing me.”
She grinned, tossing her dark hair over shoulder, naked and triumphant like a dark goddess of the woods. Ducking down, she nipped kisses and small bites along his neck.
“Good.”
And then she allowed him to slide into her, a groan escaping her lips as the hot length of him filled her.
Two breaths to adjust, and then she was riding him, one hand on his face, demanding he look at her as she brought himhome. She slowed her pace, rocking her hips until she could see the strain upon his face, and then she slammed down and watched him break. Back arching, he made a muffled sound as he collapsed back down to the dirt. He lay there sweaty and spent, and Elysia allowed herself one last look at his face. Cheeks warmed, hair messed, and chest still moving fast.
A hollow pain crept into her heart. She’d gotten what she wanted, and she wouldn’t ruin it with words. Standing, she grabbed his undergarments, using them to fix herself, and then she was pulling her own clothes back on.
The prince propped himself up on one elbow. “Running out already?”
She looked back over her shoulder, moving her hair to one side. “Truce is over. I’ll see you at the ball and then I’m gone.”
Elysia could see him swallow back whatever emotion or words he truly felt as she’d known he would do.
“Right.” And then his head tilted, eyes suddenly focusing on her intently.
She stepped into her trousers. “What?”
The crown prince stood next to her, unbothered by his own nakedness, pulling down the collar of the thin sweater she had just donned. Elysia twisted her neck, trying to see what he was looking at and failed.
“What is it?” she asked again.
His thumb brushed over a spot below her ear. He repeated her earlier words slowly as a dangerous look entered his eyes. “You didn’ttryto make a deal with death. Youdidmake a deal with death. Elysia, what have you done?”
Her shoulders drew back, body stiffening. The memory of the god of the dead pressing his fingers to his lips before touching her skin played back in her mind, clear as day. Her hand shot to her neck, covering where she presumed the mark was and stepped back from the prince.
“I haven’t done anything. There’s no deal.” She took another step back. “You do what you need to do, and I’ll do what I need to do.”
She felt like she was cornered by a wolf. Except she hadn’t trained her whole life just to feel like prey. No, she didn’t care for the feeling of her hackles rising defensively at all.
Shooting him a look of warning, she kept backing up, not liking how his body seemed poised to attack. Hand drifting to her pocket, her eyes remained on the threat.
“Tell me how you found him. Tell me what you know, Elysia.”
Maybe if he’d asked calmly or given any indication that he could handle the information like a reasonable person, she would have told him, but he didn’t look like a calm or reasonable person. He looked like a forest gale ready to rain down havoc until she broke.
She looked him dead in the eye, mouth drawn tight. “No.”
The single syllable of her response had barely left her lips when he threw himself at her, plowing into her middle and holding her down to the ground. Eyes flashing, he swore at her as one hand came down hard beside her head.
“This isn’t a fucking game, Elysia, tell me what you know.”
But she’d been ready, had known he would explode with temper instead of noticing how her hand had found the small dagger in her pocket. She pricked the tip of the dagger against the thumping artery in his neck.
“Get off me, or bleed out beneath the trees, Blatz.” Her voice was as cold as the steel she pressed to his neck. The prince flinched, conscious awareness once again entering his eyes.
Slowly, stiffly, he clambered off of her.
