The dueling nature of my feelings over that statement was intense, but I couldn’t just let him control and dominate every part of me. "Listen, asshole,” I bit out. “I can try and work with your dominant nature because we made this deal and that includes me accepting who you are, but for the love of warriors everywhere, don't forget who I am. You can only push me so far—"
His hands slipped between my thighs, and as the friction of the water and his fingers hit my pussy, I actually jerked into him. Before I could recover, he stroked me again, moving deeper. Panting, I tried to back away, only there was nowhere to go. I mean, I could have exited the tub, but… let’s not get too dramatic.
"I'm going to clean you now," he said in that same low, soft, don't-fuck-with-me voice. "I want you to stay completely still, or our friends, who are about to walk into the tent, will hear your screams."
My eyes were spitting fire at him, but since I was the one who’d decided this had to remain a secret, I couldn’t break that rule in the first few hours of our arrangement. Going as still as I could, I focused on breathing in and out as Reece ran his finger along my slit, parting my folds so he could push one finger and then a second inside of me. He had big hands and knew what to do with them as he slid deeper, curling his finger at just the right angle that intense pleasure shocked me into almost crying out. I caught the sound a second before it left my mouth, and as his smirk grew, I wished I could punch him.
Of course, I was too busy trying not to scream while keeping my legs from collapsing under me. Which was not at all helped when Reece brought his other hand in to “clean” me as well, those fingers tracing across my clit.
Fuck.I murmured his name, feeling the loss of control storming toward me, and just when I was about to come, he increased the pressure. I let out a silent scream, my mouth opening as my head dropped backward, the energy reverberating within me almost sending me to my knees. Or it would have if Reece's hold hadn’t kept me standing.
After what felt like centuries, the orgasm finally died down to a manageable level, and Reece slowed his strokes until he finally slipped his fingers from my body. As I trembled, hands still gripping the wall like it was my lifeline, he turned and stepped out of the bath, the burst of his power all I felt before he was dry, dressed, and gone from the room.
Leaving me a hot fucking mess—a satisfied hot mess—who had gotten myself in way over my head.
25
After Reece’s energy disappeared from his bedroom, I wondered why he’d left without taking a final pleasure for himself too. He’d been hard, those veins pulsing along his shaft, and it felt strangely generous for a male who was just “hate-fucking” to get me out of his system to do that.
I mean, I wasn't a complete idiot… I knew our feelings were more complex than just "hate,” but it had been the defining emotion between us for too long to ignore its influence in our newly formed agreement.
Deciding I was going to drive myself crazy if I pondered his every move during our time in the deserts, I let it go for now and finish cleaning my skin. It didn’t take long, and determined to get out of Reece’s bedroom before anyone noticed, I left the tub and dried myself off with a little energy. Thankfully, when I emerged into his room, there was a set of clothing sitting on Reece's bed. Another generous act for the broody god.
Shrugging on the tunic and pants, which were an exact match to what I'd worn earlier, I ran a hand through the tangle of my hair, smoothing it out with a hot brush of energy. By the time I emerged, there wasn’t a single sliver of evidence that anything had happened. And even better, no one was in the lounging area to see me sneak from his room.
But… wait, Reece had said they were entering the tent earlier. Sending my senses wider, I found that none of them were here at all. Had Reece lied to me about the others returning to keep me quie—
An explosion of energy rocked through the tent, slamming against my own protective wall of power. Reacting on instinct, I called my weapons, then my armor in the next beat. If the sound of the attack could penetrate the silence of this tent, it had to be close.
Tapping into my bond with Mera, I was relieved that she felt somewhat calm and in no pain. She was my priority, and it pissed me off that I’d lingered longer in that bathroom, caught up in lusting over Reece, while she was possibly out there in danger. If anything happened to her because I had newly awokened hormones, I’d never forgive myself.
Outfitted and ready for battle, I sped across the pillows and burst out the entrance. As I rolled free and leapt to my feet, the true scope of the commotion hit all my senses, and I was prepared for an impending strike.
The dull blue shine of the dark-moon was enhanced by fire, no doubt courtesy of Shadow and Mera, as many of the tents around ours were burning. Smoke obstructed my view, but I could hear the battle and smell the energy in the air. Coordinating energy. This was more than just a random attack… it’d been planned.
Needing to move closer to the heart of this battle, I stepped into the smoke, senses on high alert. Even without sight, I was hardly vulnerable. I heard the swish of a blade a second before an attacker came into view. Shifting my stance to the left, just enough for the weapon to slide past me, I was now facing an assailant clad head-to-toe in a black bodysuit. Taking advantage of our close proximity, I struck out in two quick blows, aiming to mortally wound them, only to find my blades glanced off their suit.
My weapons were ancient and power-infused, so the only way that could happen…
Through the smoke, I focused on their suit, noting the distinct glint as it was illuminated by sparks from a nearby fire. Dammit. This was not just any outfit, but one enforced with the armored shell of thedeker beetle—a furious desert predator, even if it was only a few inches wide. Its shell was nearly impenetrable, and this asshole had taken advantage of that by securing thousands across their suit.
Not that it was going to save them. I was trained to spot weaknesses and had already noticed a few spots where the shells weren’t perfectly overlapping. Releasing my curved blades, I sent them back to my room in the tent before reaching out to the Honor Meadows to bring forth a different set. These were myskintas,thin, almost circular blades with a fine, needlelike tip.
The suited figure jerked back as I struck a second time, my skinta sliding between two shells right near their ribs; a deliberate choice to attack their dominant sword-arm side first. As I jerked my weapon free, I was satisfied to note that the injury had already caused them to lose strength, their sword dropping a few inches.
They compensated by roaring loudly and switching their blade to the other hand, attacking with a surprising level of ambidexterity. Most well-trained warriors were good on one side and adequate on the other, but this one was good on both.
We struck and parried, metal clashing as we danced, and all the while I sent my senses out to make sure Mera and my friends were okay. From what I could tell, there were at least a dozen darkly shrouded attackers, but it seemed that all of us were holding our own and that was a relief.
Focusing all of my attention on my opponent now, I picked up speed, ready to finish this. Exploiting more imperfections in the suit, I sliced out in three quick thrusts, cutting into their right shoulder and left thigh and slicing a deep gouge near their cheek. At this point their strength started to wane, and with one last lunge forward, I flicked the tip of my weapon up under the neck of their disguise, hoping that the small slip of material there was the key to unmasking them. They tried to back away, but there was not a hope in hell of that happening.
These assholes had attacked my friends. My family. My pack.
With a deft flick of my wrist, I got enough leverage in the material to slide it up and over their head. Long black hair came into view first, thick and lustrous as it burst free from its confines. It was followed by a familiar face.
"Zena!" I spat. "Are you fucking kidding me?"
Tsuma's daughter glared up at me. "You have no idea what you've stumbled into here, Melalekin. You should have stayed on your world because now you’ll die here just like your sister."
