His answer came in the form of a kiss. It wasn’t the calculated seduction she’d come to expect from him, nor was it the rough claiming of previous encounters.
This was raw, searching, seeking—an embrace from a man deep beneath the waves, clawing for the surface, trying to find a lungful of air.
When he pulled back, his eyes seemed to search her face for something. “Tell me you hate me,” he demanded.
“What?”
“Tell me you still hate me.” His fingers tangled in her hair, pulling her head from the mattress. “Tell me you still want me dead.”
“First you want me to admit there’s more to this than just lust, now you want me to admit that I hate you?”
“Justsay it,Nadi,” he snarled, his fangs extended.
She opened her mouth to reassure them both that nothing had changed. That despite everything, she was still the vengeful fae who had infiltrated his life to destroy him. That her mission remained intact.
But the lie wouldn’t form.
It justwouldn’t.
In the silence, something between agony and relief crossed his face before he kissed her again, harder this time. She responded in kind, pouring all her confusion and frustration and unwanted desire into the contact.
Their kiss turned hungry, desperate, his hands roaming over her body as if trying to confirm she was whole, unharmed, and still there with him. She found herself returning the gesture, fingers tracing paths over his chest, his shoulders, as if reassuring herself of the same.
It was then that she realized she had never actually touched him. Not meaningfully. Not in any way thatmattered.
When he tried to catch her wrists to press her back onto the bed, however, she resisted. “No.”
He pulled back, confused.
It was reckless. Dangerous. She was playing with fire. She licked her bottom lip. “Not this time.”
Understanding dawned in his eyes, followed by a flicker of hesitation. Then, startlingly, a smile. It was sharp and dangerous, but with a hint of something that might have been anticipation.
He laughed, low and sinister. For a moment, she was worried he would snap and lash out. The Serpent was notorious, and she’d experienced his proclivities firsthand. His control was justas much a part of him as his fangs. The idea that he’d surrender it? Toher?It lit a fire in her.
Slowly, carefully, like a stalking predator, he rose from the bed. “Very well, Nadi…”
The words sent a jolt through her. She almost didn’t know what to do at first. Was thisreal?Or was he toying with her? Waiting for her to let her guard down, only to turn the tables.
But he only stood there. And waited.
She climbed from the bed to circle him, like he’d so often circled her—feeling for once like she was the predator, if only for the moment. Never once had she been able to explore his body. He’d always been in control. Always calling the shots.
Running her hand along his back, she felt his muscles tighten. Delicious. She pulled his shirt out from under his pants. It’d be easier to tell him to undress, but where was the fun in that? She wanted to take her time. She wanted to feel every inch of his body. She wanted to savor it.
Besides. The last time someone had told him to strip…The memory of Volencia’s cruelty lingered in Nadi’s mind.
No, this was going to beherhands doing the deed. She undid his tie and tossed it aside. His coat went next. Then his vest. Raziel helped with what she couldn’t get undone on her own.
Crimson eyes watched her every move, expression unreadable. There was no shame in him, no hint of the vulnerable discomfort most would feel. There was a tension to his frame that spoke of restraint—of power deliberately held in check.
Soon, he was fully naked in front of her. Letting her hands roam, she bit back a groan at how much shelovedhow it felt. Stepping closer, she trailed her fingers down to his hips. His muscles twitched and tensed beneath her touch.
Now came the real risk. “Kneel.”
This command met with the briefest pause—the barest flicker of resistance in his eyes—before he lowered himself to his knees before her.
The Serpent, kneeling at her feet.
