I suppose he’s right. Odette nudges my arm, and I look over to meet her curious gaze. “So, are you planning on sharing what you found inside the mountain?”
I’m startled, realizing we never got to the gritty details. Too much has happened since then. Sinking back on my ice, Odette props her chin on her hand with interest. “Well, we found this frozen girl…”
~~~
We fall asleep a while later. Or at least, I do. The exhaustion of today drags me under after telling Odette about the mountain, and even though Ban occasionally comments and Zarev has questions, those two continued their own conversation. I fall asleep wondering what they are talking about.
A hand sliding across my mouth startles me awake. I don’t think I’ve been out very long, my dreams fading before I can grab onto any of them. As my eyes fly open, a familiar chill shoots down my spine.
Ban.
He tugs us into the shadows, and we appear somewhere a little further off, the firelight a dim speck between all the trees. When he is sure I’m not going to scream, he removes his hand, cupping my jaw instead.
I barely have time to think about what I want to say to him before his lips are on mine. Desperate, needy, the kiss lacks the control he used in my bedroom yesterday. My hands come up as I gasp into his mouth, clinging to him, as his knee slices between mine and pins me to the tree.
Ice forms behind me on the bark as we kiss, and even now, he’s not going to let anything bother my back. As I rock against his knee with a moan, I can’t say I give a single fuck about it.
Ban pulls back, tracing his fingertips down the column of my throat. There’s so much longing in his eyes, like he’s worried about touching me. I almost start lecturing him, the frustration that he might try to treat me delicately bubbling to the surface.
Instead, he sweeps his gaze back in the direction we’ve come then toward the endless trees beyond. “It’s not safe here. Noise could draw monsters. Zarev’s grouchy, but things will come bumping in the night if they think we’re an easy target.”
A chill dances up my spine, and this time, it’s got nothing to do with his magic. “We’re powerful mages. I think we can handle a monster or two after…”
My voice trails off as sadness grips me. I don’t want to think about the home I have abandoned. It will stir up too many sad memories that I can do nothing about.
Ban grabs my chin, his eyes flashing with magic. “We can, but best not to draw attention. Davina doesn’t seem to be aware of where we are. If we cause a stir, she’ll send fleets through Wonderland for us.”
This is not the kind of sexy talk I had in mind after that kiss, but the sensual feel of his fingers raking up and down my side makes it hard to care. “Why does she want you dead so badly? She saw you in the palace, correct? Zarev, too, I imagine.”
His grip on my chin tightens, and he hisses out a breath. “Do me a favor, little Queen, and don’t mention another Reaper’s name when I have my hands on you.”
He freezes his fingertips on the hand at my side, before they turn to that shadowy light touch I’ve grown accustomed to. His fingers sink into my dress, almost like a ghostly caress against my skin, and I gasp.
Ban’s lips capture mine again, this kiss more controlled. More focused. But when he leans back again, his eyes are smoldering. “I told you, I wouldn’t be able to stay away from you.”
A smile curves my lips as I grind against his knee, and he grits his teeth. “Sure that’s safe, mage? I don’t remember being very quiet the last time.”
He snorts. “Zarev will have a fit if he’s forced to listen to us again. No, little Queen. I have a better idea.” He nods to the tree I’m pressed against. “Freeze the rest of the bark if you need me to stop.”
There’s no time to consider what he’s talking about before we’re sucked into the shadows and my voice is gone. I don’t even have the time to chastise him for using magic when we’re supposed to be resting, but he looks unbothered by the strain as he winks at me in the darkness.
The shadows at night are different and more thrilling. There are layers to the darkness, my Reaper moving in and out of the airy wisps like he’s always belonged here. He doesn’t give me long to think about it before dropping to his knees, grasping one of my legs, and hooking it over his shoulder.
My hands scramble over the icy bark, trying to figure out how the hell he expects me to survive this. The shadows make other touches less noticeable, but I’ve noticed, his touch is like an icy hot fire that scorches me in the dark. It’s definitely a Ban thing, because I didn’t feel this way at all when Zarev was holding me across the chasm.
All my thoughts scatter when he pushes the dress aside, dragging frozen fingers up my legs with delicious intent, and rips away the fabric of my panties. It tears, and I jump at the sudden realization.
My voice is soundless in the shadows. “Ban…”
He ignores me, leaning in to drag the flat of his tongue across my pussy, and I’m lost at that point. Fuck the consequences, I just want him to keep doing that. After the third lick, his tongue freezes, and I thrill at the coolness before he’s slides it inside me.
I scream into the quiet, my sounds quieted by the shadows, and there’s no reason to hold back when no one will overhear me. Withering against the tree, I try to keep my balance, one hand knotting through his hair to hold him close as he plays with me. One hand remains beneath my dress, sliding up and down my inner thigh to make me hyperaware before he shifts his attention higher, to my clit, and alternates betweenfreezing a thin layer of ice over the bundle of nerves and tapping his fingers against me. I come with a silent scream, my legs trembling as he gets me to that high way,waytoo fast.
Maybe it’s where we are, or the thrill of fear, or just because these are parts unknown in a whole new land, but I didn’t expect to get off quite so quickly. Instead of letting me come down, he keeps going, torturing my clit with the hot and cold routine, pinning my standing leg to the tree so it’s hard to rock against him.
And fuck, does it feel good.
I jump against the tree when I feel something poking at my ass, the pressure sudden but not unwelcome. Forcing my gaze down to try and focus on Ban, I find his hooded eyes watching me.
