And that was all it took.
Her hand tangled in his black hair as her lips dragged and her teeth bit.
Catching her wrist, he slammed her into the tent’s support beam, knocking the air from her lungs. Then, as the canvas rustled around them, his entire body pinned hers, hips grinding forward.
She felt him through the layers of the clothing, thick and hard, his cock digging into her stomach like a promise.
One hand planted beside her head, bracing them both. The other found her chin, fingers firm, tipping her face up as his mouth claimed hers. Teeth catching, the metallic tang of blood clung to nearly every inch of him, smearing her mouth and onto her tongue.She didn’t care. She wanted more of it—more ofhim—the taste of battle still pouring from his skin.
Raking at his shirt, she yanked it loose at the waist, nails scraping over muscle and old scars.
He growled into her mouth, hips surging again.
The beam at her back groaned under their weight, but she didn’t move. She let him hold her there, let the tension coil tighter, let the bruising kiss and the crush of his body fill the space between one breath and the next.
“Tell me.” Her mouth brushed the edge of his ear. “Was it worth the wait?”
He didn’t answer, just grabbed her thighs and lifted her off the floor. And as he held her there against the beam, she locked her legs around his waist, rocking against him. Then her mouth parted as her fingers fumbled with the knot and folds of cloth between them.
He let out a rough exhale, pressing her harder as a hand reached up to his back, fingers wrapping around the hilt of a blade. And in one clean motion, he drew it and sliced through the waistband of her trousers, tearing the fabric away.
“Damn it!” She watched him toss the blade aside and shove his own pants down over his hips. “You’re sewing those back together, Malekar!”
Then, the hot length of him—bare and ready—pushing between her legs, obliterated any other thoughts from her mind. As it always did.
“Fuck me,” she exhaled, stars pricking at the edge of her vision.
Her muscles clenched as the head of his cock sank into her—not deep, just enough to make her head swim.
He leaned in, forehead against hers.
“Make me.”
Chapter eighteen
“Forfuck’ssake,guys.Just leave him alone already,” Rynna grumbled, pushing one of the younger students aside with ease. The cream-colored tunic clung to her corded muscles as she moved between them and the red-headed boy they were taunting.
“Oh, come on, Rynna! He shouldn’t even be here,” the kid whined, rubbing his shoulder. “He’s a joke!”
“You’re a joke!” the imp yelled back. “I’ll be the strongest Hollow-born the world has ever seen!”
He lunged forward, aiming a wild kick at the name-caller’s legs, but his foot missed by a mile, throwing him off balance. With a loudthud, he hit the ground, landing square on his butt.
Rynna shook her head, looking at the bully. “Soren, you should worry about your own skills. Guide Brian nearly turned purple when you botched the basic drill earlier. You’re lucky he didn’t have you running laps until the moon rose.”
Soren’s face flushed crimson, his bravado crumbling as the group of kids around him snickered. He stammered, eyes darting to the ground, trying to save face, but Rynna had already turned her attention to the troublemaker.
“And Bran.” She looked over to see him making rude gestures at the other kids.
“If you want anyone to take you seriously, you’ve got to stop acting like an asshole,” she scolded, crossing her arms.
“What?!” Bran’s eyes widened as he scrambled to his feet. “Me? An asshole? Come on, Rynna. They were the ones being assholes!”
She couldn’t argue with him there. Sure, he was loud and annoying, but the cruelty people directed his way went beyond typical playground bullying, even from the adults. Still, she had to shake her head.
“But they’re not the ones trying to be the next Ember Warden, are they?” Rynna’s voice held a teasing edge, but she knew the weight of that title. The Ember Warden was the ultimate protector of their Reach, the one who could supposedly harness the elemental power of the Great Phoenix itself.
Bran blinked, frowning for a second before his face brightened with determination again. He quickly wiped the dust from his pants and caught up to her.
