In the past, Cassian had loathed the blank expression Finnian wore so well. All his emotions hidden, Cassian found it extremely frustrating how he could not read him. As they grew closer, those blank expressions became fewer and far between. Mostly when they were around others. Never when it was just the two of them, though.
Only now, the blank expression remained set in stone on his face, and Cassian felt an old sense of resentment rise in his chest with the question on his tongue:can you undo the spell?
Finnian inclined his head, exposing the curvature of his throat in a delicious angle. Quietly, he gauged Cassian’s demeanor and the feverish tint to his pale skin. His lips twitched.
“Finnian,” Cassian growled.
His smile grew as he took a step, pressing his chest snug against Cassian’s shoulder. “It appears you’ve been bewitched.”
Cassian’s hips trembled. He arched into Finnian’s pelvis, creating a pleasureful pressure against his own arousal.
Shame burned through him. The same lust aching inside of him to devour Finnian was what he’d felt for a stranger less than a few seconds ago.
He pressed his head back against the wall. “Remove it,” he rasped, slinking the crook of his elbow over his eyes. His forehead was hot and damp.
Finnian hooked Cassian’s chin with his thumb and index finger. Slowly, he rotated Cassian’s head sideways, jutting out the part of his neck infected with the mark.
Finnian’s mouth came down over his skin. A gentle, languid stroke with his tongue.
Cassian shuddered from the sensation as Finnian dragged his teeth across the mark and broke away.
“Come on.” He lifted Cassian’s arm from his face and guided it over his shoulders, supporting most of Cassian’s weight. “Let us go home.”
His lust had evolvedinto a frenzied, manic need by the time they stepped into the entrance of Finnian’s house.
“Cassian, High God of Death and Curses, bewitched by a lowly wench.” Finnian teased, slumping down to lower Cassian onto the edge of the mattress. “They are known to bed men and then steal their belongings. Quite the conniving seductresses, if you ask me.”
“Shut… Up.” Cassian clawed at the buttons of his waistcoat. “Fix it. Undo the spell.”
Finnian kneeled in between his legs and assisted him with the buttons. The feathering of his fingers against the fabric zipped heat straight down between his legs. “Who says I can?”
“You raise my souls from the dead, but you cannot do something as simple as this?” Cassian scraped the back of his hand over his damp brow.
“I missed you,” Finnian said, guiding his arms out of his waistcoat. “I apologize for being so late. You didn’t have to wait there. You should’ve come home.”
Cassian’s pulse vibrated in his ears. He hung his head to his chest. Every inch of him felt like it was on fire. He squeezed his eyes closed. “Why can I not fight through this?”
Finnian lightly worked the tunic over Cassian’s head. “It will pass. You will just have to endure the lustful rage for a few hours.”
Cassian’s eyes popped open, and he straightened up. “I think I shall go then.”
“Whatever for?”
The mattress dipped behind Cassian.
He looked over his shoulder to find Finnian removing his hearing aid. He placed it on the bedside table beside his necklaces and lay back on the bed, smirking. He’d already shed his own waistcoat and unfastened the buttons of his shirt. The opening hung low and exposed the chiseled cut of his chest, honey-tan skin, flawless, a canvas inviting him to mark it up with his teeth.
Cassian’s eyes widened, comprehending Finnian’s coy response. “Absolutely not. Not—not like this.”
Finnian sat up and lifted onto his knees. “You want to, though.” He crawled towards Cassian. “I see the way you look at me, the way you wish to devour me. So why not take advantage of the spell and do your worst?”
Cassian looked straight ahead at the wall, his jaw pulsing, warring with himself to remain firm in his moral decision. “Lust and adoration are two different things.”
Finnian’s finger skimmed up his spine, the warmth of his breath moistening the side of Cassian’s neck as he leaned in. “Oh, but they go wonderfully well together, don’t you agree?”
His shoulders went rigid. “Finnian, I have no desire to show you anything but gentleness, and if we do this, I will ravage you until there is nothing left.”
“I am yours to ravage.” Finnian punctuated his statement by sinking his teeth down on Cassian’s shoulder.
