“Don’t do that, Amaia,” he warned, his voice so deep and thick, it sounded like a stranger’s.
A sharp crack came, his palm striking my ass, hard, the pain harsh enough to jolt me, the magic fading…loosening. Draining. That was the only way I could describe it. He nudged my legs apart more forcefully, his hands coming to the flesh of my ass, gripping it.
I didn’t have to wait long to feel the familiar stretch and burn and pleasure as his cock sank into me. The metal rubbed me perfectly, differently in this position, and I moaned, my nails curling into the surface of the table in need.
“Don’t bond your magic to mine right now—it’s dangerous,” came his sharp command. “If you do, I’ll pull away. Do you understand me?”
The sound that left my throat was a cross between a whine and a moan.
Another slap on my ass came, making me rock forward, the edge of the table pressing into my clit, making my back arch. His hand came around my throat, a steady pressure, as he growled into my ear, the words clipped, “Do you understand me?”
Right then, I would’ve agreed to anything. His cock was fullyseated inside me, and I tried to wiggle so he wouldmove, dammit.
“Yes!” I cried out.
“Good,” he murmured, pressing a soft kiss that belied his gruff tone to my temple. His hand never left my throat, and he pulled me until my back was arched, my ass up, the rounded flesh of which was tingling from his palm. I hated that this turned me on so much, as if Alaryk knew every string to strum when it came to me.
Because he’d been connected to me…in a way no one had before?
“Perfect,” he breathed.
There was a part of me that wanted to see him, that wanted to look into his eyes as he used his body like a weapon against my own. But this position also felt more fitting. This was a need, a relief to an ache—nothing more. His magic was beginning to feel more and more familiar to me, which was only an added bonus, considering we were reluctant allies now. He was trying to teach me how to control mine, how to wield it more efficiently, while I helped Samryn.
We didn’t even have to be friends, truthfully. It didn’t matter that he was so handsome that it made me weak. It didn’t matter that he could be a smug, condescending bastard or that he always tried to get his way. Because I knew that I could still meet him head-on if I needed to.
“Yes,” I breathed, my lips parted, a steady pant falling from my lips, the curl of pleasure unfurling inside me. “More!”
The rough reverberation of a groan met my ears. His hand spasmed at my throat as his thrusts became more and more demanding. The stretch and slide of him, the shocking pop and drag of his piercings, the shameless sounds of our bodies meeting, the slap and primal ferocity.
One of his fingers pressed to my lips, and when he shoved itinside, I sucked on the digit, hearing the sharp intake of his breath.
“Bite,” he growled. And so I did, my teeth digging in. He fucked me harder, the heat between my legs growing hotter and hotter. I was getting close. With the table’s edge a constant stimulation against my clit, with Alaryk relentless at my back, pressing me into the wooden surface, surrounding me, filling me up until all I could do was surrender to him.
I bit harder, one of my hands coming up to his forearm, my nails curling against his skin with the pleasure.
“Feels so fucking good,” he rasped, his hips punctuating each and every word. I could feel each piece of metal slide against my entrance—an erotic, strange, addicting sensation.
On his last thrust, I felt the world tilt. Hisdakkewasthere. Ecstasy. The orgasm that came felt like it was ripping me apart, tearing me into little pieces until I didn’t know what was left of me. Little tattered remnants that only became whole again when I sucked in a deep lungful of air like I’d been drowning.
The almost violent pulses in my core made me see stars as my teeth dug around Alaryk’s finger, hearing his responding groan. He continued to fuck me through my orgasm, never letting up, never letting me breathe. I went dizzy with it, couldn’t catch my breath as the pleasure continued to climb and climb. Belatedly, I realized it was his own. His magic was still roving inside me, prowling like a beast, demanding its due.
When I felt it peak, he flipped me around, quicker than I could blink, until I was staring up at him. His eyes were so dark they were nearly black, and he pulled his cock out of me, bellowing his own pleasure as he thrust into his palm between my thighs.
Dazed, I watched as silver come lashed against my sensitive sex, spilling across my slick, pink flesh and the bud of my clit. It glistened in the low light.
Our breaths and the pounding of my heart were the only things I heard.
And when I met Alaryk’s eyes, I couldn’t tell if what we’d just done had been a mistake…or inevitable.
Chapter 23
ALARYK
Staring down at the mess I’d made between Amaia’s thighs, I didn’t bother to lace up my trews.
My cock was still pulsing with the aftershocks of my orgasm, the pleasure of which was so intense it had nearly bordered on pain.
I could feel her eyes on me. Had I expected her to shy away? No, I didn’t think so. But the steadiness of her gaze surprised me.
