His smile broadens and turns more wicked.
Then he slips two thick fingers into my slick center, pushing deep, catching me off guard. A moan rips from my throat, and I press myself into his hand, stunned by how stretched I feel from just two of his fingers. When his thumb strokes over my clit, drawing more moisture over the swollen button, my legs tremble and a fresh spasm of heat ripples throughout my body.
I feel feverish. Aflame. Wanton.
He shifts on the bed and withdraws his fingers from my core. I whimper at the sudden loss of the fullness, but he doesn’t leave me wanting for long. He spreads my thighs wider apart and leans down, angling his mouth over my pussy. His horns brush against my inner thighs.
Oh, gods. I tense in anticipation of the first brush of his tongue over my clit. I feel a slow caress of cool winter air just before he starts lapping at me.
My strangled groan reverberates off the stone walls of the bedchamber. Needing something to hold onto, I grip the covers, or maybe it’s the bunched fabric of my nightdress, as my head thrashes back and forth on the pillow. Pleasure coils, warmth undulates, and his tongue keeps swirling over my button with the perfect amount of pressure.
He pushes my legs even wider apart, and he pulls back from my center briefly just to gaze at my nether area. I flush as I watch what he’s doing. He’s staring at my pussy with an intensity that makes me quiver, and a deep satisfaction that helps push away what few inhibitions remain. He likes what he sees. That much is obvious.
You’re so beautiful, Helena. His voice resounds in my head, a comforting presence.You’re so beautiful and slick and pink. And you taste divine. Like nectar from a rare winter flower.
He glides three, or perhaps it’s four, fingers into my tightness. Then he places his tongue back on my clit. As he thrusts his huge digits in and out, he continues the swirls to my most sensitive spot, coaxing me closer to the sweet precipice of a release.
The first waves of my climax rush toward me, unstoppable and fierce.
Ecstasy surges, heat rolling and coiling tighter with every breath until it snaps, detonating through my body all at once.
“Theron!” I cry. “Oh gods,Theron.”
A growl of pleasure rumbles from his chest, and I sense his immense satisfaction at hearing his name on my lips.
“Theron,” I say again, this time a whisper.
I tremble and writhe against him, lost in the blissful sensations.
As the last pulsing remnant of my climax fades, the king finally lifts his head from between my thighs.
Darling human. His voice enters my mind.You were perfect.
He moves next to me, drawing me into his arms. He shifts me onto his lap, cradling me close as he kisses the top of my head. I melt and snuggle deeper into his embrace, feeling cherished and accepted.
I can’t hear your thoughts, Helena.Are you all right?
I am too drained of energy to have any thoughts, I reply.
He chuckles and kisses the top of my head again. I relish the feel of my cheek pressing against his bare chest, and my hands absently roam over the broad, muscular expanse.
And I relish the feel of his hardness beneath my bottom. He’s still wearing those godsdamn trousers, but I can detect the sizable firmness of him well enough.
His winter scent washes over me, as comforting as his presence in my mind. How strange, wonderfully so, that our mental connection is starting to feel… safe.
Inside that closed-off space in my mind, I consider his promise never to hurt me, his vow to always protect me. Maybe it’s okay to surrender fully to him, to spill the last of my secrets and trust that he won’t react badly.
We’re leaving Braemar soon, and he plans for us to visit a fae priestess. It’s my understanding that fae priestesses can often glimpse hidden truths and future events.
As I recall the details of the second vision I had, a shocking suspicion creeps into my closed-off thoughts. Did a priestess inform Elssandra in advance that she was Theron’s mate?
Yes, I was shocked by the priestess’s revelation. But perhaps it will be easier this way. I will play my part, and I will resist the bond. I’m strong enough. I know I am.Those were my exact words from the vision, burned into my memory. It truly sounds like the person whose body I inhabited during the vision, Elssandra, had just received news about a bond.
A mating bond, I realize. A priestess must’ve told her she was fated to King Theron. Yet she continued to follow her family’s plans to vanquish Theron and steal his place on the Winter Court throne.
Hmm. What if the visions came from Theron himself, and I simply gleaned them from his mind? The first vision, the erotic one, could definitely be a memory of his. As for the second vision, maybe. If he’d learned about the meeting in the forest, he could’ve conjured the details in his mind, imagining what was said between Elssandra and her cousin. Given the tether between our minds, it’s possible the visions came from him, and I decide I prefer that possibility over the alternative. That I’m personally connected to Elssandra.
You are safe with me, Helena. Always. I will never let anyone hurt you, and I will never hurt you.Theron’s most recent promises replay in my mind next, bringing me comfort. I will do whatever it takes to keep you as mine.
