I bit my lip, desperate not to make any more embarrassing moans or whimpers oranything.
To the side of me, I wondered if Audrey would be disappointed in how little effort it took for Drustan to manipulate my body to his liking. But then I remembered that Drustan was a powerful and sexy siren, and I was just a human, so she could fuck right off with any judgment she may have.
I shifted, rubbing my thighs together as he moved lower on my back again, slowly pulling the back of my pants down as his thumbs rubbed further into my glutes.
Oh god, oh god, oh god.
Behind me, Drustan’s chest expanded, pressing against my back. I shifted again, silently noting the wetness in my underwear.
I hated it.
I loved it.
“One minute,” Drustan hummed, his fingers flexed against my hips with his words. As if he was worried that I’d try to jump off him before our time was up. He had good instincts, at least. “Unless,” Drustan continued. “You’d like more. You just have to say the words.”
I pressed my lips together, and the spicy scent of him burned into my nostrils and made me lose my train of thought. My hands were balled into fists on my lap, desperate to hold my ground and not spread my legs so I could hump his leg like a dog in heat.
“Time’s up,” Audrey said. My head jolted to the side to see her standing and stepping in front of us.
I moved to jump off of Drustan’s lap, but his fingers flexed on my hips, keeping me there. I turned to look at him overmy shoulder, noting how expanded his pupils were. Blackness practically overtook his gold irises.
Silently shaking my head at him once, I grasped his hands and gently pushed them off of me.
As soon as I landed on my feet, the side door on the dais opened, and Liam was storming through without Caelena. He gave the two of us his outstretched hand, and without hesitating, we slapped our palms in his.
And then the world started spinning.
Chapter 16
Liam said his sleuthing with Caelena was a bust. She even went as far as to take Liam past Ilia’s office in search of a more “private” area for the two of them, but when Liam walked by, he realized the space was unusually bare. No filing cabinets, no drawers, nothing. Just a plain desk. When Audrey asked if Ilia and Sergei had found them, Liam looked confused and shook his head. Which made us all wonder, why did the Siren King leave in the middle of Bandthral when the halfling he hates and a human he tried to kidnap waltzed right through his front doors?
Audrey made a snarky comment asking if Liam at least got lucky while off with Caelena, and Liam adamantly promised that no bodily fluids were exchanged between them. I ended up announcing that my period was starting and I was going to bed, during their bickering about it. I popped a gummy and crashed. The next day was Monday, so I went to work and acted like I didn’t just spend the previous day in a secret magical realm and focused on getting through the shift without bleeding through my pants.
When I got home, though, I slammed the front door behind me and slouched against it as I felt another cramp sharpen itsattack. I breathed through it, used to period cramps while also cursing them.
“HowdareI not get pregnant this month?” I groaned into our condo.
“So,” Audrey’s voice made me open my eyes as she slowly approached me. “I know you’re in a lot of pain.”
“Spot on.” I nodded. I stood tall and glanced at the mug in her hands. “Is that for me?”
“Only if you want. This tea isn’t from here, it’s from Hyvenmere—Enharra, specifically.” I reached forward and held the warm mug as she continued, “I started taking it a year or so ago for my own cramps. It’s pretty strong, but safe for humans.”
I grinned. “Taste?”
“Delicious.” Audrey smiled. I started taking large gulps, ignoring the slight burn from the hot beverage. “Damn.” Audrey giggled, before she reached for the keys in the bowl we kept by the door. “I know you’re probably going to lock yourself in your room the rest of the night, but another halfling just became mated to a fae in Enharra, and Liam and Ada asked me to join them in celebrating the new bond.” I grunted my confirmation that I would not be doing that with her, “But you definitely shouldn’t operate any heavy machinery or go anywhere alone. I’ll lock the door behind me.”
I sighed. “Like cinnamon sugar,” I murmured with a lick of my lips. “But you’re right. I’ll be in my room for the foreseeable future. I hope you have fun not telling Liam how badly you want him and pretending that your feelings for each other are entirely platonic.” Audrey rolled her eyes and pinched my side before exiting the apartment.
Some indeterminate amount of time after drinking the Hyvenmerian tea, I was lying in my bed. Nothing but my salt lamp on my nightstand illuminated the space. A heating pad rested on my stomach, but I didn’t need it anymore.
Because I was tripping fucking balls.
Whatever Audrey gave me, I wanted more of it immediately. It didn’t have any side effects that usually came when I took a hallucinogen. No dizziness, no nausea, no anxiety. I felt light. Airy. Safe. Warm. A little giggly.
This tea was the fucking best. I kept forgetting that I was even on my period right now.
Usually, I’d be sound asleep at this point in the night after taking two gummies. I guess Icouldstill fall asleep, but I was so focused on howgoodI was feeling that I didn’t want to. Time was crazy, as it usually was when I was high. What I thought was thirty minutes was only two. What I thought was ten seconds was ten minutes.
