“Then what?—”
Kjeld couldn’t handle it anymore. Snaring her by the waist, he pitched forward and scraped his teeth along the delectable flesh of her neck. Just enough to sting. But not enough to drawblood. He laved his tongue over the spot, trailing its warm tip all the way to her ear. To his surprise, Caelian didn’t cry out. She didn’t scream or thrash. Instead, she melted into him, the softest of moans slipping between her pillowy lips. The tempting scent of her arousal filled his nostrils, and his cock surged to life.
Fuck.
He was definitely going to die.
“Every time you move,” he ground out slowly, enunciating each word. “Every time you shift your hips, or wiggle, or squirm…this happens.”
He pressed his palm flat against her lower stomach, pushing her into him, so she could feel the proof of his desire nudging into her bottom.
“Do it again,” he warned quietly over the wind rushing past their ears, “whether on purpose or accident, and make no mistake…I will fuck you.”
Caelian sucked in a short breath, her lashes fluttering wildly, her body growing incredibly still.
“I will shove up your skirts, bend you over this seat, and take you from behind.” Kjeld dragged his thumb down the center of her lips, so the bottom one stuck out in a pout. “I will fuck you until the skies are filled with you screaming my name. Until my cum is dripping down your thighs. Until your sweet little cunt is raw from taking my cock all the way to Brackroth.”
Something like shock glinted in her eyes, but it was banked by a heat he recognized all too well.
Kjeld murmured his next promise against the corner of her mouth, the scruff of his jaw lightly grazing her smooth, sensitive skin. “And then I’ll do it all over again.”
Caelian bristled, and the brief glimpse of yearning that stole into the depths of her blue gaze vanished. She yanked up her hood, burying herself in the soft fabric. Lifting one shoulder, shebarely spared him a glance. But when her eyes cut to him, they burned with challenge.
Her pink tongue darted out, sliding between her lips. “A promise, then?”
“Aye, Starweaver.” Kjeld rocked his hips forward so his hardened length settled between her thighs, creating an unforgivable kind of friction. “That’s a promise.”
He wanted her to provoke him.
He was silently begging her to be defiant. To test him. To taunt him.
But part of him was grateful Caelian lacked the courage to defy him. That the spark inside her dulled to a barely breathing flame. That she sat perfectly still, doing little more than fiddling with the furry hem of her cape, twisting the fibers between her fingers.
Because Kjeld wanted nothing more than to prove he was a man of his word.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The entire flight to Brackroth was laced with feverish sexual tension. It did not help matters that Caelian was seated across Kjeld’s lap and his impressive erection continued to bump against the back of her upper thighs and bottom for the remainder of the trip. She tried to ignore the humming of her blood, the way it droned and rushed in her ears. It was a scratching type of noise, the sort that made her skin itch. It took every ounce of effort to be still, to try not to shift, but the combination of her obvious arousal with her lack of magic made it feel as though rough scraps of wool were being dragged across every inch of her skin.
As a lady of Aeramere, a fae born of stars and constellations, her power was also tied to her feelings. She knew the only guaranteed way to find her fated mate—if she even had one—was to share a kiss. For it was then her magic, and the magic of her suitor, would claim each other. It wasn’t necessarily something designed by the fates or stars, but it was almost otherworldly. Entirely out of her control and yet such an experience would make it seem that she was capable of choosing her own destiny. But without the power to grant wishes upon falling stars,without any kind of magic coursing through her at all, each feeling and emotion were keenly tied to Caelian’s heart.
She felt everything fully. Expressively. Like she was flayed. Raw and vulnerable. Cracked open. As though a piece of her, some integral part of her very being, was missing.
Unfortunately for Caelian, Kjeld made those sensations a thousand times worse.
She knew his feelings for her were detached. And she was not foolish enough to believe that undeniable physical attraction was the same as unequivocal love. On the contrary, one was most certainly separate from the other. As much as she didn’t care to admit such a wildly harsh truth to herself, she understood that while Kjeld may very well want her in every physical aspect, there was a good chance he was still furious with her for saving his life.
At least, she assumed as much.
He hadn’t told her otherwise, but she could tell. There was usually a standoffish stiffness to his tone. Especially when they were in front of other people. More often than not, he chose to ignore her. His moods were too unpredictable, fluctuating between genuine warmth and hardened disdain. His kindness was tainted by cold demand, his patience with her often waned until it was entirely too thin. The only time Kjeld had shown her any kind of care or concern was when she nearly died. Even then, his demeanor was harsh, despite the fact that he’d been unable to control his longing for her.
So while Caelian would have loved nothing more than to lean into Kjeld’s broad frame and rest her head against him in comfort, she kept her posture impossibly rigid. A manner born out of necessity because he’d given her a fair enough warning. If she moved one more time, if she dared to rub her bottom against his thick shaft, even by accident, then he would bend her over and do unspeakable things to her.
Unspeakable yet decidedly thrilling things.
If only he didn’t view them as a punishment of some kind, for certainly he had to know how much she craved his touch.
Just when her back was beginning to throb, when all of her muscles were aching and taut, pained from lack of movement, when she thought for certain she would collapse against him whether she wanted to or not, misty gray clouds surrounded them.
