I have to get out of here. I stagger to my feet, but hesitate. Lucas is trapped behind the couch. A creative combination of filthy expletives nearly burst from me, my eyes sliding to the aforementioned furniture. It gives Valen the precious moments he needs to seize the upper hand.
His magic flares. One second, he’s standing on the other side of the desk, the next, he’s before me. I stumble and nearly trip into the chair. He’s so much taller now, practically looming over me. His face is slightly shadowed from how he’s backlit. His icy eyes glow after using high-level sorcery. I’m trapped.
His head tilts, his voice low and velvety. “Now that I’ve answered your question, I believe it’s only fair you answer mine.” He takes a heart-thudding step closer.
We’re chest to chest, my head tilting back to look up at him defiantly, the panic sharpening my gaze to a razor edge of self-preservation. But his stupid, sexy voice shivers down my spine. “Didyouwant me to come after you?”
I swallow and drop my gaze.
“Astoria.”
It snaps back to him, like he called me to heel.
“Did you want me to chase you down?”
Too close. My heart is too fast.
He leans forward. “Hunt you to the ends of this earth…”
My breath huffs, heat pooling between my thighs.
Barely a millimeter from my ear, he whispers, “And refuse to let you go?”
The shiver that travels down my neck to my fingertips trembles me. My eyes flutter, head tilting back. I feel the rumble of his voice, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. “Tell me, Tori. Why are you really here?”
My trembling heart makes my voice a breathy, desperate whisper, “Valen.”
I’m not sure how it happens or who does it. All I know is that at the sound of his name, Valen pulls back and my head turns, and our mouths collide.
Heat. Blinding, searing, mind-consumingheat. I gasp against Valen’s mouth, his tongue sliding along mine, and my knees crumple. He catches me, crushing me to his body. We kiss and kiss, hands snaring and clawing each other as seven years of pining clash.
The papers, trinkets, pens, and an extremely rare book of prophetic spells blast off the top of Vincentius’ desk. Our combined magic put too much gusto into the act of clearing it off. I smile against his lips and he does the same against mine. His hands smooth down my ass to grip the backs of my trouser-clad thighs. He lifts and plants me on the empty desk. I grab him, wrapping my legs around his hips and hooking to draw him in even tighter.
Another moan hums from my chest when I arch back, Valen’s strong arms keeping me mostly upright and cradled against him as he trails open-mouthed kisses down my neck. My head falls back with a small cry and his mouth latches on to my upper neck. He bites. Hard, punishing, and I spiral into an explosion of aching want.
His fingers deftly unbutton my shirt until he gets to my vest. He partially rips open both to get more access to me. He licks the swell of my breast and my nails snarl in his hair, happily wrecking the slicked-back look.
He draws me back up, his dark, hooded eyes meeting mine for a moment. Our lips graze, his breath against my mouth, my heart stuttering. His deepened voice tightens my thighs around him, drawing him tighter where I know I want this to end.
“I would highly recommend that your magician stop. He’s about to trigger a bloodline detection rune and unleash the flesh-eating curse.”
He kisses me again and my eyes snap open.
Caught.
CHAPTER 11
Valen’s tongue slides deep into my mouth, silencing me. Panic floods my system. With all my strength, I shove Valen away, twist around, and reach behind me. “LUCAS!”
A crisp snap and violent cursing explode from behind the couch. “MOTHERFUCKER!” Lucas bolts up, the illusion dissolving. He shakes out his hands. “Fuckfuckfuck.” Steam hisses from his rings as he blows on them uselessly.
The relief is staggering and I half collapse on the desk. “Thank all the arachnid gods. You okay?”
Lucas’ mouth twists in a grimace, the steam finally stopping. “Yeah. I’ll live.” His eyes slide past me. “For however long that’ll be.”
Cold shivers down my insides. I swallow and slowly turn back to Valentin Bauer the Sixth. A hum of magic straightens out his rumpled shirt and slicks back his hair to flawless perfection. His eyes are ice cold, his face an unreadable stone mask.
I cover my unease with a wide smile and stretch on the desk. “Does this mean I’ll get that spanking after all?”
