Page 59 of Bitten By the Basilisk

Something about his posture—the tension in his shoulders and tail—had her preternatural intuition sending up a red flag.

“For serpent-folk,” Silas said next to her, yanking her attention back to him, “displays of wealth arouse our territorial instinct, especially during mating season. At gatherings such as tonight, we adorn ourselves with precious metals and stones.”

“Yes, I’ve noticed,” she acknowledged, eyeing his arm next to her and the way his gold armbands squeezed the muscular limb. “Am I right in guessing that adorning someone else in jewelry also…arouses your territorial instinct?”

Silas glanced at her with a heated gaze. “Without a doubt.”

Oh, I am so cooked.

He ushered her through a curtained doorway into a private space where numerous tea lights offered soft lighting from niches in the masonry, and lush dark-colored area rugs covered the stone floor, cushioning her steps. Burgundy banners were strung overhead and across the back wall to cut down on drafts, while a small bronze brazier full of glowing charcoal warmed the air.

In the center of the room sat a round, velvet-covered ottoman. Beyond it was a tall, arched mirror next to a standing candelabra. The only other object of note lay atop the ottoman—a black steel lockbox.

“Please face the mirror,” he said, still pulling his tail inside.

Keenly aware that they were now alone together, she walked past the ottoman and stopped in front of the mirror. After confirming that her hair and dress were still tidy, she watched Silas’s movements behind her in the glass’s reflection, the swing of his gold fringe earrings tantalizing.

He arranged himself between her and the ottoman, layering his coils in loops long enough to be seen on either side of her, so close that he brushed the back of her skirt.

She couldn’t help noting that his tail was long enough to wrap around her several times. The thought of it restraining her while his human half did whatever he liked had her so turned on that the flesh between her thighs was hot and swollen, much to her chagrin.

He briefly turned his back to her, the twisting motion looking particularly serpentine. The sound of a key turning told her he was opening the lockbox. Even though she couldn’t hope to see inside it from where she stood, she could guess he intended to reveal its contents to her a piece at a time.

When he turned around, his hands hidden behind her, he found her gaze in the mirror and held it, clearly focused on watching her reaction. He shifted closer, enough for her to feel his body heat and scent his cologne.

“I’ve been looking forward to this moment,” he said in a close voice, lifting something over her head.

Her gasp was soft but sharp. The princess necklace he held before her was truly stunning. Gold charms, set with teardrop rubies surrounded by tiny diamonds, were strung together on stacked chains, from which hung even larger rubies.

“Oh. Wow,” she whispered. Though the light in the room was relatively dim, she could tell the rubies’ shade of red matched her dress.

Silas brought the necklace to her throat. “Lift your hair for me, kitten.”

Drawing in a shaky breath, she held up her hair so he could fasten the clasp in back and tuck it beneath the strap of her halter bodice. The piece fit perfectly within the neckline of her dress. With her free hand, she gently stroked the front.

“Done,” he said softly as he brushed his palms down her bare shoulders, prompting her to release her hair.

“It’s beautiful. Truly.”

Their gazes met in the mirror, his stare so full of need that it made her core throb with heat. “You make it even more so.”

She pouted at him. “I’ve only been here five minutes. I can’t handle hours of…this,” she said, gesturing vaguely at his reflection.

A corner of his mouth curled smugly. “Want me to take the edge off?”

She tilted her head in suspicion. “What do you mean?”

He spoke low next to her ear. “I could have my fingers on your clit in seconds.”

Her mouth gaped in astonishment. Was he seriously offering to make her come then and there, yards away from a party?

She had to swallow before her voice would work. “D-doesn’t your kind have a pretty good sense of smell?”

His cocky expression froze, then fell into a frown. “You’re right.” He lowered his face to her shoulder and breathed in slowly through his nose, his eyes shut.

A moan rumbled in his throat, his forehead tight with yearning. “I wouldn’t care if anyone out there knew I had pleasured you, but no one but me should know the smell of your slick.”

She could only laugh helplessly. “Then you can’t keep saying things like that.”