Page 80 of Hallowed Games

He reached for my underwear, smoothly tugging it off. As he did, shadows slid through the air around him, and he brushed a dark, scorching gaze down my body.

Like silk, his shadowy magic slid around my arms, and it bound my wrists up over my head. Gently, he cupped his hand behind my head as he used his magic to tug me down to his cloak again.

He pressed his palms on either side of me, taking my nipple in his mouth. He caressed me with his tongue while he touched me excruciatingly lightly between my thighs. A brush of his thumb on my wet heat, a whisper of a stroke where I was exquisitely sensitive. My hips bucked, desperate for more contact, for more friction. For him to fill me with his hard length. On instinct, my thighs spread wider, like I was offering myself up to him. Trying to tempt him into me.

He would not be rushed. He released my nipple, then trailed heated kisses down my body. Slowly, his tongue whirled over my waist, my hip bones. He was taking his time tasting me, exploring.

As he moved down to my thighs, pleasure fluttered through me. His kisses were agonizingly slow, lazy swirls of his tongue. I wanted to scream his name, to beg him to fuck me, but he seemed in no hurry. A warm glow lit me up, beads of dew on my skin. He licked me deeper, possessively.

He lifted his mouth from me, and I ached for his touch again.

“I adore your perfect body,” he murmured. “Every inch of it. You were made for me.”

As tendrils of his shadow magic licked at my skin, my bones turned liquid. I gritted my teeth. I was trying not to cry out, to risk altering the Luminari.

Finally, he kissed me where I was wet, and my thighs clenched around him. I let out a soft cry, and my fingers curled into his hair. My hips rolled, and I moved against his mouth.

He raised his face. “You were made for me,” he purred again.

I flexed my wrists, bound in his magic. He’d brought me just to the edge, and I wanted to pull him into me. My hips rolled. “Then fill me.”

His low growl skittered over my bare skin, and he moved up my body again. “So impatient. But how can I deny a command from our Lady of Death? The way you smell, the way you taste, is intoxicating.”

He paused at the heat of my entrance, then slowly slid in. As he pushed deeper into me, he pierced me with that dark gaze until his eyes closed.

As my body adjusted to him, a soft moan escaped my throat. The warmth of sunlight spilled onto my skin like honey.

He lowered his body over mine as he thrust fully into me, and his teeth grazed my throat. Bone-deep pleasure gripped my mind as he moved in and out of me, excruciatingly slowly. He groaned as my body coiled tightly, pulling around him. I was gasping his name as he kissed my neck, moving my hips in time with his.

My mind burst with the colors he so loved, the violet of the Archon, the green of pastures stretching under white clouds…

As I let out a cry, he claimed my mouth. My tongue tangled with his as he slammed into me. His magic released my hands, and I raked my nails down his back. Ecstasy rippled through me, shattering me into a million pieces. I turned limp, liquid, and he pulled me against him, folding me into his arms.

He leaned his forehead against my throat, murmuring, “I could see the world alive again. Just then. Just for a moment.”

“I saw it, too.”

My heart still slammed in my chest, and he brushed the damp hair off my face. “We have to get you back to your room, love.”

* * *

CHAPTER 36

I crossed into the dining hall, my cowl raised. I’d spent a full day locked in my room with only a few cups of water, but the hunger didn’t affect me. The thrill of vampire blood still pulsed hot through my body.

I scanned the dining hall until I found my allies huddled around a table. Their grim expressions made my stomach tighten. We were running out of time, and I had no idea if Maelor would be able to help us again.

As I drew closer, my gaze landed on the meager offerings on the table. Tonight, there was no wine or quail or rich stew. Instead, my friends sat before crusts of bread and pale brown glasses of water.

I took a seat next to Sazia, frowning at the bread crusts. “So, it seems our benefactor is gone.”

Godric raised his eyebrows. “Speaking of benefactors, are you going to tell us about the Raven Lord letting us out of the dungeon?”

Hugo’s eyes brightened. “I told you all about vampires, didn’t I? Did you see what his chest looked like? He didn’t die from that, only because he’s already dead.”

Sazia flicked her hair behind her shoulder. “I have a little question for you. Is he part of the resistance? Or did you seduce him so thoroughly that he’s now under your spell?”

I leaned forward, glancing at Percival. “He was the one who saved Eboria.” Everyone leaned closer as I whispered. “The Raven Lord was working against the Order. He warned Eboria. He killed a dozen Luminari yesterday. And yes, he might be why we used to have good food. Now, he’s in hiding. The Pater is furious that so many of us have survived, and he blames Maelor for that, too. He knows someone passed along warnings. He’s in a complete fury.”