Page 183 of Scourged
“After the Uroboros, I needed a reminder that I could feel something again. It wasn’t really a distraction—not in the sense some might think. I just needed something to remind me that I washere, that I was alive.”
Andrian was still for a moment before he nodded. “And now?”
Mariah snaked her hand around his neck before sinking it into his hair. It was still short on the sides, but she was glad he’d let her leave some of the length on the top. The strands were like black silk, even beneath the water. With a gentle tug, she pulled his head down so his forehead rested against hers.
“I feel like I’m losing myself, Andrian. I’m just so fuckingangry. Delaynie just lost her father, and I could barely find it in myself to show her any sympathy. I have so much rage and fear that I can feel myself losing the ability to … well,feel. It’s numbing me, drowning me out fromme.”
Andrian squeezed her hip. He dropped the hand above her head, sinking it into the hair at the base of her scalp. He pulled back from her, just a touch, so he could meet her gaze.
“So, what is it,nio? Do you want me to help you feel again? To remind you that you are Mariah Salis, Queen of Onita, daughter of a soldier and a healer?” His grip in her hair tightened, eyes dropping to her lips.
“To remind you that you are my moon, and that no matter what they take from you, they cannevertake your strength?” His murmur was so low, she was shocked she could hear it.
But even without words, the feelings pulsing down their bond … she would’ve known what he was saying, even if all her senses were stolen from her.
“Yes, Andrian,” she murmured. “Gods, yes. Remind me.” Her breath hitched. “Distractme.”
Those final words snapped something between them, a tether of energy unleashed.
With a growl, he claimed her mouth, her back flattening against the wall as he crowded against her. He still held her head, but the hand at her hip had gripped her thigh, hitching it around his waist.
Her entire body was set ablaze, but not with the flames of rage.
Currents of energy buzzed along her skin, and she gasped for breath when his tongue met hers and his teeth nipped her lips. Her hands sank deeper into his hair, pulling him so close that she could no longer tell where she stopped and he began. Heat pooled in her core as his cock pressed against her stomach, hard and ready.
Something soft and familiar slid across her arms. Andrian drew back, leaving her panting and desperate. Her eyes flew open, meeting his gaze, a wicked grin spread across his face. His shadows wound around her arms, the water passing through them harmlessly. He leaned back in, hot breath tickling her ear, sending a shiver down her spine and a fresh wave of heat to her belly.
“Trust me,nio. I hope I’ve earned it.” His shadows tightened around her arms and wrists, and before she could resist, they yanked her hands out of his hair, pulling them up and securing them above her head.
Her chest heaved, but she didn’t speak. Not as he leaned in, pressing a painfully gentle kiss to her lips, then to her jaw, then to the hollow of her throat.
His lips left a trail of flickering, burning flames down her body. He dropped to one knee, lifting her left leg over his shoulder before planting a kiss to the sensitive skin on the inside of her thigh, followed by a nip that had her hissing and jolting against her bindings.
“Stop playing.” Her voice was husky and low.
Andrian smirked at her. “Oh, princess. You should know by now. The playing is my favorite part.”
She inhaled sharply, straining against the bindings. His grip around her hips tightened, and his eyes darkened as shadows flooded his gaze.
“Listen to me, my queen. I am going to make you come until the only thing you know is how much I worship you, and the only thing you can think is how good I make you feel. I won’t just distract you from your rage; I willreplaceit.”
Any response she had died in her throat as he brought his mouth to her core, water falling like stars around them.
Sparks danced across her skin. A groan slipped past her teeth. He devoured her, consuming like a man starved, teeth nipping and biting at her clit as his tongue greedily drank from her. She struggled desperately against her bindings, fighting to sink her hands into his hair, to push him deeper, to chase a release that could wash away the weight on her soul.
Instead of letting her free, though, he only chuckled, the rumble of his breath jolting against her sensitive flesh.
“Give me your control,nio. Stop fighting. Surrender to me.”
Mariah didn’t want to. Losing control, with her frayed emotions … Her wounded soul bellowed in agony.
But she’d told him she would trust him. And the more she struggled, the more he slowed, refusing to give her what she sought.
Mariah forced her body to still. She gripped one bound wrist with the other hand, squeezing tight to keep from struggling. Forcing a breath, she leaned her head back against the wall, feeling every single drop of water bead down her too sensitive skin.
“Good girl,” Andrian murmured against her. She sucked in another breath at the praise, at the feel of his words againsther core, heat rushing through every inch of her skin. A whine peeled out of her, unbidden and desperate.
He chuckled again and resumed his worship. But this time, he was just as frantic and gave her exactly what she chased.