Page 12 of Kingdom of Spirits

“My lady,” he begged. “Please.”

Cheeks and chest flushing, she set her fingers along his sharp hipbones. Heat flooded her body, her bones going liquid. She eyed one of his more…fascinating areas. “Are all males with Mistgold blood this, umm, blessed?”

He snarled and lunged, lifting her and landing on the bed in one breathtaking movement. His weight sank into her. It was the greatest sensation. He pinned her to the cloud-like duvet with his hips; the pressure from his obvious desire for her threwsparks of pleasure over her flushed skin. A moan escaped her. Gods, he felt amazing.

His lips claimed hers as he bent his head to kiss her chest. His tongue flicked over the peak of her breast and around and under, here and there, making her squirm beneath him. She gripped his moon-white hair in rough handfuls. Arching against him, savoring the friction of his body on hers, she whispered his name.

With surprisingly careful movements, he moved on to taking off her boots and leather trousers.

He stopped, inhaling sharply. She hadn’t worn any undergarments below the navel either. His mouth came down on her hip, his tongue touching the hot skin there and lower. Pleasure simmered in her blood and her heart pounded so loudly she knew he could hear it. But she wasn’t overly worried about it. He cared deeply for her, and while they weren’t mated yet, she dared to hope. A little overexcitement on her part surely wouldn’t ruin the whole thing.

Kissing a trail between her thighs, his hands wandered around the back of her knees. He shifted her up, closer, and her breath caught. His hair fell over her hips and stomach, tickling her as his mouth drew pleasure from her body like a bard draws music from a lute. She could die now and be happy forever, honestly. His hands slid down and he gracefully took off her boots and socks. His thumb circled the center of her heel and moved upward, eliciting a gasp from her.

“I order you to take command now,” she whispered, feeling powerful and incredibly grateful for finding him—her friend, her shelter, her challenge.

A smile like a sword’s edge glimmered along his lips, showing his fangs. He bent and lifted something from the floor. He held it up and raised his eyebrows. His whip.

Chapter 6

Tahlia

The milky light of pre-dawn streamed from the high window and poured over Marius’s well-muscled chest. Tahlia skimmed her fingertips across his body, her head full of delicious dreams. She lifted her cheek from Marius’s shoulder, and he smiled down at her, looking like a completely different version of his normally stern self. His hand cradled her face, his skin warm and perfect. She had definitely perished and moved on to a glorious afterlife.

A knocking sounded through Marius’s chambers, and Tahlia growled, sitting up.

“You sound like me,” Marius said, laughter in his storm-gray eyes. He slipped out of bed and drew on a pair of linen trousers he had folded by his armoire. “I’ll take care of it. You rest.”

Tahlia rubbed her face as Marius left the bedroom. “Punch that person for me, please.”

A chuckle echoed from the outer chamber, then the door creaked open. Low voices spoke in quick sentences.

Tahlia scrambled out of bed, pulling a small woolen blanket around her and peering out the half-open bedchamber door. The male at the door wore the commander’s sigil of the crescent moon and sword.

“Commander Gaius requests your presence immediately. Both of you, High Captain, Lady Tahlia.”

Marius faced Tahlia and gave her a meaningful look, pursing his full lips slightly.

She waved a hand. “It’s all right. Let’s go. I don’t want to cause any more problems that might result in you standing in front of a dragon and waiting for the flame.” She still could hardly comprehend he had risked that for her.

The messenger nodded to Marius and left.

Marius shut the door and eyed Tahlia. “Yes, you do.”

“Do what?” she asked.

Marius passed her, dropping a kiss on her forehead. “Cause more problems. It’s your favored pastime, I believe.”

Tahlia giggled. “It really is.”

Shaking his head, Marius dressed in his leathers and Tahlia did her best to keep her hands off him. Once she was dressed as well, they walked hurriedly down the corridor, past a few other knights and staff.

“So he asked for me too?” Tahlia smoothed her hair back—a lost cause. It was tangled into a knot at the back of her skull. “Do you know what this might be about?”

“No. It could simply be mission information and he heard we were together last night.”

“Together.” Tahlia grinned and rubbed the spot where Marius’s whip had been wound around her wrist. “In so many ways.”

He gave her a very Marius look, cold and formidable. She shivered, delighted.