Page 19 of A Fate of Wings
“How tall are you?” She jerked her chin up.
I shrugged. “Seven foot something. You’re a puny five foot.”
“Five foot two.” She straightened her crown.
“See, little.”
“Oh, for the love of the song, you’re impossible and infuriating.”
“Woman, you would know.”
She huffed an exasperated breath that I bore to the very core of me. Her perky breasts jutted out as though tempting me to feast on them.
“I’ve changed my mind.” She folded her arms. “I won’t pick you as my chosen mate. Now, send me back to the Autumn Court so I can choose a more suitable mate.”
I sighed. “This back and forth is getting tiresome. I’m your mate. Accept the fact right now.”
“Or what?” She tapped her foot.
“Or you’ll force me to take you back to the Winter Court and chain you to my bed until you see reason.”
Her eyes narrowed, but her breath hitched. Her nipples pebbled into hard peaks.
“You like the sound of chains.” I stepped closer. “Don’t worry, I’ll chain you to your bed as soon as we return to the Autumn Court.”
“Maybe I’ll chain you.” She chewed her bottom lip.
“No chains will hold me but say the word and I’ll pretend just for you.” I cupped her nape and drew her closer. “What else do you want to do with me?”
“I want to whip you into submission.” Her hands slid up my arms, over my shoulders, and clung onto my solid flesh. “I’m the queen, damn it.”
“Whip me all you like.” I inched my mouth closer to hers. “I’ll enjoy it.”
Surprise flitted over her face a second before I kissed her. She moaned into my mouth. Her hard nipples brushed against my stomach muscles. Her fingernails dug into the flesh of my shoulders. I snapped my wings closed and drew them back into my body, lifting my head and gazing into her flushed face.
“Would you like me to summon whips and chains here, or shall we return to your castle?”
Her face flushed a deep crimson.
“We should return now. I shouldn’t leave the Autumn Court for long.”
“Trouble in the kingdom?” I couldn’t help asking after everything I’d noticed during the trials.
Her hand absentmindedly shifted to her crown. “You witnessed the attempt on my life.”
“From an outsider. Which should be a non-issue now the trials are over.” I frowned. “But you sense something coming from your people?”
She ducked her chin, not quite meeting my eyes. “I sense a threat looming over my head. I can’t shake the feeling.”
My talons and fangs popped out. Her eyes widened, then heated.
“Hence your need for a strong mate and these trials.”
“Yes. I need someone to watch my back. I can destroy what is coming for me, but I don’t know where it’s coming from.” She shrugged.
I frowned. Thea wasn’t telling me everything she knew about this threat. Understandable since we’d just met. She had yet to learn to trust me. She would. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for my mate. No matter how atrocious the task she set me, I’d do it. There was more to being a Rage Demon than the rage. We were cold. Calculated. Ruthless.
Yet, we loved with a fierce passion.