Betrayed by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #5)

Betrayed by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #5)

Jasmine Walt




Author’s Note


Dear Reader, If this is the first book you’ve picked up in the Baine Chronicles series, I’ve included a glossary in the back of the book to help illuminate the backstory. If you’ve already read the rest of the series, this glossary will help reacquaint you to the people, places and things introduced to you in earlier books.

You can either read the glossary first to familiarize or re-familiarize yourself with Sunaya’s world, or you can plunge into the story and refer to it as needed. The guide is in alphabetical order, and characters are listed last name first. To the new reader, welcome to the Baine Chronicles! And to those of you who have read the first book, welcome back and thank you! Your support allows me to continue doing what I love most – writing.

Best, Jasmine





1





Warm hands gliding up my sides awoke me from a sound sleep. They were big hands, strong and sure and confident, but their touch was gentle, teasing even as they roused me from my slumber. Mumbling a little into the pillow, I tried to roll over, but a heavy weight settled atop my body, preventing the motion.

“Good morning, a ghrá,” Iannis murmured roughly in my ear. I smiled at the foreign endearment he sometimes used when we were in private. His hands trailed higher, sliding beneath my torso to cup my breasts, and I sucked in a tiny, sharp breath as his thumbs flicked over my nipples.

“Morning,” I said, arching my back as he pressed kisses along the tops of my shoulders. The answering rock of his hips into mine sent a thrill through me—he was hot, hard, and hungry, as he was every morning. Heat spiraled through my body as he stroked and kissed, teased and played, and I clenched the sheets, resisting the urge to buck him off so that I could move things along faster.

Giving someone your back when you were on the ground—or in this case, on a magnificent, four-poster king-sized bed with satin sheets—was pretty much the worst thing you could do. It was an extremely tough position to get out of, even if you were stronger than the other person. I would have never assumed such a position with a casual lover, never mind an enemy.

But Iannis wasn’t my enemy, though I’d considered him as such when we’d first met.

He was my friend. My lover. My future mate.

When he finally turned me over, finally slid himself inside me and joined us as one, the gasp of pleasure that sang through the air came from both of us. Sometimes, we played rough, rocking the heavy bedframe as we tangled ourselves up in each other, pulling hair and nipping at sensitive spots on damp skin. But this morning, we went slowly, drawing as much pleasure and enjoyment from each other as we possibly could. I lost myself in shimmering violet eyes, threaded my fingers through dark, cherry-wood hair, and savored each kiss from his full, wickedly talented lips.

“I’m not sure I’m ever going to get used to this,” I murmured afterward, my head nestling against his hard chest as I curled into his arms. Closing my eyes, I greedily inhaled his scent—a combination of sandalwood and magic that never failed to fill me with warmth.

“Good.” He stroked my hair with one hand, gently squeezed my ass with the other. “I certainly wouldn’t want you to get bored.”

I lifted my head to look him in the eye. “I’m more afraid that you’d get tired of me,” I said, and my chest tightened a little at the admission. I knew Iannis loved me—he’d more than proved that—but he was centuries old, and part Tua, a long-lived, practically immortal race of beings. I couldn’t help but worry that to him, what we had would turn into the blink of an eye in his long life, to be swept away as he turned toward something, or someone, new.

His eyes darkened as he read the thoughts flitting through my head—I wasn’t great at hiding my emotions. To him, I was probably an open book. “I could never get enough of you,” he assured me, lifting his hand so he could stroke my cheek. He kissed me, then added, “And there’s no chance of us growing complacent, not with your talent for getting into trouble.”

“Hey!” I smacked at his chest, a grin tugging at my lips, and he laughed. “If that’s the case, then I’ll make sure to go out of my way to find trouble. You’ll never know a moment’s peace.”

“Is that not what you do already?”

Growling, I started tickling his ribs. In the next second, we were tangled up in the sheets again, rolling around on the mattress and howling with laughter. Who knew that the great and powerful Lord Iannis had such a basic weakness? And that I, of all people, would get close enough to actually exploit it? The stern, forbidding expression he wore in public was gone as he slid on top of me—his cheeks were glowing, his eyes sparkling. His white, even teeth flashed as he gave me one of the widest grins I’d ever seen from him.

“I have you now,” he growled playfully, leaning in to nip at my collarbone. A spark of heat lit inside me, and I arched against him.

A bell rang, interrupting what would have been our second round, and I grumbled a little. But my stomach grumbled louder, signaling it wanted breakfast, so I held back further protests as Iannis rolled off me and reached for the blue robe hanging on a hook by the bed.

“Wait here while I let him in,” he warned, disappearing into the living room of his suite.