Taken by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #8)(41)

“Yes,” I moaned as his thumb found my sweet spot. He slid two fingers inside me as he stroked my clit, and I came almost immediately, arching off the ground again as pleasure speared through me. I scored my nails down his back as he kept going, using those talented fingers to drive me wild as he sucked one of my nipples into his mouth. I was on fire, a deep hunger clawing me from the inside, and I wanted to wrap myself up in him until I didn’t know where he began and I ended.

“Please,” I panted after he’d sent me over the edge again. I reached for his cock, and he hissed as I gently began to stroke him. “I want you inside me.”

“More,” he said, wrapping his hand around mine and urging me faster. I kissed him hard as he did, loving the feel of him in my hand as I tasted him. He groaned into my mouth, and I took advantage of the distraction, rising up to flip him onto his back.

“Gotcha,” I said with a grin as I slowly lowered myself onto him. We both moaned as he filled me completely, stretching me until I was both satisfied and aching for more. Bracing my hands on his rock-solid chest, I began to rock up and down, gently at first, then faster as the pleasure began to build inside me. Iannis’s eyes blazed, his violet irises taking on a warm glow from the flickering fire, and he gripped my hips, pushing me faster as he thrust.

I leaned down for a kiss, and he grabbed my ass and ground my hips against his hardness, triggering another climax. I groaned into his mouth as I shook with pleasure, holding on for dear life as he continued to pound into me. Warmth filled me as he came inside me with a rush, and his body stiffened beneath mine in joyful release.

Sighing, I collapsed against him, and we lay there in silence, panting as we worked to catch our breath. His heart hammered against my ear as I traced patterns through the light dusting of hair on his chest, and as his heartbeat evened out, it became a comforting sound lulling me to sleep.

“I love you,” Iannis said softly as he stroked my hair. I mumbled that I loved him too, then fell asleep to the sound of the fire crackling and his slow, steady breathing. There would be time enough to worry about our circumstances tomorrow—for now, just being here with him was enough.





18





The next morning, I awoke to the sensation of something warm and heavy sliding along my leg. At first, I thought it was simply Iannis rubbing his foot against my calf, but the something began to wrap around my leg in a way that a human leg definitely wasn’t capable of.

“What the…” I mumbled blearily as I pulled the blanket aside. My eyes widened as a bright yellow snake lifted his massive triangular head and flicked his forked tongue at me. “Fuck!” I yelled, trying to leap to my feet, but the snake squeezed harder, preventing me from getting up.

“What is it?” Iannis shouted, jolting upright. He swore at the sight of the boa, who was rapidly winding itself around my body, though luckily my arms were still free. The giant reptile was halfway up my torso when my brain finally kicked in, and I pulled one of my crescent knives, then grabbed the snake by the throat and impaled him with the long end of the weapon.

“Eww,” I groaned as black blood splashed all over my face. I gagged as I accidentally got some in my mouth, and turned my head to spit it out.

“Well, that was quite a scare,” Iannis said as he pulled the now limp snake off my body. The reptile was very heavy, a good twelve feet long and six inches around, and I shuddered in disgust as I watched Iannis drag the carcass out of the tent. “Do you think we should have it for breakfast?” he called over his shoulder.

“Ha. Ha.” I rolled my eyes, then got to my feet and took stock of myself. Thankfully I hadn’t been wearing my clothes, but the snake blood had gotten all over our sleeping bags. I used a cleaning spell to take care of the stains, then pulled on my clothes as Iannis came back into the tent.

“Is that really necessary?” he asked, still buck-naked himself. “It isn’t as if there’s anyone around to see us.”

I laughed. “We can’t spend all day having sex,” I said. “And besides, I’d rather not be naked when the next predator comes by to eat me.”

“True,” Iannis agreed as he donned his robe. “It seems the fire wasn’t enough to warn them off. I’ll have to put a protection spell around the perimeter.”

We cut off some of the leftover deer and broke our fast as we watched the quasi-bison graze in the distance—Iannis and I decided to call them “quasis” for short.

“How were you able to get away from Solantha at a time like this?” I asked. “I know you’ve got Chen to run things in your absence, but with the Convention about to start, and you gone, she must be pulling her hair out.”

“Yes, and I feel bad about leaving her alone to deal with that mess,” Iannis said. “But without you, there can be no wedding, and the Convention is of little import to me. Of course I had to come after you.”

“How did you know that I was in Manuc?” I asked. “Were you able to sense me? The serapha charms weren’t working before. Ta’sradala must have done something to them.”

Iannis shook his head. “They didn’t work for me either, and I was terrified that meant you were dead. Luckily, Liu saw you being pulled into the pool—she was hiding in a cherry tree nearby. From the way she described the scene, I gathered someone with incredible power had to have taken you, and the list of suspects was short enough. No living mage could have done it.”