A Kiss of Shadow (Court of Starlight and Darkness #2)(51)

“May I?” I brushed a thumb over her center, which was still covered with the fabric.

“Anything,” she breathed.

The word was all I needed to hear. Desperate for her, I pushed the dress over her hips to reveal a scrap of lace stretched tight over her softness.

A groan escaped my throat, and I nuzzled the fabric, breathing deeply of her sweet scent. It made my head spin and my desire ratchet higher.

Her hands appeared at the waistband of her underwear, and she shoved them down. A growl of approval rose in my throat. I liked her enthusiasm. A lot.

I pulled the scrap of lace away from her legs, then raised my gaze to the pink softness between her thighs.

My breath left me on a rush.

“Beautiful.” I lowered my mouth, burying myself in her sweetness.

She cried out, clutching my hair as her thighs tightened around my ears. “Lore.”

I explored every inch of her, tasting every curve and sweet crevice. It was a pleasure unlike any I had ever known, reaching deep inside me, and tearing me apart.

When her legs began to tremble around my head, I knew she was close.

“Come on,” I growled against her. I wanted to feel her pleasure on my tongue. To taste it.

“Lore, it’s too much.”

“Never.” I gripped her hips and held her still, my mouth wild on her.

She cried out, arching against me as her orgasm washed over her. It was the most glorious thing I’d ever experienced, enough to snap some sense into me.

I wanted her.

I wanted all of her. Her heart, her soul, her love.

And that was the biggest danger of all.





19





Sia



* * *



I lay on the bed, gasping as the pleasure faded.

Blinking, I looked up at Lore. He stood over me, cheeks flushed, and lips swollen and damp. He ran a hand over his mouth, shuddering. I’d have been offended, except for the heat that still blazed in his eyes.

I reached for him. “Come here.”

“I can’t, Sia.” His eyes flashed. He swallowed hard, his jaw tight and fists clenched.

“What?” I frowned.

“I… I’m sorry. I can’t. It would lead to terrible things.” He turned and walked to the door, disappearing before I could so much as sit up.

When it closed behind him, I stared at the ceiling.

What the hell had that just been?

I rose, fumbling for my underwear and pulling them on. I stood, then began to pace the room.

He’d just walked away from me. After that.

Anger and anxiety coursed through me, and I wasn’t sure what was stronger.

Where had he gone?

Should I care?

No. Caring was a terrible idea. And yet, it was impossible not to.

He might care for me, but it was doing terrible things to my sanity. One moment, he was confessing to his feelings and treating me like I was a goddess. The next, he was charging away without a word.

What the hell was I supposed to do with that?

Get over it, nerd.

I groaned and went to the window, opening it to suck in a breath of fresh air.

As soon as I did it, a sense of de ja vu twinged.

I’d opened this window and looked out before, hadn’t I?

Or had I?

Last night?

Much of it was lost in my memory, but it might have happened.

The clouds hovered outside the window, thick and dark. I drew in a breath, my mind going fuzzy as the most intense desire filled me.

I need to go to the statue.

Now?

It was a terrible time. Middle of the night and dark as pitch.

But I couldn’t fight the desire. It gripped me like an enormous fist, pulling me from the room. I tried to drag my feet, but there was no stopping it. Head fuzzy, I walked through the hall and down the stairs. The main entryway was empty, and no one stopped me as I hurried out the door and onto the main lawn.

This has happened before.

I could feel it. I’d been drawn out of the castle last night, just like this, but I hadn’t been able to fight it.

I still couldn’t fight it.

I gasped, sucking in fresh air, and hoping it would clear my head.

It didn’t.

Somehow, it only made it worse.

The dark clouds roiled overhead. I looked up at them as I made my way toward the maze, pulled by a force too strong to fight.

The witch is calling me.

And there was no way to stop moving forward.

The maze was dark as I entered.

“Illumination,” I said, my voice sounding foreign to my own ears.

The glowing orbs burst to life, lighting my way. I followed the path that the historian had led me on last time, still drawn by a power I couldn’t fight. By the time I made it to the statues, I was out of breath from struggling against the pull.

I stared at the likenesses of my parents, waiting to understand.

But I didn’t.

The night around me was dark and quiet. Lonely and filled with danger.

My throat tightened. I drew in a shuddery breath and asked, “Why am I here? Why did you give me up? Or die? I just want to understand.”

No answer, of course.

My parents were gone.

I tried to turn around and go back to the house, but my feet felt glued to the ground. So I collapsed, my sparkling skirts pooling around me.