A Throne of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales #2)(107)

He’s ours, my animal said, resting comfortably just below the surface, basking in his presence. You’re finally starting to realize it. No one else better lay a hand on him, or we’ll lop that hand off.

I rolled my eyes.

“What’s the matter?” Nyfain asked.

“Just…” I made a circle toward my chest. “My animal. She’s being…”

Right. I’m being right. Admit it.

“Overbearing,” I finished.

“I know what that is like, yes.” He took a dainty bite of his dessert, and I just couldn’t play along. I scooped mine up like I was famished. Holy crow, this dessert was fabulous. “Seriously, I used to think Hannon was a good cook. Why don’t I get meals like this sent upstairs? I feel cheated.”

Nyfain laughed. “Cook is one of the few who didn’t get the axe. I’m not sure why, to be honest. And yes, I would’ve missed home. I miss it now, while living this half-life. I would’ve missed my friends and, of course, my mother. Missed the feel of the air and smell of the wood. I had a good childhood, for the most part. I loved hunting and fishing and running on these lands, and I always hoped to do the same with a child of my own—”

He sucked in an intense breath and grabbed the edge of the table with both hands. His eyes squeezed shut. Power pounded through the room, and the servants—standing off to the sides and waiting for us to finish our desserts—pushed back against the wall and then started slipping away. Still the power built, crashing around us now, calling to my animal. It flowed through the bond and filled us both to the point of bursting, stretching our skin and still pumping higher.

Nyfain pushed back from the table and stood on wobbly legs, slightly bent over.

“What can I do?” I asked, standing with him. “Get out of here?”

“You haven’t sipped your wine.”

I looked to my full glass. His was mostly empty.

“I don’t like wine,” I lied, now realizing what this was about. He’d clued into why I wasn’t drinking the wine, the idea probably sparking because he’d mentioned a child of his own, and his dragon was freaking the fuck out.

“You’re lying,” he growled, straightening up slowly in jerky movements. His eyes glowed brightly.

In a fast, violent movement, he swiped his arm across the table. Plates and glasses flew to the side and crashed onto the floor. A candelabrum clunked down, spilling wax and dousing the flames. Shadow draped across Nyfain’s severe but handsome features, his cheekbones sharper and the wells of his eyes appearing deeper. His scars cut across his skin in a cruel pattern.

Lust raged through the bond. Devotion. Longing.

He grabbed me around the hips and hauled me to him, crushing me against his hard body. He claimed my lips and stole my breath with a scorching kiss.

“I need you,” he said against my lips, grabbing my butt and pulling me closer. “I need to pound my cock into you, over and over. I need to fill you with my release and mark you as mine.”

I moaned softly. I couldn’t help it.

He spun me around. One large palm pushed me forward over the table, food stains marring the pristine white cloth. His other hand hauled up the bottom of my dress, and I knew he was going to take me right here. Rational thought had clearly fled. His primal urges to mate had taken over, and they were pulling power up from his depths.

Is it Nyfain or the dragon? I asked my animal as I shoved back against him, sending a bolt of thunderous power his way. It slammed into his body and threw him back into his chair. He slid for a few feet before he rose slowly, swiping his hand across his lips, looking at me through his lashes.

A thrill of fear arrested me. He was an intimidating bastard. I knew he wouldn’t hurt me, though. The fight was on.

Nyfain, I think, she answered. I can feel his dragon. He seems gleeful but not in control. He’s right near the surface, though. He’s riding the man hard. He wants to stamp his scent on you, and if the man won’t claim you, then he wants it done with his seed. And probably bites or marks. Fight him. Make him prove himself. It’ll be so worth it, trust me. It’ll make him more powerful, too. It’ll draw out that primal power. Hopefully. Regardless, it’ll be a damn good lay.

Menace radiated from the man. Power, too. It shoved at me. Caressed me. Cocooned me.

Fuck, that feels good, my animal purred.

I had to agree.

“Fight all you want, princess,” he said in a low, rough tone that sizzled across my flesh. “In the end, I will bend you over that table and fuck you.”

I took a step toward him. “I’m not going to take it easy on you like those men you heard about. You’ll have to get through my will, and I don’t fuck around.”

“Damn right you don’t. You’re mine.”

A swell of power slammed into me, pushing me back against the table. Another surge pumped through my body, but this time it sucked energy away rather than bestowing it upon me.

What the fuck is happening? I asked my animal as Nyfain rushed me, arms extended to grab.

Some sort of fuckery, that’s what. His dragon is being tricky. Damn experienced bastard. I’ve got that motherfucker, though. Let me work around this.

He grabbed my upper arms and spun me around. I groaned as his front pushed against my back, trapping me to the table. I could feel his hard cock just above my butt. His teeth skimmed my shoulder as I shuddered in delicious bliss, lowering my head. He latched down low on my neck, his teeth breaking the surface.