A Throne of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales #2)(33)

“I’ve had to have Hadriel or Lena apply it. I wonder if you would do them the favor of taking over…”

He let the words trail off, as though he wasn’t sure I’d say yes.

“Of course I will.” I slid my hands over his shoulders, giving in to the urge to touch his heated skin, always warm despite the chill.

“You mentioned making more of that nulling elixir. I was able to replicate it—I had to; I didn’t want to be thought dense—but it is time-consuming, and time is my most important resource. I wouldn’t trust any of the staff with it.” He paused. “Truth be told, until they stop fornicating with the demons, I don’t want any of them to know about it. I want to keep this from the demons for as long as possible. The demon king would not look favorably on losing one of his torture devices.”

“I’ll have nothing but time, and after all these years of hustling, I’m incredibly proficient at it. I can make loads. What about the crowded nulling elixir? What can we do about that?”

“Let’s distribute the regular stuff first, so the villagers can see how it works. They are not quick to trust. After that, we can sneak you into various areas in the village to see the sickest patients.”

I didn’t mean to make an ugh sound.

He glanced back with an arched eyebrow.

“I’m not a big fan of nursing,” I explained, kneading his tense shoulders.

“You nursed me quite thoroughly.” His tone held innuendo, and I knew he was thinking about the morning after he took the crowded elixir, plus our encounter in the washing shed that afternoon…

Heat wormed through me. I slid my hands across his shoulders again, stopping one where his shoulder met his neck and continuing to explore with the other, sliding up the front of his throat and applying a little pressure. I made him lean back against my legs, his head just under my breasts. Now I pushed my first hand down and across his delicious pecs, feeling his scars, lingering on a nipple.

“That was different,” I murmured.

“How?” he whispered, allowing me to maintain the firm hold on his throat with one hand as I glided a thumb over his nipple before rubbing in a circle.

My core tightened, and I leaned over to run the edge of my tongue along the shell of his ear. Goosebumps covered his flesh and a shiver ran through his body.

I smiled, my ardor rising. Through the bond, I could feel him reacting the same way. Not that I needed that hint. His cock was standing at attention. He was not bashful in the least about his body, something I appreciated. I was not bashful in the least about staring at it.

“I don’t know how, to be honest.” I tightened the arm that was draped down his front, curving closer to his body. I licked and kissed down his jaw line, my core so tight I could barely stand it. “I would say that I cared about you getting better, or that I worried I’d lose you, but I cared about those things with Father, and yet I couldn’t bear to be the one nursing him.”

“Maybe you could…bear it if I died, and so it didn’t matter whether you nursed me.” He tilted his head a little, his eyes closed, and I noticed his hands gripping the edge of the bench with white knuckles.

He was referring to my spelling mistake in our letters.

He was thinking about my body being bare.

A surge of warmth ran down my inner thighs, the effects of intense arousal and our earlier fucking session. His nostrils flared, and though I knew he wouldn’t mention it because of my issues with his pussy-smelling dragon, he was clearly aware of what was happening. A soft growl sounded in his throat, and he turned his head a bit more, angling his lips toward mine.

I kissed the corner of his lips, over his scar. He jerked, as though to pull away, and I tightened my hold on his throat, my fingers digging in a little. It wasn’t nearly enough to cut off the air, but it was a firm expression of what I wanted.

I let the kiss linger and then adjusted the angle so I could brush my lips against his.

“That isn’t it.” I nibbled his lips, tingles washing over me when he gently sucked in my bottom lip. The man was an expert kisser. He could read the tone and match it perfectly, taking me to a place where the only thing I knew was his taste and his touch.

“I do wish it could’ve been you and me on our first time together, going easy like you said,” I whispered, stepping back a little so he would be forced to lean more weight on me.

His words weren’t much more than a sigh. “I know. I’m sorry it has to be this way.”

I deepened our kiss, my tongue flirting with his. The muscles in his arms flared, and it reminded me of his dragon earlier, lying back and holding on to control so that my animal could play. Could do what she wanted. This time, Nyfain the man was the one holding back. He was allowing me access, but he clearly did not plan to bring things any further.

That was definitely for the best. My pussy ached with need and soreness both. I needed time to recuperate.

“How’s your dick?” I murmured against his lips.

“Not in need of more teeth, I can assure you. My balls hurt like a motherfucker.”

I chuckled and leaned back to laugh harder. “That was so weird.”

“Yeah. I can think of other signals to back a dick out of a mouth than corporal punishment.”

I kissed his cheek and moved my hand away from his throat to around his collarbone, hugging him from behind.