City of Thorns (The Demon Queen Trials #1)(57)

Chapter 32





I wriggled out of them quickly, and I heard his sharp intake of breath, then a low snarl.

From behind, he leaned over me again, hands covering mine for a moment. Then one of his hands moved slowly down, tracing over my breast, my nipple, making me gasp. Lazily, he moved his hand down to my abdomen.

Oh, God, he hadn’t even touched me yet between my legs, and I was already insanely turned on. “Tell me,” he whispered in my ear, “that you want me to give you what you need.”

I turned my head, my mouth now only inches from his perfect lips. “I want you to give me what I need,” I whispered.

Then, finally, he moved his hand lower. All it took was one light touch between my thighs to make me moan.

And because he needed his ego stroked, he pulled his hand away again.

“Come on, Orion.” I’d never wanted anyone like this before.

“I just like hearing you ask,” he said, his voice husky.

Slowly, lightly, he moved his middle finger in a circle just where I needed him. I groaned again, and I found my legs spreading wider, my ass moving against his length. My body was tightly coiled with desire, my toes curling. I wanted more of him—I needed him to take off his pants and fill me. My hips moved of their own accord, my body begging for more pressure. I wanted his hands all over me, and I’d become nothing now but animal desire. “Orion, I need more,” I whispered.

At last, he slid one finger into me, then another, and I heard him groan my name. Pleasure was rising in me as he stroked in and out, my body clenching around him. I was moving against him, fucking his hand. Finally, for the first time, I was about to come.

“Rowan.” That reverence in his tone, like a desperate prayer offered up to the heavens, started to send me over the edge. I was writhing beneath him, surrendering to the pleasure he was giving me.

Was this actually going to happen? For the first time, was I going to feel that release?

My hips moved against him as he plunged in and out of me, and my vision started to go hazy, filled with images of a midnight sea outside. My body shuddered.

My mind was going dark, shattering as spasms gripped my body.

At last, I climaxed, calling his name.





My muscles had gone completely limp, and I pulled the sheet around myself, catching my breath.

When Orion lay down behind me, I felt that his body was still rigid, his muscles tense. I turned, kissing him deeply. Somehow, I still wanted more, but that couldn’t happen. He twined his fingers into my hair, kissing me hard, desperately.

Then he pulled away with a groan. “This was more difficult than I’d imagined.” His eyes were dark as night. “Rowan, we need to stop now. There’s only so much torture I can take in a night.”

I touched his cheek, my heart aching at his beauty. “Okay. You did it, by the way.”

An amused smile. “I know.”

When I turned away from him, tugging the sheets around me, my heart was still pounding hard. Orion’s powerful arms were wrapped around me, and I gripped one of them. “No wonder everyone makes a big deal out of orgasms. I had no idea. And no wonder mortals let themselves die at the hands of incubi. It was worth it.”

A dark laugh from behind me. “Maybe for most mortals, it was worth it, since their lives were worthless anyway. But not for you, it wouldn’t be.”

The sound of water lapped gently against the rocks. “That’s…sweet. I guess.”

“Rowan?” he said quietly. “I don’t think you should stay in the City of Thorns any longer.”

Disappointment coiled through me. “You’re kicking me out now? I thought you were going to help me.”

He brushed my hair off my face. “I’m not kicking you out, but I don’t want you to die in the king’s fire pit. And I can’t keep you safe until I know how to kill him.”

I took a deep breath. “So you do plan to kill him. Even though he’s the king and you’re not his heir.”

“Well, yes. I’m also considering killing Lydia and Nama, who are the two people most likely to report you for being a mortal. And I could kill anyone who—”

“Can we save the trail of death discussion for later?” I sighed. “I was enjoying the afterglow.”

He pulled up a second silky blanket around me, and I curled into it.

“How often do you sleep in here?” I asked quietly.

“Often. It’s where I feel the most comfortable.”

My eyelids were growing heavy now, and the candles burning in the chandelier were starting to flicker and gutter out. I let my eyes close. “Orion? How did you escape the prison?”

He brushed my hair off my face, then kissed my forehead. “I dug an escape route. It took a very, very long time.”

With his arm wrapped around me, I traced my fingers over his strange tattoo—the snake, formed into a noose. “And no one remembered you were down there?”

“One person did.” His voice sounded distant. “But he’s dead now.”

The candles were growing dimmer, and Orion’s chest moved slowly in and out behind me, lulling me to sleep.

“The king?” I asked. “Was he the only one?”

“You should go to sleep, Rowan.”

Already, I felt myself drifting off to the gentle sound of the lapping waves. Man, it would be painful to leave. This place was magic.