Desperate need raked through me. “Yes.”
With a wicked smile, he dragged the bottom edge of my tunic up my stomach, exposing my breasts. A guttural sound escaped his throat as he gazed down at them, his eyes lighting with a furious fire. He swept his thumb across my aching nipple, and a storm of shivers shook through me.
“You like that, do you?” He leaned down and dragged his tongue across it. Need clenched my thighs, and a rough gasp exploded from my throat. I fisted my hands around the tunic draped across his shoulders and clung on like I would float away at any moment.
He massaged my nipple with his tongue, softly rubbing the other with his thumb, driving me so wild that I bucked against him. Moaning, I angled my hips so that I could rub against him, anything to release the building tension between my thighs.
Eyes flashing, he shifted back to meet my gaze. I shuddered at the raw power reflected there. A lazy grin played across his lips. “Tell me, love. What else makes you squirm like this? I need to know exactly what you like.”
Heat rushed into my cheeks. Nibbling on my bottom lip, I glanced away. “I, um, I’m not sure.”
He shifted on top of me, took my chin gently between his thumb and forefinger, and turned my face back toward him. “You’ve never lain with another?”
I swallowed hard, embarrassed. “No. We were forbidden. Unmarried girls must remain pure for the king. Any of us caught even kissing someone would have been beheaded. It happened once, just before the third Festival of Light. The story has been passed down over the years. A warning of what Oberon would do.”
His gaze darkened. “Of course. I should have known.”
Something in my gut twisted and I suddenly felt cold. Now that we were talking about Oberon, that clenching between my thighs was gone. The moment was ruined. I never should have spoken his name aloud because all I could picture now was his orange-red eyes, those terrifying horns, and the smug look on his face when he’d killed my sister.
Swallowing hard, I glanced away.
“That bastard.” With a clench of his jaw, Kalen pushed off me and stalked over to the bay of windows. I tugged my shirt back over my breasts. “Did he do something else to you?” His voice was low and dangerous, mist curling off his skin.
“Not like that, no,” I whispered.
His fists clenched as he whirled toward me. “I can’t let you kill him.”
I pulled my knees to my chest and gaped up at him. “What?”
In two strides, he’d crossed the room and knelt by my side. He took my hand in his, staring at me fiercely. “It’s too dangerous. If you walk back into that city, your life is forfeit. He will kill you, Tessa. Or worse.” His voice cracked. “Even with the Mortal Blade…it’s too much of a risk.”
Defiance rose up inside me like an iron fist. I pulled my hand out of his and stood. “I’m not that fragile, Kalen.”
He rose with me. “You’re as strong as the moon, Tessa. But you are still a mortal. He could easily kill you.”
“I thought you said he wouldn’t,” I replied hotly. “That I’m too valuable to him. He branded me as his bride.”
“Youwerevaluable to him,” he said in low voice. “But he may very well have replaced you with someone else. If that’s the case, you’re dead. And even if not, if you fail, if he catches you…he will bind you to his will until you’re dust.”
I shivered beneath the intensity of his gaze, but I did not back down. I lifted my chin. “We always knew this would be dangerous. I want to do this, Kalen. You said it yourself. He needs to be stopped.”
“We’ll find another way.”
“There isno other way. No one else can reach him. It has to be me.” My heart pounded as I spoke the words, making me realize just how badly I wanted to see Oberon dead. Not just for revenge but for the safety of this world. Now that I’d met one of the gods and heard the venom in her voice, I knew the people who called this realm their home would never be safe as long as Oberon tried to bring the gods back.
“Tessa, love,” he said softly. My heart squeezed as he took my hand and placed it against his thumping heart. Skin against skin. The heat of him overwhelmed me. “I can’t let you do this. I won’t sacrifice your life this way. It would make me just as bad as he is.”
I ground my teeth, the heavy thump of his heart rocking through me. “It’s my life. It should be my decision.”
He pressed his lips together. I thought he would fight me more on this, but then he nodded. “You’re right. Itisyour choice, and I won’t steal that from you. But you need more training before you go after him. You’re not ready. Surely you can see that.”
Frustration churned like a storm-swept sea. I narrowed my eyes but didn’t argue, because I knew he was right. I’d been improving during our daily training sessions. I was far more comfortable with combat stances and sneak attacks than I had been a week ago…but it was just that. A week.
King Oberon was five hundred years old—ancient, especially compared to a twenty-five-year-old mortal like me. Even without his elite fae power, he was strong and fast and deadly. There was only so much I could learn in a week. If I wanted to beat him, I knew I needed to be better than I was.
“I thought you were in a hurry to stop him,” I said. “Training me properly could take months.” Or even a year.
“Oh, I am,” he said with a slight smile. “But my definition of hurrying might be different than yours.”