When the suction ceased, he almost protested. Curiosity kept him quiet. Maybe a dash of uncertainty, too. He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her belly.Do not vomit me up, Lyla. Please.
Tension roiled inside him as one minute bled into a second. Then a third. Another five minutes passed. She merely turned and settled more comfortably against him. With her head crooked on his shoulder, she molded her body to his.
He exhaled a sigh of relief. She’d kept him down. He was her consort. Her male. Pride infiltrated every inch of him, and he locked his arms around her once again. Possessiveness sparked and spread.Mine. My female. Always. Never giving her up.
Would she ever fully accept his claim, though?
Sighing, he stared up at the night sky. Perhaps not. The jewel remained embedded in her throat. A sight he suddenly resented. It represented the biggest obstacle between them.
“Thank you,” she muttered with an almost drunk tone. “In case you were wondering, Astra tastesgood. You are pure power.”
The corners of his mouth twitched. “You will want more of me?”
“Babe, I’ll demand it.”
A full-blown smile bloomed. Since she hadn’t brought up the consort thing, he wouldn’t, either. Yet. “I look forward to this,” he replied.
“Good.” She got more comfortable. “So, um, where’d you go earlier? During the battle, I mean. Not that I was obsessing over it or anything.”
He kissed her temple. “I went back to the wraiths. As long as I feed them once a day, Penelope isn’t allowed to drain you.”
“That’s...wow.” Her voice wobbled. “That’s some kind of a romantic gesture, Astra.”
For the first time in his life, he felt the urge to tease another living being. “Oh? Does my harphantom approve of romance now?”
“To her absolute shock, she does indeed,” was the prim reply. A yawn cracked her jaw. “Round three begins in an hour.”
“Forty-nine minutes, twenty-two seconds, actually.”
She pouted. “So, not nearly enough time to provide my own romantic gesture.”
“There’s time todescribeit,” he intoned. “Begin with the removal of your clothing and end with your shouts of pleasure.”
A soft laugh left her, the warmth of her breath fanning his shoulder. “Talking about getting naked and drowning in sexual bliss will only drive us both to the brink of insanity. So, yes, you’ve convinced me to do it.” She lifted enough to prop up her elbow and rest her cheek on her palm—and give him the sexiest grin he’d ever had the privilege to see, setting his blood on fire. “Why don’t we pretend I’ve already verbally stripped us both so I can tell you everywhere I plan to put my mouth...”
“Yes! Start there and spare no detail.”
22
THE COMEBACK
Blythe took her place in the underground arena with the rest of the combatants. Only a hundred or so had survived the unibeasts and very few hid their shock upon discovering her among their numbers.
She offered everyone a mocking smile and a middle finger salute. As predicted, frenzied horniness had left her cranky.
Teasing Roux before today’s competition might have been a wee bit foolish. But she couldn’t regret it. The guy was feeding wraiths on the daily to keep her strong. He tended to her. Charmed her. Beneath that tough, rough exterior might be—gasp—a candy-coated center.
He was just so different than she’d initially believed. Teasing him had become an enjoyable pastime. She had only to think of him to ache.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. She wasn’t supposed to like him. Or crave him. And sleep in his arms? Never.
Lifting her gaze to the royal dais, she caught his eye. And lost her breath. Oh, did she love the way his gorgeous irises lit up anytime he spied her. How his body all but vibrated with the need she had stoked.
Somehow, this male was her consort. The second. An impossibility somehow made possible. The evidence couldn’t be denied. She had napped in his arms. His blood hadn’t sickened her, yet drinking from others did. Even drinking from bloodfruit had bothered her. And his soul... Mmm. There was nothing better.
So what was she going to do about this?
“Congratulations, everyone,” Tonka’s voice echoed from the cavern walls. “You survived your worst nightmare. Are you ready for today’s challenge?”