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  “We played things that way with Zach last night, remember? Tongues and mouths all over, licking and sucking, wet and wild… Though I’d love to feel your sweet little mouth on my dick again, I think we need to explore new territory. And I don’t think you were done talking about how you got so jaded that you can’t enjoy simple skin on skin, without the bells and whistles.”

  “Can’t say he ever did anything to me with bells and whistles, but ball gags, miles and miles of rope, candle wax, floggers, nipple clamps…” She knew she’d shocked him, but couldn’t seem to stop. “Corsets, handcuffs, clothespins, spreader bars ‑‑”

  “Stop!” Alec winced, as if startled by his own anger. “I’m sorry. I can’t picture you like that, being hurt for someone’s pleasure. Not after what we went through together.”

  “That’s the problem.” Sky cupped her hands to each side of his jaw, enjoying the brush of stubble on her palms. “You see, after a while, I couldn’t picture it any longer, either. So I made sure I held the whip, not the other way around. I traded in the bottom act for the trappings of a Dom. Role fit me better, too.”

  Except with Jaimis. At the beginning, long before the blood rites and his encroaching madness, she’d thought his ability to top her meant she’d finally found a man strong enough for her tastes. Forcing regret aside, she traced her finger along Alec’s arm.

  “Look, after what happened with Jaimis, I can’t play with an edge. Not anymore. But I started so young. I never had a chance to acquire a taste for vanilla, so I’m afraid…”

  Afraid my sexuality is as broken as my magic.

  “That sounds like an invitation to discover more forms of nonthreatening kink, if I’m not mistaken. The bit in the bathtub seemed to work for you, correct?”

  Sky’s murmured assent got lost in his hungry kisses.

  “And the bit where you and Zach played tongue hockey across my dick?”

  Fear quivered through her senses at the reminder of how close they’d come to losing Zach today, and she pulled away from Alec’s mouth. “Yes. And when he’s better, I’m going to give him the best welcome-back sex of his life. You’re invited.”

  Alec’s cock twitched against her thigh. “It’s a date. But for now, let’s see what we can do here, on the level of kinky but safe. Now close your eyes.”

  At which she sat bolt upright and knotted her fists in the blankets.

  Alec groaned under his breath. “Okay, wrong approach. I know better than to ask you to trust me, but I promise that nothing you experience with me tonight will involve pain. Unless you count the ‘I’m going to die if I don’t come soon’ feeling.”

  His eyes looked so serious, amber brown in the half-light of the forest, and his tone was so earnest that she couldn’t bear to disappoint him. Breathing slow and deep, willing her body to relax, she lay down on her back and let her eyes droop shut.

  “There we go.” He eased his hand under the arch of her neck, kneading away any remaining tension. “I’m going to use a bit of magic, so don’t be startled. Simple parlor tricks, but I think you’ll like this.”

  Feeling exposed with the June air on her skin, her legs splayed open on the soft blankets and her world shrouded behind closed eyelids, she waited. Although she felt a gathering of power and heard Alec murmur a few unintelligible words to cue a spell, when something touched her flesh, it had nothing to do with magic.

  Tiny whispers of sensation tickled her neck, and the scent of pine became stronger. Identifying the object, she smiled. Alec dragged the sprig of long, delicate pine needles, fanlike and soft, over her collarbone and up across the mound of her breast until the tiny points teased her nipple.

  “This isn’t going to be like the thing with the fruit, is it? Where you’ll touch me with a sprig of pine, an oak leaf, a fern, and all manner of forest paraphernalia, without ever letting me feel your skin?”

  In answer, the warmth of his palm cupped her other breast as the pine sprig continued to tease the first. The warmth of the day and the scent of the woods cradled her, and the tingling cocoon of his concealing sphere kept every inch of her body in touch with his magic. With her eyes closed, she imagined him leaning over her, his wavy hair moving through the hoary mist, the thin braid with the green bead at the end hanging close to his cheek as he bent forward.

  “Oh!” Something fluttered between her legs, birdlike, and instinctively, she spread wider to welcome the sensation. “Guess that explains the spike of power a minute ago. What…?”

  “Shh. Just feel. As I said, just parlor tricks. Nothing that can harm you.”

  The feeling of feathers brushing against the sensitive flesh of her inner thighs made it almost impossible for her to keep her eyes closed. She wanted to see. Both his magic and his face. When the feathery wisps of power shifted, she groaned as what felt like wings brushed her clit. With each stroke of delight, her body warmed, loosened, opened itself farther in preparation to take him. Her pussy throbbed with pulses of heat, little spasms just strong enough to let her know how fucking great it would feel when she finally came.

  Distracted by the heady sensations creating a slow sizzle across her pubic mound, she flinched when a leafy fern trailed across her breast. Alec shifted his hand to splay his fingers across her belly, exerting just enough pressure to hold her to the ground. When the fern tickled the underside of her arm, she laughed, but soon lost herself as the featherlike touches of whatever form he’d conjured this time sent her into a dizzy spiral of desire.

  Softer, more fragile now, but centered directly over her clit. “A butterfly.”

  If it weren’t for the telltale crackle of energy, she’d swear an actual butterfly perched on her clit, fanning its wings on the summer breeze. She curled her hips upward, arching into the oh-so-light sensation, and whimpered when she met the delicious counterpressure of Alec’s hand holding her down.

  Chapter Six

  Alec’s thoughts remained quiet, and without the distraction of being pulled into his head, Skyler focused on her body’s responses. Her nipples felt tight and hard, sensitized by the touch of fern frond, hand, and silvery power. Alec’s hand on her belly made her want so much more of him, all of him, covering her like a blanket, warm and comfortable.

  The incessant buzzing over her clit, fairy-soft brushstrokes fanning air across her increasingly slick skin, left her breathless and panting. Her pussy felt swollen, more than ready to share space with Alec’s body. Heat flickered across her skin in strange patterns, warming her eyelids, her neck, her knees, her ankles. Alec’s aura. Even with her eyes closed, she could picture him bathed in a white yellow glow, could feel the heat radiating from him.

  Alec made a small sound, and the quivering sensations between her legs eased. “I’m sorry. I know it’s strange, to have my energy throw off heat like that.”

  “No, please. It’s okay.” Don’t stop. “I feel at ease with you, in a way I hadn’t imagined I would with anyone again. The warmth, it feels healthy. Like sun burning away filth, leaving everything clean again.”

  If only she could pull off a trick like that, using her energy to burn away impurities. Broken. That’s what I am.

  “I’m thinking if you’re heading into the realm of self-pity, I’m not doing a good enough job of holding your attention.” Still pressing her down with one hand, Alec moved his other to her inner thigh, letting her know he was coming. “Can I touch you, Skylark?”

  Startled, she felt heat rush to her face at the unexpected endearment. In her past life ‑‑ leather, spiked boots, whip in hand ‑‑ no one would have thought to compare her to a small bird with an enchanting song.

  “Yes. You can touch me.” No one had ever asked her before, and her throat tightened at his consideration for her skittishness, his gentleness, and most of all, his affection. “It’s been so long, since I’ve been with someone who…”

  Her throat tightened, and he saved her from having to explain how long it had been since she’d had sex with someone who really cared for her.
Not since Lena. And in her stupidity, she’d frightened Lena away.

  Alec eased his hand closer to her swollen folds, and when she tilted her hips and moved her legs wider on the blankets, he stroked her damp folds as gently as the magic he’d called. Moving in rhythm with his fingers, the whisper-soft caresses of magic continued, sending little buzzes of satisfaction along the dripping channel of her pussy to the very core of her being.

  “It just wasn’t the right time yet, with you and Lena. Regrets can fill your heart up with rocks, if you let them.” Alec hummed under his breath, something vaguely Celtic, as he eased his finger inside her. “You’re a different person now. Me too, for that matter. No use grieving for who we were. All we can do is move ahead.”

  When he leaned forward to rest his head on her belly, a little sob caught in her throat. His aura pulsed against her skin, and as she reached down to tangle her fingers in his hair, the energy reshaped to include her. Sweet goddess, he smelled so good. Salty, as rich as the air in the forest, and oh so male.

  Distracted by the delicious pressure of his head on her tummy, his hair spreading wildly across her skin, it took her several moments to realize the delicious strokes across her clit had stopped. In its place, a second finger slid deep inside her, warm and probing. When he shifted to his side, his stone-hard cock pressed against her thigh, and she shivered in anticipation.

  With one hand she caressed his scalp, enjoying the feel of his hair on her fingers, and with the other, she grabbed onto his shoulder to steady herself as he pressed upward toward her pelvic bone and dragged his fingers along her sweet spot. Wet didn’t even begin to describe her pussy after that little move. And the heat of his aura around her couldn’t compare with the gush of molten liquid inside her.

  When she thought she couldn’t stand another minute of him pressing there ‑‑ oh, yes, right there! ‑‑ he shifted position again and brought his mouth down directly over her clit. She held tighter to both his hair and his shoulder and half wondered if she’d come unglued and float off into the atmosphere. His tongue danced along the hood of her clit, lifting and teasing, and then stroked delicious circles around her drenched folds, touching everywhere except her swollen clit.

  Just when she thought she might have to exert a little pressure to the fistful of hair she held, easing him back where she wanted his mouth, he claimed her clit again, sucking for all he was worth. When she felt her aura tear free, dark and twisted, she hardly cared. Even broken energy felt good mingling with his clear, clean power.

  As their auras entwined, his thoughts coursed over her in a waterfall of images. He added a third finger to her pussy, envisioning his cock plunging inside her, filling her until they shared as much space as two bodies can. She smelled herself, rich and tangy on his tongue, felt the pressure on his sac as his cock twitched in anticipation, and reveled in the link that made it possible to feel not just with him, but through him.

  Skylark. When he thought of her, she was his little bird, soaring free above the earth.

  “You’re a hopeless romantic.” Her thighs tensed in warning, and when he let his teeth graze her clit, red flashes exploded behind her eyelids. “Little bird my ‑‑ ooohhhh ‑‑ ass!”

  Beyond speech now, she gave in to the shuddering bliss as her body clenched tight around his fingers in rapid spasms, her clit throbbing double time under his tongue. She curled her shoulders off the ground and then arched her head back so hard that it hit the earth with enough force to hurt. She threw one leg across his shoulders as he continued to lick, prod, suck, and caress the last shivers of her climax out of her. Even when she thought the fury had passed, he coaxed aftershocks of pleasure from her, so strong her arms trembled, and she moaned at the heat of it all.

  When she quieted, he eased his fingers free, but stayed with his face pressed between her thighs, breathing hard. She drifted, aware of the buzz of his hunger for her, but desperate for a few minutes to fall back into her body. Reclaim the boundaries of her limbs, and sort out which thoughts were hers and which his.

  Then he shifted back, half sitting, and mumbled a few words under his breath. Goddess help her, the delicious butterfly wing caresses of his magic started up again, and her oversensitive clit shivered in near panic.

  “Too…” Too much. Too intense. Too hot.

  The shiver of energy vanished, and Alec lay down beside her, his head just above hers, so that her face pressed against his neck, her head tucked protectively under his chin. He held her, the wiry muscles of his arms secure across her body. Despite herself, and despite the edge of hunger she felt searing through him, she felt herself drifting, drowsy and sated. Too weary to fight, she surrendered to the cloudy, dark pull of sleep.

  * * * * *

  Gods, he could watch her forever. At some point, he’d lost track of time, uncertain how long they’d lain here together. Her breasts rose and fell gently with each breath she took, and her hair spread out across her pale skin like a silken black cloak. He’d never held someone like this, sleeping in his arms with their auras still merged.

  Linda had liked a lot of space when she slept, and she’d died so young that they’d hardly had a chance to sort out the compromises that make up a marriage. Besides, his magic had made her nervous, so he’d been careful not to let his aura show when they were in bed together.

  As much as he wanted to wake Sky, to sink his dick deep inside her and ease the fiery ache in his balls, he knew she’d given him something more precious than sex. She might not be able to trust him, not completely, but she felt safe enough with him to sleep in his arms. Surprised at how much that meant to him, Alec stroked her shoulder, playing his thumb across her smooth skin. She smelled like honey, rich and warm, and now and then, she made little noises in her sleep.

  A stolen moment, he knew. The mere illusion of peace. And even now, surrounded by the embrace of leafy bushes and the safety of his concealing spell, he caught himself scanning their surroundings for trouble. He sensed the reassuring presence of the guards, not far off, and Laura and Zach inside the ramshackle cabin. Nothing to alarm him.

  When Zach woke later, they’d all need to have a serious talk about strategy. Between the dark lord’s exploding car trick and the human gunman’s near success at ending Zach’s life, the cat and mouse bit was officially over. Whether the others agreed with his plans was another matter altogether. But they’d be blessed fools to sit waiting for Jaimis’s people to take another swipe at them.

  “’S everything okay?” Sky stirred and rubbed her eyes, the childlike gesture creating a lump in his throat about the size of Minneapolis.

  “Sorry, just thinking too loud. Beyond the obvious, everything’s fine.” He watched as she sat and stretched, raising her arms high above her head and swaying from side to side.

  When she scrambled on top of him, kneeling with her bottom resting near the tip of his cock, his breath escaped through clenched teeth. “I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.”

  Smiling, she bent down, and her hair cascaded across his body, eliciting shivers of approval. “I think it’s more about what you’ll be getting into.”

  Fuck. His blood supply rushed south, flooding into his already swollen dick. “Now?” Much as he hated the note of pleading in his voice, it had been a long, long time.

  The thought of losing control still twisted his gut into knots, but the thought of not seeing this through spurred a red haze of panic. He tensed in anticipation as she raised her body and came to rest with her pussy lips splayed wet and slick over his rigid cock, teasing him but stopping short of penetration. She moved against him, sliding her wet folds along his shaft, then leaned forward so her clit rubbed against the sensitive spot just beneath the head.

  Alec hummed under his breath. “Nothing I could say right now could express how fucking wonderful I feel.”

  “Hmm.” She shook her head so her hair lashed across his chest in a cloud of silky warmth that smelled like honey and wild blackberries.

 
When she scooted back to take his cock in her hand and guided him inside her, he bit his lip and hoped he wouldn’t embarrass himself by spilling like a fifteen-year-old virgin. Sky laughed, and he knew she’d caught that thought, but couldn’t find it in him to care as she pressed her knees and calves tight along his sides and lifted herself, then dropped back to engulf him in wet heat.

  With him buried so deep inside her that her pelvic bones dug into his groin, she froze, statuelike, and reached up to touch his nipples. He wanted her to move again, rising and falling, to provide the friction he craved. And yet, he found himself enchanted by the sharp sensations as she rolled his small nipples between her fingers.

  When he let out a sharp, hungry sound, she bent forward and covered him with her body, her breasts warm against his skin. He reached between them to cup the soft flesh in his palms, then gently played her nipples between his fingertips as she began to slide forward and back, pulling almost free of him before sinking back down and taking him deep inside her.

  Her aura pulled at his, disturbing the field of light with the tattered spots. But despite the damage to her magic, nothing compared to this. The sex, the heady pull of her thoughts, the riot of their combined energy fields. Just when he got used to the rhythm she’d set ‑‑ thought maybe he could last long enough for them to climax together ‑‑ she pressed her hands against his chest and pushed herself upright.

  The sudden pressure as the angle of his cock changed, combined with the over-the-top sexy vision of her breasts swaying with her movements, knocked the wind out of him and set every muscle in his body on edge, tense and ready to explode.

  “I can’t ‑‑”

  “Sure you can.” Sky smiled, her pink lips curling upward and her unearthly, light blue eyes sparkling with pure devilment. “My line at this point is usually, ‘Don’t you dare come until I give you permission,’ and I’ve never had anyone disobey me yet. I’m thinking you’re not likely to be the first.”