CHAPTER 42

Rune stared at the loose pages, the only articles that predated Saith. He kept his gaze lowered, refusing to look at Faye. She read him too easily. Held too much sway over him.

She'd left his study and he listened as she ran a bath.

It did nothing for his self-control. Her scent lingered on him, the trace of her arousal stole his clarity and reason.

We would have her, in this very moment, if it weren't for your foolish pride.The Ra'Voshnik thrashed from its confines. Rune buried it deeper until its screams were a far-off echo.

A heavy scent of roses wafted into his study. His brow lowered. Was she emptying vials into her bath? He ran the heel of his palm down his erection. He shouldn't have taken her to witness court training. He shouldn't care if she didn't fit into his world. She wasn't his.

He searched her mind several times, unable to find the spell tying him to her. The result of his effort left one explanation. No, he couldn't be fated to a mortal peasant. She was as affected by their tie as he was. Rune sighed, knowing he lied to himself. He was far more affected by her, and she knew it.

He stood with a growl, abandoning his research. He needed to cleanse her scent from him and clear his mind. He phased to his room and undid his cuff links.

He stilled as Faye moaned. He glanced in the direction of her room as the Ra'Voshnik broke free. It raged to the surface, answering her. Rune's fangs lengthened to sharp points.

She needs us.

Rune growled. He needed to clear his head. The minx tied him in knots and the Ra'Voshnik willingly embraced it. Rune exhaled, reaching for patience. He'd offered to tend to her. Wanted to touch her so desperately he would see to her pleasure and forgo his own.

He gritted his teeth as he stripped off his shirt and jacket, tossing them aside in his frustration.

He reached for his pants and stilled as another breathy moan carried to his sensitive ears. He imagined the minx in her bath. Eyes closed. Her head tilted back as her moans slipped from her parted lips. Rune cursed under his breath as she moaned words, driving him to the brink of his control.

"Rune." She moaned his name, and he couldn't be certain if she did so out of passion or scheme. Worse, he didn't care.

The Ra'Voshnik circled his mind, urging him to her. For the first time in his long life, Rune and the Ra'Voshnik were in agreement. He opened their adjoining door and stalked to her bathroom. He knocked and the minx gasped, splashing water.

"Go away," she yelled.

Ask to tend to her. Tell her she is our queen and we are hers to command.

"May I speak with you," Rune asked through the door.

"No!"

Rune pressed his hand to the door. "Please."

He heard her step out of her bath followed by the rustle of cloth. The door clicked and she stood before him wrapped in a towel. She glared up at him. "What?"

His dark queen stood before him. Radiant and powerful. A purr rumbled from his throat, and he stepped into her, crossing a line he no longer cared about.

Faye's gold-flecked black eyes widened, and she took a retreating step, igniting every vampiric impulse within him.

Our queen longs to be chased.Rune agreed with the sentiment, taking each step she gave until the counter met her back.

Her breaths became shorter as her pulse raced. Rune leaned closer, resting his palms on the counter on either side of her. He brought his lips a moment from hers and waited.Touch me, he silently pleaded, awaiting her invitation.

Faye's hands found his waist, her fingers sliding to hook under his belt. She leaned up brushing her lips over his and Rune closed his eyes. He groaned, unable to deny how right and true he felt to have her in his arms.

He touched the side of her face, gliding his fingers over her jaw before sliding into her hair. Gently tilting her chin, patiently awaiting anything she would offer.

She parted her lips, shyly darting her tongue over the seam of his lips. Rune pulled her closer. She consumed his very being. He deepened their kiss, claiming her mouth with slow deliberate strokes.

Faye moaned against him, sliding her hand lower to run her fingers along his cock. She gripped him more forcefully and the Ra'Voshnik raged to the fore. It grabbed the back of her thighs and lifted her high against him, guiding her legs around his ribs. It kissed her throat and phased them to his bed before Rune regained control.

He pulled back to gauge her reaction. Faye didn't seem to notice. She lay against his dark sheets, flushed and panting. A hand in his hair and the other setting her nails to his shoulder.

His lips trailed kisses down her throat, to her collarbone. Lower as he untucked the towel wrapped around her. She tensed as he swept her covering to the side.

Rune moved back up her body. His gaze swept over her, taking in every inch of her before losing himself in her lightning-streaked eyes. "You are the most beautiful sight I have ever beheld." He kissed her at a slow, easy pace. Savoring the feel of her as he ran his fingers over her side, down her belly, following to her hip, and sliding along her thigh before starting again.

He did this until the tension left her and she softened beneath him. Continued until her nails were biting into his back and she rolled her hips for him.

Rune trailed kisses down her body. He teasingly flicked his tongue over her nipple, and she arched up. Her nails scored his back. He licked and sucked, teasing her breasts in an attempt to have her mark him again.

She didn't, still shy, gentle with her touch. Rune pulled her to the end of his bed and knelt before her. He eased her thighs over his shoulders and parted her gently. Groaning before his tongue swept through her slick folds. She tasted like her scent. Subtle, with a hint of sweetness.

The Ra'Voshnik purred through his mind,She tastes better than I imagined.

He didn't purr, only pressed his mouth to her to tease, lick, and nibble at her delicate flesh.

Faye arched her back, rocking her hips against him. Rune watched her responses, adjusting his pressure and timing. He took her clit between his lips, teasing her with a gentle suck while his tongue worked.

She tensed, digging her heels into his back as he moved in time with her body. He purred softly. A hint of vibration traveling over her. Faye gave a breathy cry arching her back harder, and he stopped.

"No, please." Faye reached down, touching the side of his face. "I liked it."

Rune began again, and Faye spread her legs further. Her hand tangled in his hair just behind his temple.

"A little harder." Faye panted, pulling his hair as she rocked her hips against his mouth.

She tensed; her body strung tight as she closed her legs over his head. She scratched at the sheets, tightening her hold on his hair.

"Rune." She cried his name as she came.

Rune eased his touch. He pulled back to lick through her folds savoring her taste. He moved lower, pressing his tongue inside her. Reveling in the intimate fluttering he was responsible for. Faye drew a shuttered breath, and he did it again.

"If you told me I would end up in your bed when you first brought me here, I wouldn't have believed you."

Rune froze as her words sank into his desire riddled mind. He pulled away and rose to his feet, wiping his hand over his mouth.What had he done?

He brought the minx to his bed.Pleasured her in his bed.

Our queen belongs in our bed.

Rune took a step back as a single thought echoed through his mind before he phased out of his room.

She is not mine.