A Kingdom of Flame and Fury (The Four Kingdoms Book 1) Page 12

  He nodded as he ran his tongue along his lips in a contemplative manner. “That’s not what I meant.”

  I shut my eyes and leaned my forehead against his shoulder, quivering in his hold even though I wasn’t cold. Our arguments had never gone this far. This tension was something new, something unfamiliar. I turned my head against his chest just enough to look up at his face, my eyes rolling over his jawline and high cheekbones. The way his lashes curled up.

  His chin dipped down to meet my eyes and then he glanced at my mouth. For a second, I wondered if he was going to kiss me and right as I was about to lean away, movement caught in the corner of my eye. I turned my head to see Zeke moving closer, his eyes burning into us.

  Cade followed my gaze and his body went taut, tightening his hold on me. It was difficult to breathe. If there were any inches left between us before, there definitely wasn’t anymore.

  “Cade,” I whispered with some difficulty.

  His eyes remained on Zeke, mine leaving to look back at Cade.

  “Cade, look at me.” At that, he did and I gave him a small smile. “Meet me tomorrow, okay? We can talk then.”

  His face fell as he realized that he would have to let me go. “Raven,” he pleaded, shaking his head.

  “Cade, please. I can’t do this. Not tonight.”

  Zeke was slowly pacing toward us. I could see the internal struggle behind Cade’s eyes.

  “Cade, please.” Tears pooled in my eyes again.

  He kissed my forehead, breaking it against my skin just enough to whisper, “I’ll be seeing you.” And then he released me and backed away, breaking my gaze only to turn and leave me standing alone.

  That felt more like a goodbye. I watched him go and wanted to chase after him. I reached up and touched where he had kissed my forehead, my eyes closing. When I moved to take a step toward the door to follow him, I was caught by fingers that wrapped around my wrist.

  Zeke pulled on my arm and spun me back to him, my chest pushing against his as he caught me. My forehead immediately fell against his chest. I was completely spent from the roller coaster of emotions I had just gone through in the span of a few hours. Again.

  “Come back to me,” he whispered, repeating my earlier plea. “I can only be jealous for so long, Raven.”

  My head lifted to peer up at him. “You don’t even know me.”

  He pressed his lips gently against mine. “I’ve had to watch men touch you all night, make you laugh, while I’ve been clamoring for your attention all day.” Another soft kiss. “And I do know you, Raven.”

  I was entranced as I listened to him, our bodies slowly swaying to the music. It did feel like we had known one another for longer than a few days. And he wanted to be selfish with me, and since he would only be here for a short time, I could let him be. I wanted him to be. “What did you say to her?”

  A hesitant smile. “That I belonged to you.”

  That was all I needed to hear. “Take me somewhere.”

  He didn’t respond, but broke our bodies apart and kept his fingers wrapped around my wrist as he led us out of the ballroom that was still full of people dancing and laughing.

  I threw it one last glance before the doors closed behind us, feeling a small ounce of joy that despite everything I was going through, my subjects were full of glee.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Raven

  ☽✧

  Maybe it was the lack of sleep or that I didn’t eat anything during the banquet, or perhaps it was that I had let my guard down with Zeke, but I wasn’t paying much attention to where he was taking me. I did know that my feet were killing me.

  I tugged on his hand to stop, allowing me to kick off my shoes. I bent over to pick them up, but he scooped me up quickly and cradled me in his arms.

  I giggled as I rested my head against his chest. “Another thing you’re good at.”

  He smiled, but didn’t say anything as he walked us out of the castle and onto the palace grounds.

  I looked up once we were past the gate. “Did you find another hidden spring somewhere?”

  His flirtatious grin garnered one from me in response. He set me down on my feet and pointed off into the distance toward the village. “I found an abandoned barn and wanted to explore it. Though, it may be more difficult without any light.”

  The only abandoned barn I knew about was the one that housed my underground tunnel that led me in and out of the palace undetected. “How do you know it’s abandoned?”

  “I looked in through a crack in the wood and just assumed it was. No people, no animals.”

  This was risky. And I wasn’t sure I had the energy for testing more boundaries tonight. “It may be locked.”

  “It wasn’t today.”

  That meant Cade hadn’t checked it after I returned from the festival that night. Not that I could blame him. A lot happened that night, and we had been a bit busy since. That also meant that if there wasn’t a lock, there wasn't a reason for me to argue exploring it. I didn’t want him growing suspicious. There wasn’t much to explore. It was small and only had a loft other than my hidden door, which was hard to find if you weren’t looking for it.

  “Lead the way.”

  He would grow bored quickly. Nothing sounded better than a hot bath and I could easily talk him into joining me.

  He took my hand and laced our fingers, staying at my side as we meandered through the snow toward the barn. I couldn’t help but smile at the intimate gesture, looking down at our locked fingers. I had to keep reminding myself that I barely knew him. John’s accusation of Zeke's reason for being here was still fresh, though I paid it little mind. His king had just died and I wasn’t about to accuse him of being here for any other reason.

  Then, I noticed my feet. I realized that we were walking in snow and I was barefoot. That would bother anyone else, but I remained warm all the time because of Blaze. Being in the cold didn’t bother me, but he didn't know that.

  I bounced on my toes, attempting to appear cold. “I guess I should have kept my shoes on.”

  He looked down at my feet and winced. “Oh, fuck, Raven. I’m sorry. I forgot.” He stopped and dropped my hand, turning his back to me and crouched down. “Here, climb up.”

  I stared at him. “Excuse me?”

  He turned to face me. “You’ve never done this?”

  I lifted an eyebrow. “Done what?”

  “Just… here.” He turned and crouched again. “Jump on my back.”

  When I didn't make a move and remained standing in place, he gave me a sideways glance. “Put your hands on my shoulders and hop up. I’ll do the rest.”

  I hesitated again, but he urged me again with his chin. I relented and leaned up on the tips of my toes, reaching for his shoulders. Even with him in a crouch, I still felt minuscule next to him. I wrapped the tips of my fingers around his shoulders and bent my knees just enough to hop on his back, my chest lying level against him.

  He wrapped his hands around my legs and lifted up until they were wrapped around his middle. My velvet dress fit snug around my thighs, my arms encircling his shoulders. I rested my cheek against the top of his head, feeling like I had grown two feet taller. “So… this is what it feels like to be you.”

  He laughed, his head rolling back.

  My whole body shook, making me erupt into giggles. “Do you often transport people like this?”

  He nodded against my head, his cheek pulling up in a smile. “All the time.”

  “We’ll add it to your growing list of talents.”

  “That’s turning out to be quite the list. Ever ridden a horse?”

  “Don’t,” I warned, but he didn’t listen and took off into a trot, his fingers gripping tightly on my thighs. I tightened my arms around his shoulders and squealed, closing my eyes as the cold air hit my face. “Zeke!” I shrieked, trying to blow the hair out of my face.

  He laughed again, slowing his pace back to a steady walk. “Oh wait, that’s right. You already kn
ow what it's like to ride me.”

  I guffawed at that and slapped his shoulder. “I don’t remember it being quite that bumpy.”

  His laugh deepened, doubling over. I fell forward with him, squealing in his ear. He straightened back up, apologizing in between trying to catch his breath. Hearing him laugh released some of the tightness in my body that I had been holding. I was a little light-headed with glee.

  When his breathing calmed, he squeezed my legs and released them, helping guide me slowly to the ground. I let go of him and lowered to the ground, taking one of his hands between mine, letting him lead me to the barn.

  Upon approach, I saw that he was right. The lock was missing, which meant we could easily wander in. Zeke pulled at the handle on the door and the traitorous thing opened right up. I followed him in. “I’ll look for something to light,” he said, leaving me to stand in the dark.

  He wasn’t going to find anything. We kept it dark here on purpose. When his footsteps were far enough away, I silently bent down and felt for pieces of hay leftover from the bales we removed. I gathered up a small bunch and beckoned fire to my fingertips, the hay coming to life in my hand.

  “I found a match on the ground,” I lied when his head snapped toward the sudden burst of light.

  He made his way to me and grinned. “Remind me to take you on all of my adventures.” He untucked his shirt from his pants and tore a strip of it from the bottom.

  My eyes widened in sheer awe of his ability to rip through fabric so easily. My flimsy bralette was one thing, but his shirt was thick material.

  He grabbed the wad of hay from my hand and wrapped the strip of fabric around the bottom. “Tie it,” he demanded.

  I took the two ends and knotted them around the hay.

  “This will burn out quickly, but it doesn't look like we’ll need it. This is much smaller than I thought it’d be.” He motioned around the barn while holding our makeshift light up.

  No shit. I knew this already, but I nodded in agreement. “Not much to it.”

  “Not much, except that.”

  I followed his eyes up to the loft and exhaled. I had hoped he wouldn’t notice that. “Lift me up.” There was nothing up there, either. Cade and I used to hide up there sometimes when we were younger. The dark space was the perfect place to practice lighting my palms.

  Zeke put the light on the ground before he folded his hands over my waist. I braced myself as he bent his knees and hoisted me up. I grabbed the edge of the landing. “Higher. I’m not a giant like you.”

  He lowered his hands from my waist to cup my ass and gave me a big shove. “Is that enough, smart-ass?”

  I snorted and moved my elbows farther on the loft, using it to anchor myself. “This isn’t easy to do in a dress, you know.” Swinging my legs, I raised my knee to join my arms on the ledge and used the leverage to pull myself up. I dusted off my hands, quite proud of my maneuvering. Sitting up on the wooden deck, I dangled my feet off the side and looked at him down below. “Nothing up here but me.”

  “Enough for me.” He jumped and grabbed the edge of the landing and was quick to hoist himself up, grinning smugly at how my jaw dropped.

  “All you had to do was jump up here. I wasn’t needed at all!”

  “You’re always needed. Plus, you offered,” he replied, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me to him.

  I rested my chin on his shoulder as I looked up at him. I raised my hand to brush against his cheek. “I like you like this.”

  He turned to look at me, the gray in his eyes sharper, more inquisitive. “Like what?”

  “Free,” I replied in a whisper. “Why do I feel like I’ve known you longer than I have?” I wasn’t actually asking him — I was asking myself. It was something I couldn’t understand.

  He didn’t respond with words and I didn’t need him to. He gave me exactly what I wanted, which was his mouth on mine. His tongue pushed against my lips and I opened for him, tangling mine with his. He exhaled into my mouth and I took it, wanting to taste any part of him that he could give me. I deepened our kiss and his arm that was wrapped around my shoulders moved to my waist, tugging at me.

  I smiled through our kiss and moved my hand from his cheek to his chest, guiding him down onto his back. It didn’t take much effort for him to oblige. As I turned to straddle him, our makeshift light burned out. Only light from the moon gleamed through the cracks in the barn.

  The lack of light seemed to ignite something in him, because his hands immediately cupped my ass and began moving me against him. My core heated at the new friction between us and I whimpered against his mouth.

  “I love the sounds you make.” His voice was hoarse, like sand grating against my skin. He moved a hand to wrap around the back of my head, pushing my forehead down against his. “Why can’t I stop thinking about you, Raven?” He thrusted up again. “How can I be so addicted to you already?”

  I fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, wondering if he would notice if I burned through the threads to make it quicker. “I want you,” was all I replied, pushing my tongue back into his mouth.

  He waited for me to finish unbuttoning his shirt before he sat up on his elbows, allowing me to remove it off his body. I moved to the buckle of his pants next, unfastening it quickly and pushed them down his hips. I licked my lips at the sight of him.

  When I felt his hands on my waist, I yanked them off. He growled and tried again, but I searched for his discarded shirt and took one of his hands, wrapping the fabric around one of his wrists before I repeated it with the other. I tied a knot, keeping his hands bound. “Don’t touch me,” I commanded. I wanted the ability to explore the glory which was him on my own.

  He snarled, bucking his hips against me. I moved down his body before grabbing the hem of my dress and slowly raised it over my body. He could only see my silhouette in the moonlit shadows, but it was enough to make him groan.

  “Miss me?” I asked, repeating his question from when he teased me in the spring.

  His chuckle was raspy in response.

  I leaned down, my breasts rubbing against his swollen cock. He pushed up against me again. I shoved my tits together, letting him thrust between them, biting on my bottom lip as he began to pant. “I could come like this,” he rasped as he throbbed between my flesh.

  I was soaking wet, but wanted to taste him before he could have me again. “Don’t,” I bit out. Sitting up on my knees, I scooted down just enough to align my mouth with his shaft. I reached between his legs and took his balls in my hand, massaging them gently right as my tongue licked up his length.

  He let out an audible “Goddamn,“ which had me drawing back in laughter. He knocked the top of my head gently with his hands, wanting to touch me. I reached up with my free hand and untied the fabric from around his wrists. One of his hands immediately tangled in my hair and it spurred me on to open my mouth, taking the tip of him between my lips. I slowly circled my tongue around him, moaning at the taste of his precum.

  “Fuck, baby,” he groaned.

  I froze at the nickname. It was familiar somehow. And it surprised me how much I wanted to hear it again.

  “Call me that again,” I demanded before sucking on his tip teasingly.

  “Baby,” he panted.

  I whimpered, taking more of him in my mouth. His body shuddered beneath me. Both of my hands moved to grip his hips, needing to brace myself if I was going to try and take all of him in my mouth. I relaxed the back of my throat and drew more of him in, gagging as his tip hit the back of my throat.

  “You can handle it, baby,” he muttered in between his heavy breaths, beginning to thrust up into my mouth slowly.

  I pinched his hips and he did it again, tightening his grip in my hair. He guided my head on him, pushing me farther down with each thrust. I took him, my eyes watering as I continued to suck him off, my jaw sore from the size of him.

  “Fuck, Raven. I’m going to come.”

  A moan escaped the bac
k of my throat as I wrapped my fingers around his base and squeezed, urging him to release into my mouth. He pulsed against my tongue as he exploded in my mouth, whispering my name over and over.

  My sucking slowed, milking every last drop out of him. His grip in my hair loosened, his breathing heavy. Strained. I sat up slowly, buzzed by how his seed tasted going down my throat. This man was my own form of alcohol and I was addicted.

  He grabbed my waist and flipped me to my back. He sat up on his elbow and leaned over me, thrusting his tongue into my mouth. I felt his rapid heartbeat against my ribs, and threw my head back when two of his fingers pushed into my core. It was so fucking dark that I couldn’t see any of his movements and it kept me on edge.

  He moved his fingers rhythmically in and out, muttering against my mouth, “You’re so wet. Is that just from sucking me off?”

  I bucked against his fingers. “I could’ve come just from tasting you.”

  A low, guttural growl came from deep in his throat. He pulled his fingers out of me, but barely gave me a chance to miss him before I felt him between my legs, pulling them over his shoulders. His tongue dipped into me and I cried out, moving my arms to my sides to find something to hold on to, but found nothing.

  “I haven’t thought of anything but how you taste.” His voice was scratchy against me.

  I threaded my fingers through his hair and pushed him back down against me. His laugh was breathy before his tongue was back inside of me, circling until he licked up my clit and started over, building me up until he could push me a step back.

  “What are you trying to do to me?” I groaned, my mind hazy from how long he was dragging this out. I wanted to come, but he felt so wonderful that I didn’t want him to stop, either.

  His mouth left me and I cursed under my breath.

  He laughed softly, kissing my hip bone. “I can’t stop, Raven.” And then kissed the other. “I don’t ever want to stop.” Then my belly button, leaving a trail of kisses as he traveled up until he could nip at the skin of my breasts. “You’re my heaven.” He found my collarbone. I had chills on every inch of my body. “You’re my hell. And I want to burn in you.” And then he found my lips, pressing his gently against mine.