26. LONNIE

26

LONNIE

THE KEEP, NEVERMORE

I pulled my head back from Scion's throat, licking his blood from my lips.

We were ensconced in some upstairs guest room of the enormous stone fortress belonging to the Lord of Nevermore. The ceilings were low, crossed with dark wooden beams, and the furniture was all sturdy and low to the ground, looking nothing like the tall spindly style more common in the capital. On the wall there was a stylized painting of a brown bear lumbering through a forest. And underneath that, an enormous fire burned in a stone grate. I could swear I'd never been more grateful for anything in my life.

When we'd arrived, I'd been so cold I felt as if my very blood was freezing in my veins. I likely could have conjured fire to warm myself, but admittedly it hadn't occurred to me at the time. In so many ways, I still thought and behaved like a human. And, in truth, I'd been distracted by Ambrose's…betrothed? Partner? I wasn't sure what she was, but everything about her had set me on edge.

Scion had been just as on edge when our carriage finally pulled up in front of the castle. He'd grabbed me and carried me straight upstairs, without bothering to ask for permission or directions from any of the nobles.

Now, he was half sitting, half lying on his back on the bed, propped up against a wall of embroidered pillows. His hands were flat against my hips, holding me in place as I straddled his lap and sucked from his throat.

"Better?" he asked me, looking up through slightly hooded eyes.

"Much." I rolled my shoulders to demonstrate the healing. Then I leaned forward to lie more completely over Scion's bare chest, turning my head to press my ear to his impossibly warm skin. I could hear his heart beating steadily beneath me.

"I'd like to fucking kill Ambrose," Scion growled. "How does he have you alone for an hour, and you get attacked by sirens and nearly freeze to death?"

"I'm not sure that was his fault," I replied with a yawn. "Anyway, I was on that ship with him for nearly two weeks and he didn't manage to get me killed."

"Barely," Scion grumbled. "Sea monsters, Gancanagh, not to mention that friend of his shooting you with a fucking crossbow."

"Hmmm," I murmured, knowing there was absolutely no point in arguing. "I wonder where Riven is now. I haven't seen him in ages."

"Probably running errands for The Dullahan ," Scion sneered.

"You're determined to hate him," I commented. "And I get it, but it's not helping us at all if you can't get past it. We've already lost Bael, and you and I can't find these jewels all on our own. At the very least we'll drain each other the first time one of us has to use more magic than the other can handle."

I knew all too well that I was giving myself too much credit. It was highly unlikely–impossible even–that I'd be able to use so much magic that it would hurt Scion. But the other way around was more than possible. He'd nearly done it several times already. In any case, he seemed to take my point in stride.

Wrapping his arms around my back, he pulled me even closer and put his chin on the top of my head. "

"I keep thinking that maybe it would have been better if Bael and I just sealed our bond from the beginning," I mused.

"I don't see how," he replied, clearly doing his very best not to sound condescending. "That would just kill us all faster."

"Probably," I agreed. "But it didn't matter in the end, did it? Bael still left to avoid being too happy. If we'd sealed the bond, then you and I wouldn't be in such constant danger of draining ourselves."

I hadn't had much time to consider this since discovering Bael had gone. What with arriving in Nevermore, getting attacked, and meeting that woman, there hadn't been much time for contemplation. Now though, I couldn't help but wonder if we'd made a mistake.

"How did you heal Bael?" I asked, suddenly remembering the question that had been dancing in the back of my mind since last night.

Scion stiffened, his arms tightening more around me. "From the arrows?"

"Yes."

"You were there, rebel. It was blood, just as it always is."

I sat up again, looking down at him and letting his hands fall back to my hips. "I thought only mates could heal each other that way."

He shrugged. "We're both mated to you."

"And Ambrose?"

Scion froze, the hands that had been steadily sliding up my back and sides to graze over my bare skin stopped their ascent. His eyes darted to the side, and I knew instantly he was trying to think of a way to lie without actually lying.

"Ambrose is part of the family," he said. "We have the same blood."

I raised an eyebrow. I'd been exactly right. That was a technical truth if ever I'd heard one, which begged the question: What was Scion hiding from me?

Probably nothing so bad as what I was hiding from him, a tiny traitorous voice in the back of my mind argued. I'd promised myself I would tell him about this morning, but that wasn't the only thing I needed to confess.

"I kissed him," I blurted out. "Ambrose, that is."

Scion raised an eyebrow, and his hands resumed their slow path up my sides. "When?"

I bit my lip, anxiety riding me.

As a whole, I knew that fae were not monogamous. They didn't have the same cultural norms around fidelity that humans did, likely because they had far fewer children than mortals. Once mated, however, they stayed loyal to that one person–or several people–for as long as their immortal lives allowed.

Scion didn't seem upset, but that didn't mean anything. He could be plotting murder right now and his smile would prevent me from knowing until it was far too late.

"This morning," I said finally, then paused. "...and in Underneath. And–"

Scion cut me off before I could finish. He dug his fingers more firmly into my hips, holding me in place. Sitting up a fraction more, he leaned in to kiss me, undoubtedly tasting his own blood on my lips.

Without hesitation, I parted my lips and brought my hands up to his hair, deepening the kiss. I trailed my fingers over the back of his head, scraping my nails against his throat. He shivered when I stroked over the point where I'd sunk my teeth into his pulse, and I felt him growing hard beneath me.

In one swift motion, Scion reversed our positions, flipping me so I landed on my back, him hovering over me. He grazed his teeth against my throat, nipping softly. I whimpered, heat already pooling in my core.

"Listen," he said, mouth still brushing against the exposed tops of my breasts. "I don't really care how many times you kiss my brother. Fuck him if you want, just as long as you understand you're still mine. I own you."

"So I can go fuck whomever I want as long as I come back afterward," I asked nearly laughing. It was such a ridiculous idea that I'd even want to. But more than that, it was so out of character for Scion to suggest that it was almost comical.

Apparently, my mate didn't find it nearly as funny as I did.

A furious snarl burst from him. "Who are you talking about? Tell me!"

My eyes widened, startled by his suddenly furious face. "You just said–"

"If anyone else gets fucking near you I'll kill them. Don't for a moment believe I'd think twice about it."

My mind swum with confusion. He was contradicting himself. How could he not care that I'd kissed Ambrose, but be murderous at the idea of any other male looking at me. It made no sense, yet he hadn't cringed or showed any sign of pain. As ludicrous as he sounded, he at least believed what he was saying.

"I wasn't thinking of anyone," I said quickly. "I just don't understand how you could be so blasé about this. If you kissed someone else, I'd–"

I broke off, unable to finish my sentence. An all consuming possessiveness had swept through my body. It was a rage, heating me from the inside out and making every one of my muscles tense. It felt so unlike me, so uncontrollable, that part of me wanted to smash something while the rest of me seemed to be looking on from the sidelines, wondering what the fuck was happening.

Scion looked down at me and his face relaxed. Instantly, he seemed to know what was happening, and he bent his head to trail kisses up my neck. "Maybe now you know what it's like for us," he murmured against my skin. "I'd always heard mating bonds stole your rationality, but I couldn't have ever guessed how true that would be."

I blinked, focusing on his mouth on my throat as my breathing returned to normal. "If that's what you feel like, I'm sorry I did that to you," I almost laughed.

"Why are you sorry?"

"Because you're so…controlled all the time. Regimented."

He smirked. "Not all the time."

He sucked hard on the scar on my throat and my toes curled, pulling a whimper from me. Reaching down and unbuttoning my pants with one hand, Scion stilled, his fingers hovering just over my aching core.

"Tell me you know you're mine," he commanded

"I'm yours," I echoed.

I gasped, words failing me and all my attention pulled back to him as he plunged his fingers beneath the fabric to rake through my growing wetness. Looking satisfied, he shoved my trousers down enough to drive two fingers inside of me and stopped, holding me tightly. My back arched off the bed and he held me there, trapped by his pitilessly unmoving fingers.

"I own every part of you," he breathed in my ear. "Your heart is mine. Your cunt is mine. And that doesn't change just because I have to share them."

I gasped, my legs actually shaking from the intensity. I rocked my hips, silently begging him to move his fingers, fuck me, anything to break the anticipation building in my core.

"Please," I heard myself beg.

"Tell me!" he barked, voice becoming a near yell. "Who does this cunt belong to?"

"You, my lord," I gasped.

"Good answer." He smacked my bare cunt with an open palm, sending a surprising jolt of pain and pleasure through me.

Scion reached down and undid his belt, keeping his eyes on mine the entire time. He moved so painfully slow, I was sure he was trying to torture me.

He flicked open the button of his trousers, but made no move to continue removing them.

"Get on with it," I growled.

He smirked. "I just like watching you squirm. You're so desperate for my cock you're shaking."

A small snarl bubbled up in my throat, and suddenly I wasn't content to lie here letting him tease me.

I rolled us again, pushing him back into the pillows so I could straddle his lap once more. He looked slightly surprised, but not at all unhappy when I dug my nails into his shoulders so hard small red beads of blood appeared beneath my fingers. I wasn't even sure he noticed.

Reaching behind me, I shoved at his open trousers and gripped his hard cock in one hand. "If I'm yours, shouldn't this belong to me?"

His eyes flashed pewter, and a hunger crossed his face. "Oh, it does rebel. Take it."

Rising up on my knees, I slowly sunk back down onto him, feeling his sharp intake of breath as he filled me. His body pulsed and throbbed inside of me as I began to move, my hips rolling in a slow and agonizing rhythm, just like the way he had teased and tortured me before.

Each movement caused a jolt of sensation to shoot through my body, igniting every nerve ending and sending shivers down my spine.

The smooth pad of his thumb brushed against my already sensitive clit, tracing gentle circles that matched the rhythm of my movements. Electric sparks of pleasure shot through my body, causing my stomach to tighten and my hips to move with even more urgency.

Mine! Mine! A voice in the back of my head chanted. Mine!

Every nerve ending was on fire as I raced towards an intense release, fueled by his skilled touch and our shared desire

No longer able to hold back, Scion lifted his hips, matching my every movement and sending me higher and higher.

My back arched as I rode him, and my breath became uneven.

The grip on my hip tightened, fingers digging in possessively. With each thrust of his hips, he pulled me down harder onto him, filling me deeper and more completely.

My knees began to shake, and I was sure I wouldn't be able to hold myself up much longer. All my muscles felt simultaneously too tight and like they were melting, becoming limp and useless.

"Look at me," Scion gasped.

I looked down, our gazes colliding. His silver eyes were all consuming, flashing with every emotion too fast to read.

Somehow, though, I understood.

"Fucking come for me," he demanded.

As if he could control my body with will alone, I shattered.

Waves of pleasure cascaded through me, causing my legs to tremble and my entire body to flush with heat. My senses were completely consumed by the powerful force of the orgasm, as if every nerve ending in my body had been set on fire.

I was burning, becoming one unending burst of flame, and my vision went white as I felt him follow me over the edge.