3. Alana

THREE

Sunlight blinds me. I am standing above the city, looking down, but I can’t see. I blink into the sun. It pummels my eyelids, forcing them closed.

I grip the edge of the roof. The spot where Kayan stood before he died.

Eldrion is beside me. I know it is him because I feel his presence, like a dark, ominous shadow, ready to engulf me.

It is unbearably hot. Beads of perspiration cling to my brow, and my dress hugs my hips tightly. I scream. A loud, bone-rattling scream. Something is making fear course through my body. I cannot latch onto it. It is a feeling, a presence, a thing that threatens to destroy every fibre in my body.

A hand takes mine. Why is Eldrion touching me like that? Why is he trying to comfort me? I turn, snatching my wrist from his grasp, and pull a knife from my skirt. I hold it to his throat.

Now, I can see.

The light is fading, becoming darker.

His eyes glisten, silver against grey.

He is smoke, and fury, and the way he looks at me, it’s as if he wants to kill me and fuck me and can’t decide which to choose.

He does not flinch or try to fight me. He just looks down at my blade and says, “End me if you dare.”

The muscles in my forearm twitch. I inhale deeply. I thrust forward.

And then I am somewhere else.

Standing on charred earth, legs shaking. The noise is unbearable. The noise in my head. Screaming, and screaming, and screaming. And they are not just my screams. They are screams that belong to everyone. Every single creature in the city is screaming.

Bodies lie at my feet. Blood pools in deep crevices on the ground.

The sky is black. Dark clouds gather. Thunder shakes the air. Rain begins to fall, and it bleeds into the crimson puddles, spreading the darkness further and further, and coating the ground like poisonous tar.

More darkness approaches. A huge, looming shadow.

At first I think it’s him – Eldrion – but then I realise it is something more. It is water. A tidal wave, approaching the city. Coming to engulf us all.

I try to fly but my wings beat with futile effort behind me.

I try to hold the water back using Kayan’s magic. The magic that saved us in the tunnels. But it is no use.

I can still hear the screams. They torment me, they threaten to break me.

They will not stop.

“Alana . . .”

My name. The sound is familiar, but I can barely latch onto it amongst the clamour of noise beating against the raw insides of my skull.

“Alana . . .”

“Alana . . .”

My eyes spring open. My heart is beating so hard inside my ribs that I feel as if it might break free and drop down at my feet. I am freezing cold, but drenched in sweat. My hands are shaking.

Beside me, Finn smooths my hair from my face and kisses the bridge of my nose. He takes my hands in his and meets my eyes, trying to pull me back into the present. “Alana, you were having a nightmare.” He is whispering, talking to me like a child he is trying to comfort. He takes a flask of whisky from beside the bed and hands it to me. I drink down a large swig and wince as it burns my throat. “The same one?” he asks, taking the flask and drinking some himself.

I can hardly speak, but manage to nod, while still clinging on to his hand.

“What do they mean?” I ask him. Because surely he knows. He has to; he’s the one with all the plans, all the ideas.

He shakes his head and pulls the blanket tightly around us, curling in behind me and hugging my waist as I settle back into his embrace.

“When you and Eldrion fought in the tunnels,” he whispers, “what happened?”

“Why does that matter?” I ask, swallowing hard as guilt, like bile, congeals in my throat.

“Because there are rumours that Eldrion’s powers involve the power of prophecy.” Finn is speaking quietly, close to my ear, his breath warm and sweet. “If you fought, perhaps, somehow...” He stops, shaking his head. “No, it’s silly.”

“What is?” I frown at him.

“Absorbing Kayan’s power was one thing. Absorbing Eldrion’s? He’s too powerful. There’s no way...”

I sit up, tucking my knees up underneath me. “You think I absorbed his power?” A trickle of something that borders on the precipice between intrigue and fear drips down my spine.

Finn shakes his head. “I don’t see how,” he says. “It would make sense, but you absorbed Kayan’s powers when you fucked him, right?” He meets my eyes.

A sickening sense of guilt swills inside me.

“Right,” I whisper.

“So, unless...” Finn raises his eyebrows, but then his lips quirk into a smile. “Alana, you can tell me. If something happened between you...” His smile drops a little. “As long as he didn’t hurt you.” A darkness tinges his voice.

“He didn’t hurt me.” I reach for Finn’s hands and clasp them tightly. “But we...” I can’t force the words out. I can’t. I look down, shaking my head. “I don’t know how or why. I hate him. I hate him so much, Finn, but –”

When I look up, Finn is studying me with an expression I haven’t seen before. He inches closer, curling his arms around my waist. “You fucked him in the tunnels?”

I nod, but as I watch Finn’s face, I do not feel guilty. I feel... intrigued.

He slides his hand between my legs and lets it settle there. He doesn’t move his fingers, just cups my pussy with his palm and applies a little pressure. “Did it feel good?”

My breath hitches in my chest. I nod, unable to speak.

“Did he make you come?”

My lips part and a small, breathy murmur escapes. I stroke Finn’s face, then lean in to kiss him. As my mouth meets his, I whisper, “Yes, he made me come.”

Finn grabs me and pulls me into his lap.

He grips my waist tightly, crushing me against his chest. He feels different to Eldrion; athletic instead of muscular, but still strong. His mouth devours mine, his tongue exploring my mouth, tasting me with an urgency that makes my entire body shiver. I wrap my arms around his neck, feeling him grow hard beneath me.

His hand between my leg shifts, his fingers now gently stroking my folds. Arousal starts to vibrate in my core. I tilt my pelvis, seeking his touch. Wanting more. I moan into his mouth, heat spreading between my legs as the memory of Eldrion’s fierce embrace in the tunnels merges with the way Finn is touching me.

“Did you enjoy it?” Finn growls against my lips. His voice is raspy and deep; it carries a tone I haven’t heard before. “Did you enjoy having Lord Eldrion’s cock inside you? Did you enjoy knowing you have the power to make him yours?”

I nod, unable to speak. My breath is coming in quick bursts. Did I make Eldrion mine? Is that what happened? Did he want me so much that he forgot he hates me?

“You enjoyed it, didn’t you?” Finn’s voice hardens, but there is a sparkle in his eyes that tells me he is teasing me. His gaze locks with mine. Curiosity quivers on his skin. His wings, small and tattered, quiver too. And the bells chime.

I nod again, unable to hold back the truth any longer.

As guilt swirls inside me, Finn’s fingers continue to explore my sensitive flesh. His other hand moves to my hair, gripping the back of my head and pulling me closer, pressing his forehead against mine as he starts to fuck me with his fingers.

“I’m going to make you come, Alana,” he growls.

Fuck, I love it when he’s like this. I need him like this. I need him to stop the voices swirling in my head, and the visions, and the thoughts. I need him to fuck me until I don’t know where I am or who I am.

“I’m going to make you come so hard you forget about him. I’m going to show you what it means to be with someone who loves you.”

I grind down onto his hand, moaning again, pulling him closer because he is still not close enough.

As his fingers delve deeper, my eyes flutter shut. I can feel his knuckles pressing against my inner walls. Stroking. Probing. His thumb caresses my clit, sending waves of pleasure coursing through me.

“Tell me, Alana,” he whispers. “Tell me what you liked about his touch.”

My heart races. Surely, he does not want to hear this? But as I meet his gaze, and he grins at me, I realise he does. He really does want to hear this.

“It was... different. Intense. Like he wasn’t sure whether he hated me or needed me.”

Finn’s eyes darken. He tugs my hair. “And you liked the way he fucked you?”

I nod again, breathless.

“Tell me how he did it.”

“Standing, up against the wall of the tunnel. He fucked me so hard the tunnels collapsed.”

Finn’s eyes widen. In one swift movement, he pulls me off his lap and tosses me down on the blankets beneath us. He strips off his clothes, revealing his toned body and his hard cock.

I devour him hungrily. I want him inside me. I need him inside me.

“Tell me what you want, Alana.” He kneels, towering over me. “Tell me how you want me to fuck you.”

I wriggle into the blankets and part my legs for him. “I want you to fuck me so hard I can barely breathe. Like he did. Fuck me like you own me.”

Finn’s grin widens. A look of pure hunger glistens in his eyes. He crawls on top of me. His body presses against mine. His lips devour me. He bites my throat, my nipples, my lower lip. He explores every inch of my skin.

“Are you ready to forget about him now, Alana?” he asks, staring down at me.

I search for him with my hips, desperate for him to fill me up.

He positions himself at my entrance, his cock throbbing as it presses against me. I feel his warmth. The anticipation building as I open my legs wider for him.

Eyes darkening, Finn hooks one of my legs over his shoulder, then the other, and then he plunges into me. He holds me steady and thrusts harder. I slip my hand between us and make furious circles around my clit.

Our bodies slap together, our moans fill the air

My orgasm starts to build.

I cry out, not caring if anyone hears us.

Finn releases my legs, grabs my arms and slams them down above my head, holding them tightly as he pummels into me.

Pleasure builds like a tornado inside me. A primitive scream escapes my lips as pleasure becomes pain and then pleasure again.

Finn meets my eyes, then holds my chin steady. “Come for me, Alana. Come on my cock.”

I jerk onto him, then wrap my arms around his neck and cling on tightly as I descend into exquisite oblivion.

He does not come inside me. Instead, he gives me his cock and makes me drink down every last drop of his cum. I drink hungrily, taking him deep to the back of my throat.

When I swallow, panting, he kisses my forehead.

“Fuck,” he says, flopping down beside me. “I never knew the idea of you with someone else would make me so...”

I giggle, tucking myself into his arms. For the first time in weeks, I feel free. There is no sneaking guilt burrowing into my chest. “Feral?” I ask, my pussy still throbbing with the memory of how he pounded it.

He nods, sighing, rubbing his chest with his palm.

I look up, meeting his eyes. “You really aren’t cross?”

He shakes his head. “Shadowkind are a little more free than you Leafborne,” he chuckles. “We don’t necessarily believe in one mate for everyone.”

I frown at him. This surprises me.

“Eldrion? I mean, I could have picked someone a little less... evil... for you to fuck. But it still works.” He looks down at his cock. It’s growing hard again. He quirks his eyebrows at me. “Want me to show you again how much I don’t mind?”

He settles between my legs, this time running his tongue over the remains of my wetness.

I sigh and sink back into the pillows. “Yes. Please. Show me.”