Page 232 of Burn Her They Said
Varic’s breath sends loose tendrils dancing around the nape of my neck. “Do you wish for me to quit?—”
“No,” I say, with more resolution than intended.
“So, you want me to continue?—”
“Yes,” I cut him off again, wishing we were somewhere much more private. “However, at the rate you’re going, we will arrive at the balcony before you ever secure us.”
“Not with Minea flying the long way.”
I turn and squint at the jagged gray of the mountain melding with the greenery growing from its crevices.
“Cirrin and Fray went the short way, behind the Emperor and his Guards, while Malin and Lars are following at a distance behind us.” He traces his fingers up the subtle slope of my lower back. They flex as they graze me until they press in, bracing my body closer to lock his arm across my shoulders. The heavy thump of his heart proves how he is just as affected by this as I am, before his opposite hand begins its descent.
I pull in a sharp breath as the sparks scatter along my skin, feeling wholly unprepared for him to repeat this surprisingly sensual process.
My heart slams as his palm presses into the curve of my back to cast down and over the swell of my hip. He halts and releases a breath before dragging his hand lower, calluses catching as they painstakingly carve a path around the curve of my ass.
I shudder as Varic’s breath matches my own, prompting him to tighten his grip while lingering there longer than necessary. His throat bobs against my temple as he grabs hold of the underside of my thigh, and I groan from the pressure when his fingertips bite into my flesh. He drags his fingers over my skin while a thousand tiny sparks ignite from the reverence he imparts on me—the kind I’ve only ever dreamed of receiving.
My heart quirks with the feel of his cheek rising in a smirk as he slips his fingers within the crook of my knee. I flex the muscle braced beneath his grip, teasing him with a widening grin as Varic merely shakes his head while pressing in?—
Except this time he doesn’t relent. “Is this what you want from me, Tasch?”
I nod as he grabs me harder, and groan with a burst of something pleasurable building in my core, consuming my thoughts the longer he sustains this act of dominance, pinning me in place as he awaits my compliance. “I’m giving you what you want. Now will you give me what I need?” The rasp of his voice and the choice of his words are all meant to ply me—to entice me into bending to his will with every pulse he presses into my flesh.
“Is that all you need from me, Varic?” I ask, unsure of my purpose.
A pained whimper exits his lips. “No.”
My core responds before my mind can, positively throbbing with need for him, when I lose all resolve and relent, allowing him to guide my leg around where I brace it tightly behind his back. Every muscle in my body quakes as his fingers trail their way back in torturous slow motion—branding me with searing heat everywhere his palm drags along the smooth surface of the leathers. Until both of his arms secure me in position as I straddle his lap with my arms wound around his neck. And I can’t help but wish we had the freedom outside of this situation for more contact like this.
Varic must mentally communicate our progress to Minea as he says nothing aloud before the Dragon slowly rises—placing too much force on Varic’s legs as he grunts.
“I need to lie you on your back.” His words are factual. Logical. The obvious next step after he’s secured me around him. And yet, terror courses through my veins so intensely, I vehemently shake my head in dissent.
Apparently misunderstanding, he leans in. “I’m going to help you lie down so I can strap your arms in?—”
All sound ceases, and my vision closes in.
It’s freezing, and my stomach churns with acid, feeling as if it’s eating itself.
My throat is so parched, I can’t even attempt to swallow.
Fear prickles, and my heart barely throbs in my chest.
“Tasch?” Varic’s voice intones from somewhere outside of myself.
But I’m not there right now. I’m trapped. Caged. No hope for escape.
The pain in every joint and muscle feels as if I am being seared from within. My breath hitches when I pry my eyes open to a darkened room.
“What is it?” Varic asks from afar.
The amber glow of Varic’s magic surrounds my wrists. And my heart sinks the moment I notice its purpose—protecting my skin from the metal shackles locked around each of my extremities.
“I’m here,” Varic whispers as we lurch back, finally feeling something outside of this awful memory. “I have you, mei waella. I won’t let you go. You’re my world, and I have you. I promise.”
Tears flow down my cheeks as the metal chains clink.
