Page 80 of Dhampira

Vander’s nostrils flared, and his voice went guttural as he grabbed my hand and forced it against my thighs. “Touch yourself.”

“What?”

“Touch yourself.” He moved my hand over my groin. “Your pussy,” he breathed. “Have you ever done that?”

The tremors intensified. My teeth clicked together. “O-Of c-course I have!”

“Well, do it now!”

Gasping, I fumbled at my skirts. But my hands shook too badly and the fabric slipped from my fingers like it was made of water. Need flared hotter. Sobbing, I stumbled, my skirts flowing over the rocks. The blue light flickered.

With a vicious curse, Vander grabbed my hips. “Hang on to me,” he ordered and then he thrust a hand under my skirts and rucked them up to my waist. Cool air hit my sodden flesh as his fingers found the split in my sheer, lace-trimmed drawers with unerring accuracy. It was difficult to tell in the dim lighting, but I thought a flush stained his cheeks as he rested his palm over my sex. “Do you want this?”

So close. His fingers grazed my heated skin. The throbbing, pounding ache stole my breath, turning my response into another sob as I dug my fingers into his jacket and thrust my hips against his hand.

“Yes!” I said, and I knew I’d be embarrassed about the whine in my voice later. But not right now. Another wave hit, the force so powerful my inner muscles seized. Pain spiked low in my stomach. Tightening my grip, I dragged his face down to my level. “Gods, yes. Help me, or I’ll punch you again.”

His eyes widened.

“I d-didn’t mean that.”

He pulled me up and into him, and I gasped as my breasts mashed against his chest. “Yes, you did,” he said, his voice suddenly deeper. He stroked a fingertip down the seam of my pussy. “Tell me exactly what you want.”

“More.” And he wasn’t giving it to me, damn him. A blast of heat drove my hips forward again. If he wouldn’t give it to me, I’d take it.

Vander’s fingers clamped on my folds, pinching my sex shut and making me suck in a breath. He bent his head, the ward’s blue glow illuminating his russet stubble and the glint in his silver eyes.

“Not good enough,” he rasped, his breath fluttering over my lips. His cheeks were ruddy, his fangs white between his lips. “If you would be a leader of men, start right now. Queens don’t ask. They command. So let me hear it, sweetheart. Tell me what this pussy wants, and I’ll make it happen.”

My heartbeat throbbed between my legs. I was so wet, I could feel moisture seeping from the seam of my sex and over his callused fingers. His were a swordsman’s hands, his touch rough against my most sensitive skin. But I wanted it. I’d never wanted anything more. It should have terrified me, but I was beyond terror. Whatever drove me dwelled in a place where fear didn’t exist. Only want. It loosened my tongue, dissolving my inhibitions and forcing desperate words from my throat.

“Make me come,” I said, my own fangs sliding down. “Stop talking and put your fingers on my clit. I want tight, fast circles, and don’t you dare stop until I say.”

Something feral gleamed in his eyes as he moved his hand, his fingers delving between my soaked lips. He did as I’d told him, circling the slick point of my desire with two fingers. And oh gods, it was better than anything I’d done with my own hand in my narrow bed in the cottage.

He was better, his gaze locked on mine and his heart thundering against my swollen breasts. His eyes were unyielding, the look in them as hard and dominant as the one he’d given me across the warehouse in Sausberg. As hard as the one he’d flashed when he tossed a hundred thousand kromni on the platform. I’d forgotten it, but I shouldn’t have. Vander Blackfell had staked his claim then. And he claimed my pleasure now.

Black fabric bunched around my hips. Dragonstones winked and pulsed between our bodies. And magic flared, but not the kind that came from theft and death. This was raw and ancient. It transcended words.

That didn’t stop Vander from using them.

“Come for me then,” he rumbled, his auburn lashes lowering until his eyes were silver slits. “Come all over my hand, Princess. Soak me to the wrist.” He rubbed faster, his thick fingers spreading me. More chilly air kissed my opening. His fingers danced in skillful, perfect circuits, giving me precisely the right amount of pressure. Ribbons of pleasure spiraled through me. My breathing grew labored, little whimpers spilling from me as I started to fray. The thick sound of my arousal rose over everything.

“That’s it,” Vander growled. “Let me hear it.”

“I told you to be quiet,” I said, beginning to shudder.

“You did,” he acknowledged. “But before that, you said to make you come. I’m a soldier, Princess. The mission comes first.” He shifted suddenly, hitching me more firmly against him and then gripping my ass with his free hand. He squeezed the muscle as he worked my clit faster. “Which means you come right fucking now.”

My body leaped to obey, release slamming into me like a fist. Vander anticipated it a split second before I did, because he seized my lips in his and swallowed my scream. He carried me through it, working my clit faster as moisture flooded me. Thoughts scattered. Emotions fled. The world narrowed to his lips and tongue and the masterful press of his fingers between my legs. He kissed me as I came all over his hand, doing exactly what he’d ordered me to do. And when I sagged against him, passion wrung from me like a wet cloth, he eased his hand from my sex and rested his forehead against mine. My skirts slithered down my legs in a rasp of silk.

Vander’s heart thudded against my breasts. He sounded almost angry as he muttered, “I had no idea you were going to be like this.”

Clarity thundered back. I’d let Vander bring me to orgasm. But he obviously regretted it. So why had he done it? The answer came at once.

He wanted my help. He’d said as much. Queens don’t ask. They command. Suddenly, the kiss in his study made sense. Vander believed I was a rare creature who could kill Rasimir and take the throne. If he couldn’t persuade me to join his cause, he’d sweeten the deal with sex.

I shoved out from his arms and stepped back. In the next breath, he caught my wrists.