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“Okay.” I could give him that.
“And you will stay with me at all times.”
What would be the point of running, if heat would drag me right back to him? And what of his reaction should I make such a foolish choice? I doubt I’d see the sky for a century. “Yes. I will stay with you.”
Appeased, there on that platform where random humans congregated to stare, General Cyderial interlaced his fingers with mine.
Just like I had seen lovers do in the city.
I didn’t know why the simple gesture surprised me so much, but I caught myself looking down at our joined palms, confused by how intimate it felt… how warm his hand was surrounding mine. My hand was much smaller, the webbing between my fingers stretching to accommodate his grip. Yet, still we fit.
Fluttering my fingers, I tolerated the sensation, then settled, knowing he had done this because I had mentioned watching lovers hold hands when I had toured the city.
Because he knew it was something that had caught my attention enough to mention.
“I can give you so much more than this, if you would let me.” Tucking away a bit of my hair that had been caught up in the wind, he added, “Tell me other things you desire from your mate, and see the mountains I will move for you.”
There was something inside me that felt unsteady with such words, a part of me that was uncomfortable walking uncharted territory with such a male.
Nervous, I sucked my lower lip into my mouth, glancing away and knowing my face had grown far too warm. “I don’t know what to ask for.”
Charmed, Cyderial let the evil melt right off his face, a soft smile on his lips as he said, “Let’s start small. If you see anything at the market stalls that catches your eye, let me know.”
“To buy?” I didn’t have any money or even access to an account. I literally owned nothing, not even the sword I used for years at the academy. Not to say I was not a bit of a magpie; sparkly things were something I very much enjoyed.
If he was going to let me buy something, I was not going to refuse.
With an innocuous smirk, he gave me a nod. “Anything you want.”
This was going to be so much more fun!
Grinning at all the possibilities before me, I warned, “Don’t give your enemy a weapon of that caliber. I might tell you to buy me everything out of spite.”
Raising our joined hands to his lips, he laid a kiss on my glittering skin. “You are not my enemy; you are my beloved mate. And I trust you will not abuse the privilege of my driving need to give you things—unless, of course, you’re looking forward to a lesson on self-discipline. I could think of some creative ways to leave you far more frustrated than you were in the shower this morning.”
Suddenly scarlet to my roots, I hissed lowly, “People can hear you.”
Bending down to nip my ear, he whispered, “Imagine what they would think if you had begged for my knot. You’d be round and full of me for all of them to see.”
Shivering off the sensation of another bite, I pulled away from his teasing to glare. “You’re embarrassing me.”
“It’s adorable.” The austere general had softened somewhat, his thoughts clearly carnal. “And I promise you this. Next time I escort you into the city, you will have a belly so huge every single person will know just how hard I fucked you.”
His words inspired a fast-spreading warmth under my skin that made me instantly panicked that he taunted me right into heat. That I had ruined my chance for fun by not begging in the shower.
That he was going to cart me off before I might know a taste of freedom, or do something horrible, like use me right there so everyone watching would know I was his.
“Lorieyn, whatever wicked thing you are thinking”—he dared to pull me close and put those wicked lips right back to my ear—“I can do so much worse. Remember that.”
“Stop. You win, okay?” I did not have the stamina or the experience to think clearly when he could outmaneuver me so easily. “Please don’t make my body do something that will ruin my chance to see my mother.”
“My dear, that’s not?—”
The heat, the blush, the nerve of the man. Arousal turned to anger, my overloaded nervous system leaving me to grind my teeth together. “Let it be known, I was going to ask for a knot after we returned to your home, but now I think I might hold out on principle. I’d rather suffer than be bullied in front of a bunch of strangers. I bet I can outlast the heat to the point it drives you slowly insane. I can make you watch me suffer.”
Dumbfounded.
The general was actually dumbfounded.
