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Amusement filled his gaze, and he moved closer, his body fitting against mine as if we were made for each other. He tipped his head, exposing his throat, the corded muscle and bronzed skin a temptation. My mouth watered with a hunger I hadn’t felt in a while.
“Go ahead. Try.”
“What?” I asked, licking my lips.
“Come on. Do it. Don’t tease me by saying things you don’t mean.” He took a sidelong glance toward me. “That’s not you, Dianna.”
I struck as quickly as any viper, my mouth clamping on the strong column of his neck. Teeth met skin, but my fangs did not descend. I swirled my tongue against his throat and sucked, feeling his pulse quicken. I arched against him, the throbbing heat between my thighs demanding more of him. My headache evaporated, and another ache took its place—a hunger I refused to feed. My mouth left his throat as I pulled back, licking my lips.
“Can’t do it, can you?” The same words he had said when we fought. Bastard. His voice was husky as if he also struggled with this burning need between us.
“Shut up,” I snapped, ignoring that the words came out breathlessly. “What did you do to me?”
Samkiel let me go and took a measured step back, anger replacing lust. “It’s quite insulting that you automatically assume I would ever do anything to hurt you. Especially something so heinous as stripping your powers.”
My throat and other parts of me went dry. “My powers are gone?”
“Possibly. In mortal terms, you burned yourself out.”
My hand fell to my chest. “Is that possible?”
“This is the first time I have seen it happen. I am still researching.”
My mind flashed to the books piled on the desk a few halls away. Had he been researching a way to heal me? To help me?
I turned inward, reaching deep, searching. Samkiel was right. I felt no spark. The warmth I normally felt when I called upon the fire was absent. I stared at him, the soft shine of moisture from my mouth still visible on his neck, along with a small discoloration where I’d bitten too hard. A jolt of pleasure coursed through me as if a part of me liked seeing my mark on him. I quickly extinguished that thought too.
“I want Roccurem.”
That was the wrong thing to say.
His powerful shoulders squared, and his expression turned grim. “No.”
“You can’t keep him from me.”
“He is not yours to keep. He is not a pet for you to order about. If you need help or have questions, I will help you,” Samkiel hissed at me.
“I don’t want you,” I spat.
Samkiel recoiled, pain flashing in his beautiful eyes, darkening them. “Regardless, you cannot have him. He is no longer available to fulfill your needs,” he said.
I may not have had teeth or claws as before, but I still had venom. I scoffed, folding my arms. “Is that what burns you? You think Reggie has been taking care of all my little naughty bits?”
That was also not the best thing to say.
The sky darkened, and the wind howled, giving voice to the rage he refused to release. I felt his energy brush against me, and a part of me reveled in it. The feel of his power wrapping around me did not incite fear but set my blood alight with need. He was a god made of storms and war, and he was magnificent. And I hated it.
“You know, at first, I assumed you stole Roccurem for your own pleasure. You’d never touch Camilla after what she did, so logic dictated it was him. I’ll admit that I was jealous. I am man enough to tell you how much that burned a hole in my gut to see you so casually replace me, but then I learned it wasn’t for that. No. You just couldn’t stand being alone with your thoughts. I get that. I am the same way. But I have learned, Dianna, that no one can pull you out of this until you are ready. Until then, we are nothing but crutches, and that is not what you need to heal.”
“I’m not asking for anyone’s help. Let alone yours,” I spat.
“Oh, trust me, I am very well aware,” he snapped. He didn’t back down. He never did. If anything, he liked every bit of fire I had and relished that he could make me burn brighter.
“My sister died, Samkiel. Don’t think that anything I did had to do with you.”
“This isn’t about her. I stood with you the entire time, Dianna. You knew that.”
I pushed from the wall. “You were only going to hold me back.”
