Page 121 of Spring Guardians & Songbirds

How in the hells? “But my father’s soldiers got through that?”

Magnus pursed his lips with regret and Cora reached to hold his hand as she answered for him. “There was a beast. Killed two hundred of our men, managed to breach the veil, the Aitan sphinx guarding the vault and the walls of sun magic around the vault itself. Only to come out and kill another three dozen guards before disappearing into the sea.”

“This…beast, did anyone see what it looked like?” I asked, my hand going to Kilian’s thigh. I felt his body seize under my touch before realising what I had done.

I was about to jerk it away, but Cora followed the motion with intent eyes and now I was locked in place. “A strange beast with green scales like those of a snake, its…drivel still coats the walls of the vault green.”

I turned to look at Kilian, my eyes going to his chest where the three slashes were. “The same as the one in Hanai.” I then turned to Moriko again. “Are you certain it looked nothing like the ones from the Ater battles? My father could have easily tasked Melanthe Delcour to create them or dig them up from somewhere.”

“Certain,” said Moriko.

“No,” Magnus interrupted, backing Moriko. “It was nothing like the ones in the Ater battles. None of those beasts could come close to inflicting as much damage as this one has.”

Kilian rested his hand atop mine and asked the couple, “Can we have a look at your library ourselves, see if there is more we could find, anything that you might have missed?”

Magnus nodded. “Most certainly. We will take you to Theros library tomorrow. Tonight, we dine.”

“We will not be staying,” I said, looking at Moriko and Kilian to back me up.

“Nonsense,” Cora said. “We are talking about an alliance never done before. Tonight, you are our guests. Never in my years have I sent back guests without feeding them first.”

Chapter seventeen

Apricus

Kilian

We’d been shown to our rooms. Snow and I shared one, of course.

The Theros castle rested on high rock, facing water. From our balcony, you could see the view of the Hollow Sea stretching far and wide, littered with boats and sailors basking under the sunset, waiting for their catch. There was so much life in Theros despite the serenity of the setting day marking everything it touched with gilt and sparkles.

Snow had disappeared in the bathing chambers for more than an hour now, yet I hadn’t heard water run or her even making a single movement.

Flushed red and panting, she peeked from behind the ivory doors. “This. Bloody. Dress.”

“You should have just asked me, love,” I said, pushing up from the sofa.

She turned around and I swiftly slid the small buttons out of the loops all the way down to her lower back. She took a deep breath as if the thing had been restricting her and I could help but lean and plant a kiss on her spine. And when she didn’t flinch away from me, I couldn't help the several kisses I left on her back till her skin puckered with goosebumps.

Her breathing had grown laboured when I turned her around and peeled the dress from her body, leaving her in the shortest, tiniest, silk black slip.

She was exquisite. From start to end, Snowlin Edlynne Castemont was a painting of the divine. Soft curves, sharp edges, made of the most alluring palette of colour and utmost intoxicating scents of flower.

I ran my knuckles from her cheek down her neck and stopped over her pebbled nipple poking through the silk shift. Desire overlooked every decision of mine as I decided to roll the nub between my fingers. They were indeed my weakness. She was both my weakness and my strength.

A small, muffled whimper left her and suddenly she trembled. Never had I wanted to read someone’s emotions more than now and I cursed whatever didn’t allow me to read hers because I had to pull away. My mind began to entertain the idea that she was truly disgusted by my touch.

She took my hand and laid it against her breast, her breathing growing hard, and her eyes drawing shut briefly as if to give her some sense of grounding.

I reached close till our chests touched and slid my hand through her hair, tugging to pull her head to face me. “I am going to need you to use those words. Remember, I can’t read you and your heart is beating in a rage of hate against me. I know I can give you pleasure despite what you mean to me and I mean to you, so you have to tell me if you want me to.”

She wetted her rosy lips. “So you will fuck me?”

Gods, if my cock didn’t just jump to attention. “Pleasure doesn’t constitute my cock being inside you.” Some of my pleasure would.

She slowly lifted a hand close to my face and then flipped me off. “Got a hand right here.” She made a sound of surprise and cupped one of her perfectly full breasts with the other, eliciting a groan from me. “There’s another.”

With that and a big taunting smile, she began retreating toward the bath.