Page 99 of Between Smoke and Shadow
“Ademas,” I say. I grind myself against his erection, drawing a growl from his throat. “That’s my name now, right? RuneAdemas?”
“Fuck,” he swears. He grabs my hips, urging them faster against him. “Say it again, and I’ll give you whatever you want.”
“Rune Ademas.”
“That’s right, sweetheart,” he says, unzipping my coverall until it pools at my waist. Harrick’s lips trail across my jaw and throat and chest. He sucks a hardened nipple between his teeth, only switching to the opposite breast once I’m arching against him, lavishing that one too. He pulls away to snap the waistband of my coverall. “Take these off. I want to see you.”
I slide off him to get undressed, but I keep my eyes on him. He is a flawless masterpiece, from his toned chest to his muscular arms and the sharp V that points to the waistband of his pants. Then those are gone too, and I’m settling over him once more. Without anything between us, I can feel the heat from his skin, the way his erection twitches every time I so much as breathe.
I press my thumb to the tip of his cock. Harrick’s hips snap up in response, and when I look at him, I find him watching. I’ve never felt more beautiful than I do when he’s looking at me. Even knowing my face is bloodied and bruised, I don’t feel ashamed or like I should hide.
I killed the Architect, the man who made people far more powerful than me suffer for countless cycles. I killed him and saved the man I love—and no matter how long it takes, I will save this entire kingdom too.
“You look like a goddess,” he murmurs. He cups my breast, pinching the nipple between his fingers. When I let out a gasp, he moves to my opposite breast, stroking it with his thumb. “I’m convinced you may very wellbea goddess.”
I arc against him, sliding out of his grasp and pushing until my chest is level with his face. Those dark eyes dart up to mine, a silent question in them.
“Suck,” I say. My voice trembles, but I don’t shrink beneath the command. I will not be afraid of my own desires anymore—and right now, I want to feel his mouth on me.
Harrick’s gaze drifts from my face to my chest, his hand curling around the back of my neck. With a firm tug, he closes the distance, wrapping his warm lips around my nipple. His tongue traces circles, teeth grazing the sensitive skin. He hums in approval, and the vibration sends tingles across my skin.
I’m grinding against his cock so hard I’m losing focus. My head falls back and I stare up at the red ceiling, only half in this world.
“Gods, you taste so good. Like fucking magic,” Harrick says. His hands trail down my back, landing on my waist. “Look at me, Rune.”
I do, and when he touches the spot between my thighs, I moan so loud I’m sure anyone on this floor can hear me. Rather than feel embarrassed, the sound emboldens me. For the first time in my life, I don’t have to be quiet.
I press my hands to Harrick’s chest and raise onto my knees. I nod at him, and he wordlessly lines his erection at my center. Though I’m tempted to ask him for guidance, I don’t. I want this to bemymoment, as much as it is his too.
I sink onto him, groaning as he fills me. He feels even bigger at this angle, and I’m suddenly wondering if it was a mistake. There’s no way I’ll be able to take him like this. Just as I’m starting to pull back, his hands squeeze my hips.
“You can do it,” he says. His attention lowers from mine to where we’re joined. He rubs his thumb across my clit, using his other hand to balance me. “Breathe, sweetheart. You’re doing so well.”
I let out a sharp moan. I’ve never felt so full, so stimulated, as if he’s touching meeverywhere, all at once.
“That’s it,” he says. I take him in and in and in, until he’s fully inside me and I’m seated against his hips. “Look at you, Rune. Oh gods?—”
His hands snap to my thighs, stilling me. It sends a tortuous ache through me, and my body demands to move. I writhe against him, feeling overwhelmingly full yet somehow needingmore.
“Fuck, hold on,” he says through his teeth. “I don’t want to come yet.”
“Then don’t,” I say, still straining against his hands. “But let me move.”
“You have no idea how pretty you are,” he says through a groan. “Howgoodyou feel. It’s a miracle I haven’t come already. Just—hold on. Sit still for me.”
I do as he says, clenching my thighs against his hips. He steadies his breathing, and by the time he finally nods, I’m a crumbling, whimpering mess. I’ve passed the point of being cautious, instead lifting off him and slamming back down, taking him in one thrust. I scream out, not meaning to but not caring that I have.
I let the ache between my thighs fuel me, pumping him in and out. His hands dig into my hips so hard I’m sure they’ll bruise, and I hope they do. I hope he marks himself on me forever, so that I always carry a piece of this moment with me.
Harrick circles my clit, increasing the pressure as I lose myself to him. And when I come, I let myself scream his name, so that everyone knows he is mine and I am his.
THIRTY-THREE
HARRICK
“I thought you might be here,” Tora says. She crosses the upper courtyard, her floor length gown dragging against the black stone. Sparkles in the shape of raindrops cover the skirt, and her heels are frighteningly tall. She’s done her hair and makeup as if preparing for her own wedding, rather than a sector meeting.
Mysector meeting. It’s the first one I’ve ever called, but it won’t be the last.
