Graff’s pastel eyes widened, locking on Fletcher’s glowing hands. His brows pulled down and his lips pressed in a straight line. “Are you using her magic?”
I snarled and barked, “Go away!”
His gaze shifted to me, staring me down before he finally said, “I’ll be back in five minutes.”
“How about never?”
Fletcher squeezed me closer. “He can’t. He’s not supposed to leave you at all.”
I turned to Graff again. “I am in Fletcher’s care, not yours. You will let me stay with him for however long I fucking want to.”
“Careful, Ripley,” Fletcher whispered in my ear with an overlay of delight weaved into his tone. “You’re turning me on.”
My cheeks flushed as heat began to spread from deep within my core.
Graff vanished without another word, and I spun in Fletcher’s arms. I latched my lips to his as his hands grasped at my dress and tore it down the center. Not wanting to let go of him, I took off the sleeves one arm at a time while he stripped me from every other article of clothing.
When I was naked, he hoisted me onto the kitchen counter and undid his own pants as I reached forward and dragged him close by his neck, sucking on it until a groan vibrated against my lips.
“I want it all off,” I begged. He pulled back and his lips parted to protest, but I cut him off. “I won’t ask about the tattoo. I just want to feel all of you.”
He gave me a smirk and took off his shirt. I hadn’t seen his bare chest since he had taken his shirt off after that night out with him in Ellion City where we ended up in the showers while we were on the run.The muscle definition of his long torso had my insides turning to putty. That little tattoo on his left shoulder glared at me with secrets, but I kept my eyes away from it. The wounds from all my time in the cages seemed to be healing well.
Never taking his eyes from mine, he lowered his bottom layers. My mouth dried as I took in the sheer size of him ready to be sunk deeply in me.
He stepped to me, placing himself between my spread legs as his eyes dipped down to my breasts, farther still, then back up again. “God, I wish you were all mine, Ripley. This is killing me.”
I rejected every part of the comment. I felt its revulsion in the way my body shivered to expel it from my ears. I took his face in both my hands, his scruff scratching my palms. “Iamyours.” I searched his rich brown eyes for some acceptance of my words, but there wasn’t any.
Then, I was moving. A primal instinct swept through me with urgency to convince him that every part of me was his. It was in my bones to abide by this instinct, the one that directed me—had always directed me to Fletcher.
I pushed him back, scooted off the counter, and fell to my knees in front of him. I sat on my heels as Ireached toward his feet, bowing my head. My fingers flared, magic gathering at the nails.
“Ripley,” he warned with a textured grit in his voice.
“Iamyours, Fletcher Darkly.” I reached even farther. “For damn’s sake, believe me.”
A gentle touch came down on the front of my shoulder as he pulled me up from my bend. When I looked up, he was down on one knee, tipping my chin up with his folded forefinger. “This is the third time in your life you have bowed to me without knowing what it means. And you need to stop.”
I looked at him and blinked. His eyes didn’t look any softer. In fact, my bowing to him had made him appear more conflicted. “What does it mean?”
“It means you are pledging your life to me. And the princess should never do that.”
The words burned. The disapproval sent me to ashes. I was crumbling into heated pieces that burned my soul until I was ready to become anew. Ready to become my own. I could pledge my life to whoever I wanted. In one swoop, I shoved his hand away and fell back to the floor. “I don’t care. I pledge to you, Fletcher Darkly.”
“Get up,” he snipped.
“No.” I pressed the palms of my hands into the wooden floorboards even harder.
He pulled my shoulder up again, and I couldn’t help but follow where he wanted me to go. “Yes. Because it’s my turn. Get up.”
I looked up at him, straightening my spine. “What?”
“Stand. Please.” He held out a hand, standing before me naked, strong, and beautiful.
I grasped his hand and he guided me to my feet.
I carefully watched as he took three measured steps backward and knelt slowly before me, holding my gaze. My breath caught as I drank in the sight of his muscles tensing and relaxing with each movement. Then, he reached his hands out in front of him and bowed his head toward the ground.
