“How am I able to bypass your wards, Tristan, and the wards of other highborn fae, if I don’t possess any fae ancestry myself?”
A slight growl of frustration emits from my throat. I’m not frustrated with her, but I’m irritated because I have no fucking idea how Amelia is suddenly impervious to wards erected by highborn fae. “I don’t know, sweet human,” I finally say, as I continue to consider the situation. “Hm. Have you or any of your family members, perhaps a grandmother, dabbled in witchcraft?”
“Not to my knowledge. I highly doubt it.”
“Perhaps the next time we’re near a temple, I’ll take you to visit a high priestess. If anyone will know the reason behind your powers, it’ll be a high priestess.”
She lifts her head off my chest and gives me a wary look. “A fae temple? I-I don’t think that’s a good idea. Please don’t take me to see a priestess.”
I caress a hand down her back. “Why are you afraid of visiting a fae temple?”
“Because of the human sacrifices,” she whispers.
“The human sacrifices?” I ask.
“Well, I’ve heard that fae priestesses like to roam the forests looking for unsuspecting humans to capture and use for ritual sacrifices meant to appease the gods.”
I bite back a smile. “Amelia, I’m pleased to tell you that fae priestesses don’t capture humans, nor do they use humans or any other creature in ritual sacrifices. Well, not since the old days. During the time of the Seelie and Unseelie courts, I believe the Unseelie priestesses engaged in such dark practices, but I can assure you that it doesn’t happen today. But my people like to stoke rumors about our mercilessness, and we know some of those rumors get turned into stories that are passed down through the generations. But just like the stories about fae being unable to lie, this story isn’t true either.”
Her gaze brims with relief. “Well, I’m glad to hear it. When I was a child, I used to have nightmares about being kidnapped by a fae priestess.”
“Ah, but it was really the fae generals you needed to worry about.” I waggle my eyebrows at her, and to my great delight, a smile tugs at her lips.
“Yes,” she says with a hint of laughter, “I should’ve been more worried about fae generals.”
She’s still staring at me, and her face is close to mine. So close that if I leaned forward a smidge, I could press my lips to hers. When I notice her glance at my mouth, I expect she’s thinking the same thing.
My suspicions become stronger when the scent of her arousal hits me, a sweet, pungent wave of excitement. My mouth waters.
Gods, I want to taste her. I want to kiss her too. I want to do all manner of things that would likely scandalize her. Not for the first time, I imagine she’s naked and bent over the bed with her legs spread wide. I picture myself approaching her, rubbing my hard appendage as I prepare to mount her from behind.
A tiny gasp escapes her, and her eyes go wide. But surely she has no idea what I’m thinking. What I’m fantasizing about. Among my people, some mated couples are able to read each other’s thoughts, but more often the mating bond manifests to only allow them to speak to one another mind-to-mind.
I remind myself that even if Amelia is my fated mate, I haven’t claimed her physically yet, so there’s no way, to my knowledge, that the mating bond could’ve started to manifest. She probably just gasped because the ache between her thighs became too intense.
“I’m fully aware of how aroused you are right now, sweet human. As a highborn fae, I possess a keen sense of smell.” I use a compassionate tone, not wanting her to experience any embarrassment over something she can’t help.
She flushes. “You said you just planned to hold me. Not offer commentary about my possible excitement.”
“I imagine you’ll have difficulty sleeping tonight unless you take care of matters.”
“Take care of matters?”
“By pleasuring yourself, Amelia. By stroking yourself to a blissful climax.”
CHAPTER 19
AMELIA
Self-pleasure.Oh, gods, Tristan is referring to self-pleasure.
I know the basics, but I’ve never actually done it.
In the castle, I didn’t have any privacy, as I always had at least five roommates. And after that, Lord Nevel’s household wasn’t exactly conducive to feelings of lustful exploration.
As I hold Tristan’s gaze, breathless anticipation sweeps through me, and my core clenches tighter, pulsating so fast and deep that I fear I might lose my senses.
Yes, I can imagine having trouble sleeping if I don’t experience a so-called ‘blissful climax.’ If I lie down and try to sleep, I will likely toss and turn all night.
