Yew Queen Trilogy, стр. 33
But then Lucus’s mouth found mine, and my blood rushed through my veins, my nipples pebbling and my senses soaked in his lure and the awe of what he was and what I was…
The kiss intensified, his tongue dancing across mine and pulling a moan from deep within me. I felt so many emotions, sensations—it was like the best of roller coasters, the greatest drop off a cliff into the water, the most thrilling race down a dark forest path.
“Coren.” His voice was raspy and bursting with need.
He lifted me and set me on the bed. His weight pinned me to the voluptuous mattress, his body hard against me. Wings spread wide above me, he dipped his horned head to kiss me gently, sucking my lower lip before dragging his mouth down my neck as he took a deep breath. I gripped the curves of his biceps, then yanked his shirt away so I could kiss his chest as his hips rolled forward. Energy filled me as he inhaled against my neck, taking in my aura. His wings shivered, and I was undone.
But Lucus raised himself up on his hands, pulling away from me. “Coren. Do you truly want to do this?”
His lure retreated, the cascades of pleasure receding, but only slightly. My body still thrummed with heat and desire. It wasn’t from his lure. It was the bond. It was him. It was us.
And he was right to question this. We didn’t know one another. Not this well. Not when I was planning to trap him in an ancient castle and run away.
“No.” I propped myself onto my elbows, my cheeks hot. “Not yet. Or maybe…” I couldn’t bring myself to say never, not when it felt like a lie. A line from a Daughter song slipped through my mind. I want all that is not mine. He wasn’t even a part of my world. Sure, I had some dash of mage blood or whatever, but this…
He tucked his wings and brushed his hair away from his horns. Closing his eyes and standing beside the bed, he seemed to rein himself in. “Of course. Coren, you are special.”
I buttoned my shirt and stood beside him. “Oh, hold on. Don’t act like I’m a holy darling because I’m not going to sleep with you right now. I don’t buy that kind of B.S.”
“That’s not what I mean. I mean you.” He touched my chest, his gentle finger resting on the spot above my heart. “You are dear to me. Beyond the bond. You have my enemy’s blood, but you have such courage.” Turning, he glamoured his wings and horns away. “Your will is so strong. I love the way you respect your own desires. You have an amazing amount of control, far more than I possess.”
My heart knocked on my chest like a fist on a locked door as I realized he wouldn’t have stopped if it weren’t for me.
I was good with changing the subject. If I didn’t, I’d probably shove him right back on that fabulous bed of his and rock the damn it out of his world. “I don’t have control over this magic of mine. I’m just waiting for another shock.”
“You need to follow your instincts. To think less, and simply react. Once you learn to listen to your instinct, you’ll most likely learn how to diffuse your power into the earth as needed and bring it forward, increasing it when you want to cast a stronger spell.”
“Most likely?”
He shrugged. “I am not an expert. Only another mage would know for certain.”
We both straightened our clothing, not meeting each other’s eyes.
I didn’t have any magical instincts, for crying out loud. I’d just now figured out I had this power. I felt like an idiot who’d won some weird lottery even though she’d never bought a ticket. “Are there any other mages out there?”
“I don’t think so. As Kaippa mentioned, we fae ignite the magic inside a mage’s or a shapeshifter’s blood. There are only us three left, and we haven’t been out in the world.”
“Until me.”
“Until you.”
“What happens if I can’t control it? Will I really be in a load of trouble?”
“You will.”
I nodded, taking that in. Great. Cool. More to deal with.
Lucus stopped at the door. “I want to take your arm, Coren, but I won’t because I don’t want my brothers to know about our bond. Or my feelings. They would mistrust me for good reason.”
“I get that.” I brushed past him and headed down the corridor where the firelight from the sconces flickered brightly. “Can we talk normalish things?”
“Of course, but, Coren, you should consider what I mentioned, about feeling for your magical instincts.”
“I feel zero on that front.”
Lucus frowned. “Just try.”
“Can we talk about something else?” I ran hands through my messy hair. “My brain is exhausted.”
“Ask me anything.”
This was good. This felt less serious. I needed some less serious for a minute or maybe a lifetime. “Who lights these sconces?”
“They’re enchanted to remain lit.”
“Got it. Now, about that glamour thing. Are your wings and whatnot still there when you glamour them to be invisible?”
He chuckled. “If I use a weak glamour, they remain slightly visible, still present. If I enact a strong glamour, they go fully into the ether.”
“The do what?”
“As magical beings, we exist on two planes. This one,” he said, pointing to the floor, “and the ether.” He spread his hands to indicate—what exactly?
“Like another dimension?”
A frown tugged at his full lips. “I think so. The translation lacks depth, but I think that is as close as we will come in your language.”
The sun broke over us as we strode into the castle’s inner courtyard.
Baccio and Aurelio stood by the pines, eyes