A Trial of the Heart (Valdor #2)

Chapter Five

T hat night, I didn’t wake to the sounds of my screams as they tore through the peaceful silence of Adohan and Idris’s home.

My back bowed and arched as I thrashed in my night terror, feeling the sting of Blade’s whip tearing through my flesh again and again. The blood from my wounds caused my feet to slip out from under me, hanging lifelessly from my iron-bound chains. The pain was not the worst of it. It was the image of his cruel, self-satisfied grin of amusement as he circled my limp, lifeless body. It was the sound of his rapid breathing as he relentlessly tore into my back. The merciless smile of delight that was seared into my memories. I screamed until my voice was raw. I screamed for someone, anyone, to find me so I wouldn’t die in this prison consumed by darkness.

“Spitfire!” Daxton’s voice drifted into my nightmare, pulling me out of the abyss and isolation that was tearing me apart from the inside out. “Wake up. It isn’t real. Wake up, Skylar. Please!” he begged.

I had never heard him plead like this before… like my pain was somehow also his. I felt his hands pressed firmly on my shoulders as my eyes fluttered open, trying to focus on the reality of the world around me . “You’re not alone,” he said in a commanding voice that was impossible to ignore. “You will never be alone like that again. I promise, Skylar. It was just a nightmare.”

My stomach churned as I looked over to the bedside, trying to find anything to catch the bile that was rapidly rising in my throat. Daxton anticipated this and handed me the waste bin before I ruined the sheets. I knelt on the bed, hurling my guts out, trying to breathe while Daxton remained at my side, quietly holding my hair back—not uttering a sound.

“I-I was… I was there, Daxton.” I wept as another wave of nausea took over. “His whip… The cell. It all seemed so real,” I cried out uncontrollably. “Seamus. That bastard tore through my memories and found them. He… He made me relive every gruesome detail, Dax.” I openly sobbed, lacking the strength to hold anything back.

Every muscle in Daxton’s body seemed to stiffen, and I swore he was shaking almost as badly as I was. He clenched his fists and moved to fetch me a glass of water. I tilted my head back, quickly draining the contents before dropping the cup to the floor as the backs of my eyes stung.

Daxton immediately wrapped his arms around my shoulders, tightly cradling me against his chest. Allowing my walls to crumble, I melted into his embrace. I should’ve fought against this, but I couldn’t bring myself to turn away. I felt safe in his arms, like nothing and no one in the world could dare harm me.

“You’re stronger than this, Skylar,” he said. “Please, let me help. You’re not alone—Remember this.” His hand rubbed my back in small concentric circles. “I don’t care how many times I have to keep telling you. I’ll gladly keep doing it until you start believing it yourself.” Daxton moved his hand to stroke my hair, helping calm my sobs and steady my emotions.

I could feel the presence of my animal stirring inside me, reminding me of the same thing. Shaking my head, I moved in his lap and pushed back to look at him.

“How can I do this, Daxton?” I sniffled with rasps scarring my voice. “How can I possibly be the one champion that can defeat the trials if I’m this… weak?”

I had never doubted myself like this before, but my encounter with Seamus left me feeling helpless, causing my turmoil of guilt to continue to spiral out of control.

Daxton adjusted me so I was sitting between his legs and held my face firmly between his hands. I reached up to clutch onto him, trying to feel grounded in anything I could find. His hold on me sent a warm sensation through the cold limbs of my quivering body. It was the same feeling my animal gave me whenever I felt scared or lost, calming my trepidations and granting me a moment of serenity so I could find my way through the darkness.

“This will not break you, Skylar Cathal. It didn’t before, and it won’t now.” He sounded so confident. His expression was unwavering as he spoke to me, without any trace of fear or uncertainty.

“How can you be so sure?”

I turned my gaze away, unable to look him in the eyes. I was so scared and not just of the nightmares. I was terrified of opening myself up to someone, of opening my heart to another.

Daxton gently turned my chin, encouraging me to meet his luminous gray stare. “Because I know what it’s like to be held against your will. I understand that kernel of fear and darkness that you are now burdened with carrying. And trust me when I tell you that this will not break you.”

My eyes widened with shock at the realization of his confession. “What do you mean?” I dared to ask him.

He nervously licked his lips, guiding my hands through the opening collar of his shirt to discover twin scars across his chest. “These,” he whispered as he slid my hands over the crisscross marks. “These are some of the visible scars I carry from Minaeve’s imprisonment.”

My heart stopped as I traced over the thick scars on his body. They were old, perhaps from centuries ago, yet they never truly healed.

“It was iron.” Daxton sighed, staring off to the side of the bedroom with a depth of horror in his gaze that was difficult to swallow. I gulped a heavy breath, sensing the pain that he tried so hard to keep buried beneath his armor of bravery. His fingers tightened around mine. “Minaeve hung me from the ceiling with barbs threaded through my chest.”

I gasped, my hands moving to cover my mouth. “Oh, my Gods … Daxton. What? Why?”

“Because I refused to submit to her rule as high queen and freely offer her my power. When Minaeve cast back the first surge of the wilt, and the veil appeared, she demanded the three realms acknowledge her as our high queen. Adohan’s father and Seamus knelt before her, but I refused.”

“Why did you refuse?” I asked him.

“Because—” There it was again. A blank stare into an abyss like he was missing a key memory from his past. However, he quickly composed himself, blinking a few times before resuming his tale. “I didn’t believe her claim was just or her rule fair. Despite the fact that her magic was… and still is the only thing that can siphon th e wilt, I didn’t trust her to protect and care for her people as a ruler should.” His shoulders hunched forward as he fisted his hair in his hand. “The Inner Kingdom suffers, and my people struggle under her reign. They are starved, frightened, oppressed. Living like this for far too long. The shreds of basic decency she shows them are viewed as divine kindness,” he said in a low tone full of discontent. “A ruler should never have loyalty out of fear alone.” Darkness crossed Daxton’s face as he dove back into the suppressed memories that he fought so hard to forget.

I reached out to grasp Daxton’s hands, his grip tightening around my fingers as he continued.

“It was only a few months after the endless battles and war against the humans and shifters when Minaeve assumed the throne despite Silver Meadows’ refusal to support her claim. Minaeve called for a truce with my realm and asked for me to attend a meeting for all of us to strategize a defense against the wilt. Only it wasn’t a meeting at all.” Daxton cursed to himself under his breath as I quietly waited for him to continue, never once letting his hands fall from my own.

“I was young and fucking foolish. Naive to this role and responsibility, and to be honest, I was distracted. Since our mother’s passing, and my father dying in my arms on the battlefield, I was also Castor’s sole guardian.”

I nodded, trying to encourage him to continue.

“But,” Daxton rasped with a twinge of regret, “I was also arrogant. Believing that with my father’s strength and title that passed to me, I was too powerful to succumb to anyone’s will. I didn’t recognize that Minaeve was setting a trap. She drugged me with a potent weaponized iron dust. That, combined with the help of her siphoned magic from Seamus and Adohan’s father, left me outmatched. I was Imprisoned beneath Aelius until I willingly swore fealty to her crown and offered her my magic.”

The depth of Daxton’s revulsion for Minaeve was coming to light. He resisted her tyranny, and as punishment, she tortured him. “How long? How long were you kept a prisoner in her hold?”

“Years.” He tensed as he leaned backward on the bed, his features cast in both shadow and sorrow.

“Zola,” I said remembering the mention her loyalty to their mother, “did she help look after Castor when…?”

“Yes, and I will forever be grateful for her aid in watching over my brother when I couldn’t.”

Silence passed between us, the tales of Daxton’s past clutching the threads of my heart and threatening to shatter it to pieces.

“I would still be there if she hadn’t threatened Castor’s life and the salvation of Silver Meadows. I would give anything to protect my people. It’s my duty and honor, with the power I inherited, to ensure they’re safety.” There wasn’t a single piece of me that doubted his confession. “So, when my kingdom was threatened and Castor’s life hung in the balance, I was forced to accept her rule.” He threaded his fingers with mine, trying to steady himself. “I still have night terrors from my imprisonment, and unfortunately, every century, I’m forced to relive them all over again.”

“Does the queen—” I stopped, swallowing a pain that cut me so deep it was hard to breathe.

“During my offerings, and then when it’s time for the trials…” Daxton became deathly still, his hands clutching mine. “I’m forced to sleep with her, yes.” The pain of his confession struck my core, my soul aching in ways I never knew it could. “It’s her revolting way of at tempting to control every gods-damned thing in my life.” He turned away, and I knew there was a wall of shame keeping his gaze hidden. “She’ll make a public spectacle of our submission at the gathering before the trials begin. Since I’ve recently bedded her, I pray to the Gods I won’t have to do it again. Seamus is more than happy to fuck his queen; he should be able to appease her appetite.”

I now understood the depth of Daxton’s rage when I mentioned his kiss with the queen in Solace. My own wrath began bubbling to the surface at the thought of Minaeve with Daxton, but I forced myself to shove that ugly jealousy aside. He was forced to sleep with her, and the knowledge of that damn near broke my heart.

We both carried such horrific pain and suffering. It was hard to fathom how either of us was still breathing—let alone surviving.

“And Adohan?” My chest tightened with putrid disdain for Minaeve. Forcing this treatment upon her people so she could absorb their powers was wrong. There was nothing about her that seemed right, in my opinion.

“He’s mated. Thankfully, she will not command him to bed her since it’s taboo to force a mated High Fae to do so. But she’ll expect his submission and an offering of his magic.”

“Daxton,” I said his name softly, hoping he would be able to bring himself to look at me. To my dismay, he stared off into the darkness, lost in a never-ending well of spiraling shame and sorrow. “What can I do?”

If Daxton could manage to combat his living fears, then so could I. Maybe not alone, but possibly together, we would be strong enough .

“You, Spitfire—” He braced himself on the edge of the frame before daring to meet my gaze. “You don’t need to do anything more than you already have. You’ve given me a reason to hope again. I was dying inside before I met you, with no end in sight to the life I was forced to lead. You’re my salvation, Skylar. Always challenging me to keep fighting despite the odds. If you can manage to defeat your demons, then I know that I can, too.”

I slid closer toward him, settling between his legs once more, and encircling my arms tightly around his neck. I threaded my hands into his free-flowing hair, pulling him close. A deep, sensual humming sang through my body as he sank into my arms, molding his frame perfectly around mine.My animal’s power surging to the surface in response to my proximity to this magnificent male.

Power pulsed between our bodies as we molded together like two halves of a whole. Daxton’s hands tentatively glided over the curves of my hips before resting on the small of my back. I clutched onto him, reveling in his embrace, trying desperately to comfort him like he always did for me. His arms moved to encircle my middle as my legs straddled his waist.

Even still, I needed him closer. I craved his touch like a drug, and I couldn’t stop my memories from racing toward the kiss we shared on the bow of the ship. I raised onto my knees to cradle his head against my chest, feeling him sink into my embrace and desperately grasp onto me with everything he had.

“You’re so brave, Daxton,” I whispered, resting my cheek on his brow. “Every day, you somehow manage to stop the world from crumbling around you. Always sacrificing yourself for the sake of others. You inspire resilience in the face of fear and never stop defending those you care for.” I spoke the words I knew he needed to hear. What I knew and believed in my heart to be true. “I see through your mask of Silver Shadow, I see you , Daxton Aegaeon.”

He took a deep breath as his hold on me constricted. “I’m sorry,” Dax mumbled against my chest, catching me by surprise.

“What for?”

“I’m sorry I offended you earlier today.” He gripped my hips tighter, his fingers digging into my sides, refusing to let me go. I could feel the tension and angst through his touch, and it worried me.

“What do you mean?” I managed to pull back, searching for an explanation hidden in his unspoken words.

“I know I disappointed you when I spoke about Silver Meadows,” Dax said. “I never want you to feel like a prize or a trophy, Skylar. When you win the first trial, I want to bring you to Silver Meadows, not because you were victorious, but because I want to share my home with you.”

I bent to gently kiss his cheek just above his hidden dimple. “I would love to see your home.”

It meant the world to me that Daxton had recognized my reaction from this morning. But there was still an unknown truth wedged between us that made me hesitate.

What were they discussing before I entered the gathering this morning? What didn’t I know?

Daxton grinned softly as he tilted his head to look at me, his hands caressing my back until they rested comfortably on my waist.

“What is it?” he asked as his smile evened out into a thin line of concern.

Curse him. How did he know ?

“I don’t want there to be any secrets between us, Daxton,” I confessed. “I want to…” Shit . I didn’t understand exactly what I wanted with him, but I knew I needed honesty to begin figuring it out.

Daxton shifted backward, giving me his undivided attention. “Ask.”

I bravely swallowed the fears that were holding me back. If I could survive my night terrors, torture, and betrayal, then I could do this. Right? It made sense. I just had to take the leap and try.

“What were you talking about today with Adohan and Castor just before I arrived?”

Dax tensed, moving me from his lap and swinging his feet over the side of the bed. He gripped the edge of the mattress, his fingers digging into the sides with ice forming at his fingertips.

“What don’t I know? What would be a burden on me if I knew?” I paused for a moment, allowing my questions to sink in. “Daxton, I need to understand what’s going on.”

“Spitfire.” His voice trembled as he spoke. “I-I can’t tell you. Not right now.”

“Dax!” I sighed with frustration. I couldn’t believe he was admitting to hiding something from me.

“I can’t,” he exclaimed as he turned, his brows pinched, creases forming in his forehead. He was fighting against the urge to tell me, and I knew this was not an easy decision for him to make. “Please… Please, Skylar. I’m asking you to trust me. I know you have every reason and right in the world to demand this answer from me, but I’m begging you to wait.” His breathing quickened. “I promise, when the time is right, I’ll tell you.” He moved to kneel on the floor beside me, looking up at me with a desperate plea in his eyes. “Don’t ask this of me right now. Please,” he said again. “I won’t be able to deny you the truth if you ask me again.” He bent his head forward, resting it on my knee.

This is it , I told myself. Would I take the leap of faith and trust him, or would I retreat inside myself and go at this alone?

My heart raced as my animal surged inside my middle, responding to Daxton’s trembling nerves. Then an important lesson I learned long ago from Magnus surged into my mind.

A pack is stronger together. Someday, Sky, you’ll find someone that you can truly rely on. Someone you can trust with your life. My advice to you, my daughter, is to never let them go. They’re a gift from our creators, and regardless of who they are or where they come from, they are family. They’re… pack.

My pack.

Like me, Daxton wasn’t a shifter, but he was someone I trusted.Someone I cared for. Someone I—

Gods, there it was again. That warm, tingling feeling inside my chest, and I knew what my response would be.

“I trust you, Daxton,” I said tenderly, running my fingers through the free-flowing hair at the base of his neck.

He lifted his gaze to find mine and sighed with relief as he kissed my hands. “Promise me that you’ll ask again when the time is right… and I swear I’ll tell you. Trust me. There isn’t anything I wish I could do more.” I could sense he was teetering on the edge of telling me right then and there, but he kept his secret locked away—for now. “Another time, ask me again?”

Me asking a question? Was he seriously nervous about that? I coyly grinned, leaning forward. “That’s practically a guarantee, Princey.”

Daxton smiled as he pulled back, adjusting his weight so he was kneeling upright at my eye level. I tentatively licked my lips, turning the bottom one in and biting it, fighting the longing to taste his again.

Daxton’s eyes became heavy with something stronger—perhaps even deeper than pure lust or carnal need. My breathing quickened as heat surged through my middle.

He planted his strong, muscular arms on either side of me and spoke in a low rough voice. “You seem to have something else on your mind right now, Spitfire.”

“That a guess? Or is it something you know?” I teased, aware that he could detect the scent of my arousal that was steadily rising under the heat of his gaze. “You know it’s not fair, right?”

“What is?” Daxton asked, never taking his eyes off the lip I was biting.

“You have your magical shield, barrier thing, up. I can’t sense anything changing from your scent.”

Daxton playfully raised his brows and grinned. “Do you want to?”

“I—” This was dangerous territory. Did I want to do this? Was it wise to cross this line with him?

“Well?” His voice dropped even lower as he pushed forward onto his hands, towering his muscular frame over the top of mine. A body that was perfectly designed by the Gods themselves, carved to perfection in every way possible.

This male would be my undoing.

“What do you want, Skylar?” His words were laced with a heated passion that caressed my skin without him ever having to touch me. Through the open collar of his shirt, I could see the muscles on his bare chest flex as he shifted forward, his mouth hovering inches from the base of my neck. “Tell me what you want. ”

I was done for.

“I want you,” I said, my chest rising and falling in rhythm with my thundering pulse. “I want to experience blissful pleasure to counteract this pain. I want to forget about the darkness… my fears, and just be here—with you .”

Daxton released a low affectionate growl that reminded me of a purr. “I’m at your disposal, Spitfire.”

Rough hands ravaged the curves of my body as Daxton’s lips latched onto the base of my neck, lightly scraping my skin with his teeth. I moaned as he kissed the most sensitive places he could on a shifter’s body, where we would mark our mates with a bite, forever scarring the skin.

His hands migrated to fondle my breasts, as his fingertips played with my nipples, causing them to harden into firm points. I reached under his shirt to feel his chiseled muscles with one hand while I clutched the base of his neck with the other. Daxton’s mouth released my neck and eagerly found my lips, taking control and swallowing our shared moans of pleasure.

Holy—Gods . He was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted. His lips reminded me of the sweetest dessert, paired with a fine wine that I couldn’t seem to get enough of. I pushed my hips forward, angling them just right to align with his hardening length as our kiss deepened. It felt like he was starving, and I was the only thing that would satisfy his ravening hunger.

I opened my thighs, wrapping my legs around his waist as he thrust forward, grinding his erection into my apex that was throbbing with need. My sheer skirt and his thin training pants created a practically non-existent barrier, allowing me to feel every inch of him. Daxton pressed his hard length against me, moving his hips in a mind-altering rhythm that ignited a pulsing need in my center. I rolled my hips in sync with his thrusts, desperate for the friction created between our thriving bodies.

To my surprise, my animal responded with her own wave of desire that pushed me over the edge of my control, driving me wild. This was different from Gilen. Different from anyone I had ever been with. It was almost like she was giving her approval for Daxton to claim us and fill us with his seed. Fuck. I was desperate, the need to have him inside me becoming almost uncontrollable.

He moaned against my lips, and I was frantic to do anything to hear that sound emerge from him again. Daxton then paused, pulled back for a brief second, and suddenly, I sensed it.

“Dax!” I gasped as I inhaled the scent of his arousal for the first time.

It was the most delectable aroma I had ever encountered. It carried me away, like I was running free through the forest mountains with luscious pine trees surrounding me on all sides. I was wild … free. His arousal drove me into a heated frenzy, and my animal responded with her own flush of power and excitement.

Daxton gave me a wickedly playful grin as his mouth devoured mine once more. This time, the kiss intensified as I parted my lips for him to taste me fully. Our kisses driven by deep seeded hunger that surpassed all reason. I tilted my hips, aligning the head of his cock perfectly between my thighs.

“Fuck. Spitfire,” Daxton growled with a heavy voice laced with desire.

My body burned with intense need. And I knew I wanted all of this… with him.

Daxton was the epitome of everything I had ever hoped or dreamed of finding. I trusted him, and I knew he trusted me. We had formed a bond together before ever expressing one physically—and I knew, even though I had fought against even admitting it… I knew I was falling for him.

He moved to reach for the bottom of his tunic and quickly pulled it over his head. I sat back in awe, fawning over the sculpted physique that towered over me. I couldn’t help reaching out my hand to trace over the tattooed design that adorned his left shoulder, ending on the mark I made from my arrow the first night we met.

Daxton closed his eyes, his head tipping back as my palms glided across the taut muscles of his chest and shoulders. As I followed the ink over his pec, down toward his rigid abdominal muscles, and then lower still, a low sensual gasp escaped his lips. My fingertips tracing over the V in his hips that pointed toward his pulsing cock that was angled directly at me.

I desperately craved to feel the weight of his naked body pressed on top of mine. The thought alone made my center throb with anticipation, as my desire for him only intensified.

Daxton eagerly helped remove my shirt, lifting it over my head as my hair cascaded over my shoulders. His heated gaze lingered on my body as the intense stare in his eyes silenced any doubts about his desire for me.

He was staring at me like I was a masterpiece. Like I was something he had only dreamt of and never imagined he would get the chance to see. I knew this because it was the same way I was looking at him. Daxton bent to kiss me deeply once more, before he slowly pulled away. His hooded eyes dropped to the bindings on my breasts as I reached back to unhook the clasps. I watched as the hunger inside his gray stormed eyes shone with intense longing and anticipation. His throat bobbed as his breathing quickened while he waited for the fabric to fall away.

“Are you going to just tease me?” he asked before turning those alluringly gorgeous eyes back up to meet mine. The intensity of his stare stole my breath away. I bit my bottom lip and purposefully stalled my fingers from untying the strap that would unveil my breasts.

My High Prince of Silver Meadows flashed me a sinister grin. “You’re truly … a wickedly cruel female. Taunting me like this.” His smile widened as a dimple appeared along his cheek. “Spitfire…” My apex throbbed as he purred my nickname in a husky, lustrous voice.

“Whatever do you mean, Princey?” Slowly I unlatched the final hook and tossed my bindings aside. Dax didn’t bother to say anything more. There was no need for words right now.

He pushed himself on top of me and pinned me onto my back. Sprawling me across the bed, Daxton took one of my breasts firmly in his grasp while dropping his head to take my other pebbled peak into his mouth. I arched my back as intense waves of mind-altering pleasure washed over me. He slowly sucked on my nipple, worshiping my body with his lips and the tips of his sharpened canines, building me up higher and higher. He migrated over to the next breast while his free hand moved toward my soaked entrance that was begging for his attention. Daxton’s fingers reached under my waistband to stroke my sex, and my body began shaking with pure delight.

Daxton stilled and adjusted his positioning, releasing my hardened nipple with a popping sound that made him grin. I eagerly took advantage of the space between us and reached down toward the fastening on his pants. Dax tensed as my fingers worked the strings, keenly aware of what we were about to do.

I was ready for this, but it didn’t stop a wave of nervousness from crashing to the surface.

Daxton sensed my second of hesitation, reaching out to intertwine our fingers before bringing them to his lips and gently kissing each one.

“You’re nervous,” he said as a fact and not a question. I gazed at the breathtakingly gorgeous male in front of me. His naked torso taunting me to reach out and lick my tongue over every peak and valley I could find. Gods…I could spend all night just kissing him.

“Spitfire?” he said, adjusting his weight so he was hovering over me.

“I haven’t…” I wasn’t overly excited to admit or have this conversation right now. But… Gods be damned. “I-I’ve never had sex before. I’m—”

Dax silenced my rambling with a passionate, all-consuming kiss that made my toes curl. He pulled away and I barely remembered what I was saying seconds before. “Have you ever been pleasured to orgasm by someone other than yourself?” Dax asked as he continued trailing kisses along my jawline before nibbling on my earlobe.

“No,” I rasped, my insides melting from the glorious sensations of his lips on my heated flesh. Gilen had been close, but no. I hadn’t before.

“Perfect,” he whispered as he nibbled on the base of my neck once more, lightly scraping his teeth while he pinched my nipple between his fingers. The intense surge triggered from both areas combined into a passionate wave of heat that had my apex soaking with need. “Then that’s where our journey together will begin. ”

Daxton moved to kneel above me, his eyes deep and heavy with desire. “You have no idea how long I’ve dreamed about tasting you, Skylar. All of you…”

Holy shit. My undergarments were officially soaked through. Daxton tilted his chin and sniffed the air. A low possessive growl of approval combined with his amused devilish grin sent butterflies flying in my stomach.

Gods, above… This male was going to devour me. And I couldn’t fucking wait.

Daxton slid backward, hooking his fingers into the waistband of my skirt, slowly sliding down the length of my legs, casually discarding everything onto the floor. He had seen me naked before, but this was different. He appeared mesmerized, with a glossed-over expression that made me feel like I was the most breathtakingly beautiful creature he had ever seen in his immortal life.

A wave of embarrassment overtook me, as I moved to try and cross my legs. “No,” Daxton commanded, reaching out and grasping my knees. “Don’t hide the beauty of your body from me, Spitfire. You’re the most gorgeous female I have or will ever lay my eyes upon. And I intend to taste every inch of you before the night is done.”

He moved my legs apart, lowering himself to feast on the apex between my thighs. I flung my head back and gripped the bedsheet as his tongue flicked and vibrated against me.

It felt so good. I thought I would pass out from the pleasure, but instead, it only continued to build. I raised my hips and widened my knees, granting him a better angle to continue devouring me. Giving me the most intense build-up of pleasure I had experienced in my entire life.

That was, until he began using his fingers .

First, it was one. Then slowly, two as his mouth continued to work its magic on my clit. He released his hold on me with his lips, stroking his tongue across my sex as he thrust his long, thick fingers deep inside me.

“Oh, fuck! Daxton!” I moaned, my hips bucking up from the bed and my body shaking from his touch and delicious mouth.

I was teetering on the edge. I didn’t know if I could take much more. Daxton slowed and devilishly grinned at me from between my thighs.

“Please … don’t stop, Dax. Please,” I begged.

“Do you enjoy it when I devour you like this, Spitfire?” He swirled his fingers, applying pressure with his thumb where his mouth was only moments before. “Because I would remain here… between your legs forever if I could.”

“Oh, my—” I rasped. “I need more. Please, I’m so close. Daxton, don’t stop.”

“We’ll get to that soon, Spitfire. I want to make sure you’re ready when it’s my cock and not just fingers that are soaked with your release.”

I shuddered as he plunged his fingers back inside me, careful not to give me more than I could handle. It didn’t take long for me to adjust to him, and then I was quivering, desperately yearning to find my release.

“Good,” he growled as he continued fucking me with his hand.

“Yes!” I screamed as my body stiffened. I threw my head backward, spreading my thighs wider so he could have access to every part of me.

Dax bent down once more, replacing his thumb with his mouth, sucking on my clit with his fingers slickened from my arousal. I had never felt such intense pleasure in my entire life, the friction of his touch creating an intoxicating high. This male was everything, and gods … he was good with his mouth

“Gods, you taste so fucking delicious. Just like I knew you would. Just like I dreamed you would.”

My release was winding up like a spinning top, threatening to burst apart at the seams. With his free hand, Daxton reached up and roughly grasped my breast. It was almost too much. I was on the verge of shattering in his hands and desperately needing to come. I lifted my head and saw that Daxton’s eyes were open, watching me soar with the pleasure that he was giving.

I was done for.

“Daxton!” I gasped and cried out as the most intense orgasm of my life barreled through me.

I could feel the walls of my center tighten around his fingers as he slowly pulled them away. He gently kissed the insides of my thighs before moving to my hips, stomach, and neck. Not stopping until he found my lips once more.

This kiss was different from the ones we shared earlier. It was slower, filled with intent and a deeper connection that I could no longer deny. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer as I molded my naked, trembling body around his. Daxton turned onto his side, delicately running his hands across my exposed flesh. Tantalizing me with his touch, his tender caress forming goosebumps across my skin.

I didn’t want this to end. I didn’t want him to ever leave.

“Will you stay with me tonight, Dax?” I bravely asked, pulling back.

The High Fae prince took my chin between his fingers and possessively bent to kiss me once more. “The threat of the entire population of fallen creatures couldn’t pull me away from you tonight, my Spitfire,” he said with a satisfied grin that exposed the dimple on his right cheek. “I’m yours.”

I kissed that masked dimple, following his lead as he turned me around to tuck my backside into his front, encircling me within his strong arms.

I was very aware that I was still naked, but it didn’t bother me. In fact, I enjoyed the thought of nothing but Daxton covering me tonight. I shifted and pressed my back up against him, feeling his hard shaft pulsing against me through his pants.

I tilted my head up, giving him a questioning look. “Don’t blame me for being attracted to you,” he teased. “Tonight, however, was meant just for you, Skylar. I hope I was a decent enough distraction this evening?” Daxton asked as he leaned to kiss my brow.

“ More than decent,” I said as I reached back to pull his lips to mine. His hand moved to grasp my breast, and I could tell by the hardness of his erection that he was enjoying this almost as much as I was.

“Sleep, Spitfire,” Daxton commanded with a heavy tone, biting his lip to try and remain focused. “I won’t leave you tonight. I promise.” He grabbed the sheet, pulling it over us both and snuggling in to hold me once more. I struggled to keep my eyes open as he pulled me in tight against his chest. “Sleep,” he instructed once more. “Together, we’ll help keep both our nightmares at bay.”

I nodded and nuzzled into the nook of his arm. Daxton’s presence granted me the feeling of safety, something I doubted I would ever find in this lifetime. I closed my eyes, and for the first time since my capture by the hunters, I found a peaceful, restful night’s sleep.