Empire of Flame and Thorns (Flame and Thorns #1)

Chapter 25

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

M y time is about to officially run out. I try to draw in calming breaths as I stand pressed against the wooden wall, watching the door next to me like a hawk. But with every passing second, the panic that has been clawing at my chest all day only grows worse.

After Draven left me there on my knees last night, unsatisfied and about to combust from the pent-up release, I went back into the bathroom to take matters into my own hands. Once my body was no longer vibrating with tension and my head was clear again, I finally figured out where he keeps the key while he sleeps. Magically sealed inside his bracers along with his armor. So naturally, I tried to steal his bracers that night. And again this morning. Then I also tried to steal the key from him when he came back with my lunch.

That… did not work out well for me.

When he left, he told me that it was time to get the handcuffs.

That was hours ago, and I have been existing in a state of panic and stress ever since. The third trial starts tomorrow morning, and if Draven actually shackles me to something in his room, it’s game over for me. So I only have one chance left now. One single desperate chance.

I need to attack him right when he opens the door. Before he can lock it behind him. Before he can handcuff me to his bed. Before he can even close the door behind him.

One chance.

And I have to make it work.

The sun is slipping lower on the horizon, painting the sky with streaks of purple and red. It casts splashes of deep color on the wooden walls. I stare at them as I remain right inside the door. Draven has to return soon.

Dread cuts through my chest as a sudden thought hits me.

What if he doesn’t return? What if he decides to simply sleep somewhere else tonight and leave me here all alone? Then I won’t even have the chance to try again.

The lock clicks.

My heart lurches.

Both relief and panic crackle through my veins.

He’s here. It’s time.

I grip the large book harder in my hands. There weren’t all that many possible weapons to choose from, so a thick leather tome was the best I could find. It will have to do. I raise the book higher in a two-handed grip.

My pulse thrums in my ears.

This has to work. Please, Mabona, this has to work.

The door is pulled open.

A black boot appears across the threshold.

I slam the book straight at Draven’s face right as he steps through.

He yanks his arm up.

And right before the book can crash into his face, his forearm appears in front of it and takes the hit instead. I growl in frustration. His other hand shoots up, yanking the book out of my grip. I snatch my hands back right before he can catch my wrist as well.

He tosses the heavy tome to the floor and whirls towards me. The book hits the floorboards with a loud thud, but my eyes are fixed on the door. The still open door.

I feint a kick between Draven’s legs.

By instinct, he flinches.

Twisting around, I dash forward.

My foot makes it one step across the threshold.

Then my stomach lurches as strong arms wrap around my waist, lifting me off the floor and hauling me back into the room.

“No!” I yell in frustration.

Fighting with everything I have, I try to break his grip on me and get my feet back down on the floor. Draven grunts with exertion as I yank and shove at his arms while kicking my heels towards his shins. One arm disappears from around my waist. I wiggle, managing to slip through his grip and land on the floor again.

The door bangs shut as Draven throws it closed behind us. But before he can lock it, I make another attempt to sprint towards it.

“Azaroth’s fucking flame,” he curses under his breath as his hands snatch at me while I try to twist out of his grip. “Did you oil up your entire body for this or what?”

I’m almost free, slipping between his hands, when he switches tactics. A gasp rips from my lungs as he hooks his foot behind my ankle and yanks my leg forwards. The move makes me stumble, and he uses that moment to bring us both down on the floor.

My back hits the smooth wooden floorboards with a thud. I let out a huff as my breath escapes my lungs. Before I can get my wits back, Draven’s knees hit the floor on either side of me. I try to roll away, but my hips are now trapped between his thighs as he straddles me.

Panic pulses through me, and I aim a punch at his face.

His left hand shoots up and grabs my wrist before the strike can hit. I suck in a sharp breath. Pulling furiously, I try to yank my wrist out of his grip, but I might as well have been fighting an iron manacle. Raising my other hand, I grab at his fingers, trying to bend them off my wrist. He simply reaches out with his other hand and wraps that around my free wrist as well.

A frustrated noise tears from my throat as Draven pushes both of my hands back towards the floor. I try to fight him, try to stop my arms from moving, but I’m so ridiculously outmatched against his strength.

My forearms meet the smooth floorboards as Draven pins my hands to the ground above my head. I yank and struggle, but I’m thoroughly trapped underneath him now.

Grinding my teeth, I glare up at him.

Amusement dances in his eyes as he leans down over me until his face is right above mine. “Did you really think that would work?”

“It might have,” I growl while yanking at his grip.

He nonchalantly flexes his fingers around my wrists in response. A casual reminder that he doesn’t even need to use his full strength to keep me pinned.

I wiggle furiously underneath him.

And because of the way he’s leaning forward over me now, the move makes me grind myself against him.

A jolt shoots through me.

Since I’m still only wearing that short and thin nightgown, I can feel every ridge of his body as if I were naked. Lightning flickers through my veins as my pussy rubs against the harsh material of his armor. And the hard bulge between his legs.

My mind goes blank for a second as I try to remember if there is some kind of special protection on his armor in that spot. Some kind of material that is extra hard. I can’t remember.

But it doesn’t matter anyway. All that matters is getting out from underneath him.

Yanking against his grip, I squirm furiously again.

He draws in a sharp breath. Tightening his grip on my wrists, he levels a commanding stare on me. “You really need to stop moving.”

“You really need to get off me,” I retort while continuing to struggle.

His eyes shutter as my hips grind against his again.

The sight of it stuns me so much that I stop moving for a second. My mind spins. Apparently, I’m not the only one affected by this.

With my stunned eyes locked on his, I deliberately roll my hips against him once more. Emotions flash across his face, and his wings flare.

They spread out above me like a black ceiling, cutting us off from the rest of the world. I stare, completely transfixed at them. They’re imposing and beautiful and lethal all at the same time. My gaze shifts to his face, which is so close to mine that I can feel his every breath against my lips. Heat pools inside me and my pulse thrums.

I squirm again, deliberately grinding my pussy against him once more.

A violent ripple courses through his body.

“Fuck,” he presses out, his voice coming out strained and hoarse. “That’s it, I’m getting the handcuffs.”

My heart jerks. Because for a second there, as he holds my gaze with those intense eyes of his, I don’t know if he meant that as a threat or an offer.

But then he abruptly releases my wrists and climbs to his feet. I blink, trying to clear my head, while he strides across the room and towards his desk. Sitting up, I watch him pull a pair of handcuffs from one of the pouches on his belt.

Metal clanks as he straightens the short chain between the manacles and then bends down. I scramble to my feet right as he snaps one side of the handcuffs shut around the leg of his desk. Based on the color, the shackles look to be made of steel rather than iron. But I still don’t want them anywhere near me.

Draven straightens from the desk and turns to face me again. No traces of flustered pleasure remain on his features. Only ruthless authority.

“Since I apparently can’t trust you anywhere near my bed, I’m locking you to the desk instead,” he declares.

A pulse of embarrassment shoots through me when I think that he means that he can’t trust me near his bed because of what just happened on the floor. Because I rolled my hips against him like a horny teenager. But then I realize that he probably means because I tried to steal his bracers last night while he slept. The embarrassed heat in my cheeks fades a little but doubt still crawls into my chest. Did I imagine those hints of pleasure on his face? Maybe I misinterpreted the signs. Maybe he felt nothing after all.

With that expression of cold command still on his face, he raises the hand that isn’t currently holding the manacles, and twitches two fingers at me in a clear order to approach.

I take a step back instead.

He narrows his eyes at me. “Do not make me come over there and get you.”

My heart slams against my ribs. I can’t let him handcuff me to that desk. I need to get out. I need to win the next trial. Win this whole competition. I need to help the fae resistance. I need to make people accept me.

Draven forces out a long breath and places the other manacle on top of the desk. Then he starts towards me. I cast a desperate glance around the room, trying to calculate if I can somehow make it past him and get to the door. As if he can read my mind, he spreads his wings wider, blocking the way.

I start to back away, but then change my mind and instead stand my ground. Draven keeps advancing on me. He doesn’t stop until he is standing so close that his chest almost brushes against mine. Holding my gaze with commanding eyes, he raises an eyebrow expectantly.

“What do you want?” I blurt out. The words rip out of my chest, full of frustration and desperation. Holding his merciless stare, I shake my head slowly. “What do you want me to do? Do you want me to beg? Is that it?”

Before he can answer, I drop to my knees before him.

“Do you want me to lick your boots and suck your cock?” I demand.

Emotions flash across his features again, shattering that blank mask on his face.

And because I was standing so close to him, my face is now right in front of his cock, which is why I can clearly see the bulge in his pants grow larger. My eyes widen as realization pulses through me. I flick my gaze back up to his face, and find him clenching his jaw and flexing his hand.

“You’re turned on by this,” I state, completely stunned.

His hand shoots down and wraps around my throat. With golden eyes that are burning with fire, he growls, “Do not use your magic on me.”

Forbidden desire pulses through me at the feeling of his hand around my throat like that. He’s not choking me. Only showing me that he holds the power here. But he’s wrong. Because his hard cock is straining against his pants right in front of my face.

A devilish smile spreads across my lips. He is not the one with the real power here. I am.

“Are my eyes glowing?” I ask.

His gaze flits between my lips and my eyes before he finally grinds out, “No.”

I flash him a knowing grin. “Then whatever you’re feeling is all you, Shadow of Death.”

Another bolt of emotion pulses across his features. For a second, it almost looks like desperation.

With his hand still around my throat, he takes a step forward and to the side. It pushes me backwards and off my knees so that I’m instead sitting on my ass on the floor. Draven, who is now standing next to me instead of in front of me, leans down over me.

His other hand slides through my hair at the back of my neck.

Dark desire pulses through my core as he threads his fingers through my hair and takes it in a firm grip. Tilting my head back, he brings his face closer to mine. My clit throbs as he slants his mouth over mine.

“Is this what you want?” he demands.

His breath hits my lips with every word, making a shiver of pleasure roll down my spine.

“You want me to bend you over a table and fuck you like I own you?” he pushes, his voice dark and hoarse. “You want me to handcuff you to my bed and make you come so hard that you’re screaming my name? Is that what you’re hoping to accomplish with this?”

I grin against his mouth. “I think you’re projecting, darling. You’re the one who got all hot and bothered when I got down on my knees and offered to suck your cock.”

A low growl rumbles from deep within his chest.

In one fluid motion, he releases his grip on my hair and instead pulls me to my feet. But he keeps his hand around my throat as he warns, “You’re playing with fire, darling .”

Holding his gaze, I raise my forearm and push his hand away from my throat. He lets me. I take a step closer to him. He draws in an unsteady breath.

I flash him a sly smile. “Good thing I have experience with that then.”

Then I snake my hand around the back of his neck and yank his mouth down to mine.

A groan rips from his chest.

The sound of it makes my heart flip.

Sliding both hands into my hair, he pulls me closer and kisses me back so fiercely that I gasp into his mouth. He bites my bottom lip, sending a jolt through my spine. My mind spins as his tongue tangles with mine. Oh fuck, he tastes like wind and rain and lightning. Like fire and sin. And my undoing.

I slide my hand up to the back of his head, raking my fingers through his hair and pressing his lips harder against mine while he dominates my mouth. Whatever air manages to make it into my lungs is snatched right out again with every commanding stroke of his tongue.

It takes me longer than I want to admit to remember that I was supposed to be in control of this. I was supposed to be the one holding the power here.

He kisses me like he’s fighting a war. Like he’s trying to make me surrender my whole soul to him. And Goddess above, when he grips my hair and dominates my mouth like this, I’m almost tempted to do it.

While still kissing him furiously, I reach up and press my other hand against his chest. A low noise comes from the back of his throat when I touch him. Taking a step forward, I start moving us away from the wall of windows.

He lets me back him across the room while still kissing me senseless.

It takes everything I have to keep my mind from malfunctioning every time his lips press against mine. No one has ever touched me like this before. Kissed me like this before. As if he can’t breathe without me.

Wood and metal clank as we hit the desk and the back of Draven’s thighs sends it sliding back and banging against the wall. I draw my hand down his chest and then reach up and grip his wrist. With my mouth still on his, I move one of his hands from my hair and down to my hip. Another low moan escapes him as I roll my hips against him before pulling my hand back. His fingers skim over my hipbone, making my short nightgown slide upwards. Pleasure skitters down my spine.

I reach forward, past his hip.

And then snap the manacle shut around his wrist.

He sucks in a sharp breath as I wrench myself away from him and leap backwards out of his reach.

Utter incredulity shines on his whole face as he stares at me.

His chest heaves and his hair is slightly mussed from when I raked my hand through it.

He looks completely and thoroughly kissed.

And confused.

Eyes wide with stunned disbelief, he glances down at the handcuffs that now trap him to the desk.

I flash him a wicked grin as I back towards the door. “That’s what you get for leaving me unsatisfied last night.”

Then I wink and, at long last, escape right out the still unlocked door.