I broke away from the kiss, blurting, “I love you. Need you. Now.”
Drayce’s shadows wrapped around my shoulders and hips and waist, pinning me to the wall. Despite the heat, a shiver of anticipation seized my insides. I wrapped my arms around his neck, my legs around his hips, and pulled him so close that our bodies formed an impenetrable seal from the cascading water.
He drew back and growled. Growled so deep and low that my muscles vibrated with want, need, desire. Growled as though I was something he would devour in one gulp. Growled like I was his.
“I’m yours,” I murmured. “And you’re mine.”
Panting hard, Drayce drew back his hips and lined himself against the part where I needed him most.
“Are you ready?” His voice shook with restraint.
“Yes.” I tightened my legs around him for emphasis.
Because of his snarls and growls and predatory gaze, I expected our lovemaking to be a wild, hurried affair. Instead, Drayce slid into me with the gentleness as when he took my maidenhead, with slow, rocking movements as though this was our first. Perhaps it was.
That first time in the clearing of the Autumn Court, I had seduced him because I’d meant to kill him along with the soldiers I had poisoned. And when he had admitted to planning on sacrificing me to Queen Melusina, I’d truly wanted him dead.
Now, things were different. I had felt the acute loss of Drayce, every heartbeat, every moment he slumbered under that curse. I had been reckless, ruthless, ravenous for his return.
I threw my head back as he plundered my mouth, my core, my very soul. Drayce was mine, I was his, and with this new mating bond, we might even share some power.
The water battered my skin in counterpoint to Drayce’s thrusts. He kept me pinned to that wall, suspended in a sensation so intense that I ached for release. It was ecstasy and agony and a frenzy of want.
My cries for release mingled with his deep groans, and the pleasure exploded behind my eyes into a shower of stars. In that moment, I felt every corner of this new world, every curse, every creature, both wicked and benevolent. I was the Queen of the Faeries, finally joined with my mate.
When I returned to my senses, the lights had dimmed, and moonlight shone down through the cascade of water, making the droplets shimmer like quicksilver.
I tilted my head up to blue-white stars cushioned in a sky of indigo velvet. “What happened?”
“You did this.” He kissed my lips. “The palace is the seat of your power.”
A sigh heaved from my lungs, and I threaded my fingers between the wet strands at the back of his head and kissed back. “It’s a pity that I can’t bring it with me when we confront the Fear Dorcha.”
“You can with the palace’s cornerstone,” he murmured.
“What’s that?” I replied.
“The source of the palace’s magic. It connected with you the moment you stepped into the building.”
My brows knitted together, and I remembered the morning I was supposed to venture out to look for the Blood of Dana. My reluctance had shaped the palace’s walls into a maze that delayed our departure until I felt ready.
“What will the stone do if I’m outside the palace?” I asked.
He pulled me into his chest. “It will enhance any magic you already wield.”
“Can we get it tomorrow?”
With a hum of agreement, Drayce carried me to the far end of the bathroom and up the stairs to the large, white bathtub. He stepped into its depths and set me on my feet into warm, knee-heigh water. Drayce reclined on his back, his dark skin and sculpted physique on full display.
I licked my lips, drinking in the sight of him with my eyes. He reached up for my hand and positioned me between his legs.
“Are you feeling cleaner?” he murmured into my ear.
A satisfied hum reverberated in my chest, and I ran my hand over his muscled thigh. “That was very thorough. I’ll have to employ you as my royal bather.”
“I’m at your service, Your Majesty.” He swept my wet hair over a shoulder and nibbled on my neck.
My eyelids fluttered shut. “I think I’m absorbing the monsters’ powers.”
“Or triggering your innate magic,” he replied with a yawn. “Tomorrow, I’ll show you the palace’s keystone. You’re going to need that power to confront Melusina and the Fear Dorcha.”
Chapter 20
I awoke the next morning with my head nestled in the juncture of Drayce’s shoulder and an arm slung around his chest. Sunlight streamed in through the tall windows of my room, making the bed curtains glow like candle flames. Drayce held me with an arm around my back and another around my waist, securing me in his warmth and strength.
Exhaling a long breath, I relished this momentary peace. In a few hours, we would force the doe to open the door to the Summer Court and we would confront the Fear Dorcha. I hoped that Aengus had recovered enough from his encounter with the Dearg Due to join us, hoped there might be some others to bolster our ranks.
With Melusina no longer binding his magic, Drayce was more powerful than ever, but even he was susceptible to curses.
Drayce tightened his arms around my ribs. “Did you see the portrait?”
“Where?” I raised my head, my gaze darting to the wall of windows on the right side of the room. The morning sun stung my eyes, making me squint. “Too bright.”
“Dim the lights, then.” He batted the tip of my nose with his fingertip.
I willed the palace to shade the windows. Instead of producing shutters or drapes, the windows darkened a little, reducing the glare.
“Is the
