"You should sleep," Eli murmured, his breath warm against Islinda’s skin. He kissed down her bare back, each kiss deliberate and lingering. His lips moved slowly, savoring the taste of her, and between each kiss, he gently suckled, taking her skin between his sharp teeth. Islinda shuddered, the pleasurable sensation coursing through her, making her body arch slightly in response.
"I can’t," Islinda sighed, closing her eyes and relishing the heavenly sensation. The gods knew Eli would be the death of her. Despite the soreness between her legs, she knew if he wanted to initiate another round of reckless passion, she wouldn’t stop him. Yes, she was a glutton for punishnt. It just felt so good.
"It was just a dream," Eli murmured, his hand reaching for her breast, kneading and massaging the soft flesh while she moaned, arching further into him.
He pulled her closer, her back pressed against his chest so there wasn’t even an inch of space between them. Eli couldn’t help but cover her in kisses, his fingers exploring every inch of her skin.
He was playing with fire, considering how readily his mate offered her body to him. He should let her rest, but he was a greedy, selfish bastard. He could feel the mate bond inside him, and though he hadn’t bonded with her for life yet, Eli knew it was practically impossible to let go. They were deeply entangled now.
Islinda, being human, wouldn’t feel the mate bond as intensely as he did. But even so, she was influenced by it. Her attitude toward them—including his host, Aldric—had changed. It was almost as if she had accepted her fate.
If that was the case, he couldn’t wait to announce the news of their bond to her. That would be, of course, after he freed his idiotic host from the claws of the damned Fae using dark witch magic on him. He had promised Aldric to keep the secret and couldn’t reveal it without his consent.
And speaking of the damned Fae...
Eli suddenly withdrew, and Islinda nearly protested at the loss. By the gods, what was going on with her? She was not usually like this. But right now, if Eli wanted it, she could spread her legs and let him have her all day long. Oh God, she had to get a grip on herself. What had she beco?
"We need to talk about Elena," Eli said, and that na was enough to clear any lustful haze blocking Islinda’s reasoning.
She sat up at once, then rolled off the bed, pulling the sheet around her naked form. She hoped it would keep them from getting distracted. Except she forgot one thing...
Taking the whole sheet ant that Eli was left with none, and he cocked a brow. "Now, what do I do in my situation?" he gestured downward.
Islinda knew what he ant and should not have looked, but curiosity got the best of her. She blushed furiously when her gaze fell on his raging erection. It should have been flaccid by now, but clearly, Eli had other thoughts.
"No worries, I don’t mind flaunting it for your perusal. It belongs to you anyway. Tell then, what do you think of it? Impressive, right?" He showed it off brazenly.
Islinda was so red in the face it looked as if she was about to explode. She still couldn’t get used to it, no matter how many tis she slept with Aldric and Eli.
Without a word, she went over to her dresser, pulled out her own pants, and tossed them at his face. She couldn’t find his because he had ripped them, along with hers, in the heat of passion. She couldn’t help but feel Eli took twisted joy in destroying her clothes. Perhaps, he wanted her to walk around naked too.
Eli pulled the pants from his face, grinning mischievously as he held them up. "I’m sorry, but my sculpted ass can’t fit in these."
"I didn’t say you should wear them. Just, you know... use them to cover up that thing!" Islinda commanded.
"What is that thing? The thing you like so much, right?" Eli questioned, wiggling his brows knowingly.
At this point, Islinda sighed, looking to the sky for help. She couldn’t do this anymore, honestly.
However, Islinda quickly composed herself, standing in front of the bed with her arms folded. "Are you done?" she asked him firmly.
Seeing her unsmiling face, Eli realized there was no room for joking anymore. He reluctantly took the pants and covered himself. As if that were enough, he gave her a an moue, like a child throwing a tantrum after being reprimanded.
Islinda shook her head, thinking about how she had to deal with him for as long as he stayed around.
Now that Eli was sowhat decent, he had only barely covered his manhood. The pants were not long enough to go around his waist, and his chest was still bare. Islinda couldn’t help but savor the sight of his taut, muscled chest and the corded arms that could snap her in two if he wanted. Aldric was not lithe; he was a lot bulkier than the average Fae, and Islinda liked it that way.
"Now, you’re the one getting distracted," Eli said with a knowing grin. "Yes, I’m irresistible, I know that." He winked at her.
Islinda rolled her eyes at the sheer arrogance of this Fae. Not that he was lying—Aldric’s body was top-notch, but she wasn’t about to tell even his alter ego that.
Islinda then walked over to the bed, resting against the headboard with Eli doing the sa. The once playful ambiance in the air vanished as they turned to serious matters.
"What have you found out so far? Did you finally find the evidence we need to bring her down?" Islinda asked eagerly.
She couldn’t wait to have Aldric back to his senses. Not to ntion, whatever Elena had done to Aldric—what if there were repercussions or side effects? How would they even deal with that?
"Karle is dead."
"Okay—wait, what?!" Islinda didn’t hear him correctly at first, only for her jaw to nearly drop to the ground from the shocking news.
"W—what happened?" Islinda stamred, unsure whether it would be right to ask if Eli killed his uncle. Not that she would bla him or anything. Karle’s death was long overdue; he had nearly destroyed the Winter Court with his greed and negligence. Had it not been for Aldric’s tily rescue, the Winter Court would have beco desolate.
"Elena killed him," Eli answered, sensing the question hovering at the tip of her tongue.
"What?!" Islinda was dumbfounded. Her head reeled from the turn of events and, when she recovered, she asked, "Why? I don’t understand..." Islinda ran her hand through her hair, thinking hard with a frown on her face. "I thought they were friends—no, they were so close I suspected they were in cahoots over what happened to Aldric. Why would Elena kill the one person who would have been on her side and supported whatever twisted plans she had for Aldric? Also," she looked at him, "how did you stumble upon this information?"
"You were right," Eli said. "He must have found out the truth about Elena putting Aldric under a spell. Knowing Aldric’s uncle, he wouldn’t give up the opportunity to benefit from it. Except it seems Elena intends to work solo, and that alone makes her dangerous." Eli looked her dead in the eye, an ominous feeling in the air. "I can’t help but feel Elena has more plans than simply controlling Aldric and making him do her bidding. So far, I’ve gone through hundreds of years’ worth of mories, trying to see if Aldric had sohow offended Elena, but shockingly, this was the first ti they had ever associated." He added, "And how I ca about the discovery..." He smiled suddenly, eerie and dangerous. "Whatever is whispered in the shadows is privy to the shadows."
Islinda shivered, not fully understanding what he ant by that. She only knew Aldric had his sources through which he gathered information. Eli must have done the sa, she assud.
The dreadful glint in his eyes vanished, and Eli was back to his cheerful self in a blink, surprising Islinda. The way he easily transitioned between two extres of his emotions made her dizzy at tis.
"But don’t worry," Eli told her, "all of it will be over tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Islinda’s brows furrowed.
"Yes, I plan to hold a eting, inviting everyone, and there I will expose her cris. A public execution would an that there would be no ti for Queen Maeve to intervene, and no one would be able to spin tales contrary to whatever happened once an investigation is opened..." Then he noticed the deep furrow on Islinda’s face and asked, "Why? What’s wrong?"
"It’s my birthday tomorrow," Islinda said, greatly unsettled. Why did it seem like all the big events were happening tomorrow? It felt ominous, like sothing big was about to happen. And her instincts were never wrong.
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