Valkyrie's Sacrifice (Academy of Immortals 3)

“Your friend is very talented.”

I dare a look at his face while he assesses the ring. Can he feel the powers infused in the metal? Does it trigger his own abilities? He doesn’t say, but lowers my hand to his thigh, and begins kissing my neck.

“What else does your intuition tell you?” I ask, my voice uneven from the feel of his hot mouth against my skin.

“I know that I want everyone in the room to see you with me. To see what I’m going to do to you. To watch me ravage you.”

Although some of the guests at the table are on the dance floor, many are still nearby. I feel their eyes on us—watching as he slowly stakes his claim. Every nerve in my body goes on alert—not out of fear, but out of desire. Suddenly I’m very aware of what true lust feels like, how it consumes, and all I want is more.

I make a bold move, sliding my hand up and down his thigh. It’s presumptuous and in a place like this, could probably get me killed. Rupert groans and leans back, legs apart. His velvet jacket separates, revealing the crotch of his thin trousers. His arousal is noticeable. My belly twists with delight.

His fingers touch my chin, and he lifts my face upward, forcing my eyes to meet his. The surge of desire is even greater than before. It’s as though looking at him—really looking at him—increases the intensity.

I lick my bottom lip and his eyes dart down, watching my every move. He bends, brushing his lips across mine, followed by the swipe of his wine-soaked tongue. His fingers roam down my side, inching across my back. In a quick move, he lifts me, placing me on his lap so that I’m facing him. His erection presses against me.

“I want you facing me,” he says, kissing my shoulder, “looking at me.”

I nod, holding his eye, and kiss him in return, not caring at all that there are others in the room. All I want is to feel the man I’m with. I wriggle against him, the dampness on my panties growing with my intensifying want, and he hisses in return, tongue plunging into my mouth. His hands cup my breasts and his kisses move downward, blazing a trail over the swell of flesh. He tugs at the bikini and takes a nipple into his mouth, sucking against the hardened peak. My head drops back and I moan. Rupert’s hips shift beneath me seeking friction.

“I don’t know who you are,” he says. “A witch? A succubus?”

I shake my head. “None of those.”

“You are not of this world.”

I almost laugh and tell him that none of us are, but he stands suddenly, and clears the table with his arm, then lies me on my back. He leans over me, hair hanging over his shoulders, crown glinting in the candlelight. It gives me a thrill to see him so powerful—so demanding. The room fades around us, the chords of the music faint and vague. All I see is him, all I feel his strength as he yanks the sheer pants off my legs, followed by my panties. His trousers fall next, and I see his manhood bobbing with arousal. He grabs my hips and pulls me to the edge of the table, he teases me with the tip, my body shuddering with want.

Faint awareness tells me that this is the Devil winning, that I’ve allowed Lust to take over, that I’ve succumbed to this circle in Hell and now we may be trapped for good. That recognition is swept away as Rupert bends to kiss me at the same time he penetrates me, filling me with his length. The action sends a wave of relief down my overheated body, and he doesn’t hesitate before pulling out and driving in again. Our eyes lock as our bodies join, and I cry out with desire. If this is what happens to souls trapped in the second circle, then I never want to leave. Not if this is what it feels like, not if this is what it’s like.

Waves of pleasure ripple through my body, my nerves on fire. Rupert’s fingers thread through mine and I squeeze. I feel the build-up, heightened in a way I didn’t know was possible, the coil wound so tight that I think I may break before I’ll reach my release. Rupert’s jaw is tight, his face pinched but his eyes never waver from my own. We’re linked, just like our hands, our bodies, our souls. Just when I think I can’t take it anymore, when I think I’ve lost myself to the rhythm of our lovemaking, the wave breaks, rushing though me in quivering shudders. Rupert follows, his hands clenching, his head titled back. He roars my name, a name I never gave the Prince, as he plunges in me one last time.

He falls over me, then rolls to the side, where we lie on our backs next to one another. The music is gone and when I look up I don’t see the stone of the castle ceiling. Stars blaze overhead, millions filling a pitch-black sky. The last thing I’d heard was my name. A name I never gave the Dark Prince. His fingers are still laced with mine. The ring is warm with heat.

I lift on my elbow and look at the man next to me, his eyes hooded with exhaustion. I touch his cheek and his eyelids flutter.

“Hildi?” he asks, voice raw. He blinks again. “Where are we?”

I look down and see that I’m wearing my leather pants and vest—the harem outfit gone. I scramble for the pouch in my pocket and exhale in relief when it’s there. I pull out a ring and take Rupert’s hand, sliding the metal band on his finger.

Whatever happened in that room, in that pit of Hell, proved we don’t need the rings to secure our bond, but I don’t want to risk it. I kiss him, thankful that he’s back, that he’s mine, and I’m never letting him go again.

15

Hildi

Luke leads us, bewildered and struggling with what I can only describe as lust withdrawals, away from the second circle. Up ahead are train tracks and a small box-shaped station. He walks up to the man working the window and purchases five tickets. Armin holds Rupert up, his brain and body drained from his time in the circle. With every step forward, the reality of what we’d just experienced comes crashing down. I’d been so overwhelmed by lust, so overcome with desire that I’d had sex with him right there, on the table, in a room full of people. But that’s not all. Now that we’re out of the fog, away from the Dark Prince’s castle, I can’t help but think about what Rupert had done with and to other women before I got there. Death, sex, torture…I knew he wasn’t in his right mind. I knew that, but it still made me feel sick to my stomach to consider it, and despite the fact we’d just had realm-shattering sex and secured our bond, I felt very, very dist

ant from him.

Armin lowers Rupert to a bench on the station platform and sits next to him. Elizabeth stretches out on the middle section of the bench, allowing her eyes to flutter shut. I weigh my options but ultimately take a seat as far away as possible. I need to sort out my feelings.

“Can I sit here?”

I don’t have to look up to know that Luke is standing over me. “Sure.”

The bench creaks under his weight and his long legs stretch into the empty platform ahead of us. Other than the building and tracks, we’re in the middle of nowhere.

“You want to talk about it?” he asks, suddenly.