Aeromancist - The Beginning (Seven Forbidden Arts 2)

It took only a few seconds before he came, spurting his release into her with forceful thrusts. She basked in the feeling of him inside her, his hands on her body, and his mouth on her ear, whispering soothing words. He uncuffed her, and within a few minutes, she was asleep.

When she woke up, she was in Lann’s arms. They were still in his bed.

“Hey,” he said, touching her nose. He kissed her forehead, her eyes, and her cheeks.

“I didn’t enjoy that,” she said. “At least not the waiting part.”

“You weren’t meant to. Punishment, remember? You asked for it.” He stroked a hand down her back. “The orgasm was supposed to make up for it.”

She rested her head against his chest. “You do know how to give a girl an orgasm. Did it make you feel better?”

“To see you come that hard?” He kissed the corner of her mouth. “Yes, krasavitsa, it made me feel better.” He pushed her hair back to caress her shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” he asked gently when she didn’t speak for some time.

“I’m still angry with you.”

“Why? I thought we straightened it out.”

She pushed away from him. “You gave me a ring that’s bugged.”

“It’s for your protection,” he said patiently. He took her hand and brushed his thumb over the ring. “The driver … I’m not having you followed. I’m protecting you. I want to know where you are, every minute of every day.”

“What do you do for a living, Lann?”

“Many things,” he said evasively.

“Is that why I’m in danger? Because you’re involved in many things?”

“No, but I have many enemies.”

Her heart went cold. “Did I put my life in danger by accepting this…” she searched for the right word, “…agreement?”

His expression was sad. “Probably.”

His honesty shocked her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I can protect you.” He pressed her hand to his chest. “But you need to let me. That’s why you can’t remove the ring.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked again.

“I didn’t want to worry you.”

She freed her hand from his grasp. “I had a right to know.”

“Now you know,” he said softly.

Tears blurred her vision. “What are you involved in Lann?”

“Nothing.” He put his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. “Don’t ever do that to me again.”

“What?”

“Drive me insane. If you want to go dancing, tell me, and I’ll take you.”

She sighed. “I’m not going to waste energy debating the issue with you.”

What was the point of trying to sort out their different viewpoints on the matter? They were going to split up in a few days anyway.

It was his turn to sigh. “I’m exhausted. Stay with me. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

That statement, coming from Lann, surprised her. She studied him more closely. He was clean-shaven, as usual, but deeper lines and dark circles marred his eyes.

“Will you stay the night?” His voice was so hopeful, her heart melted.

Lann had never spent a whole night with her. After sex, he cuddled her for long stretches, but always left to sleep alone. They’d never had sex in his bed before. It had always been in hers. And never in his den.

“Yes,” she whispered, “I’ll stay.” She cuddled up to him. “Lann?”

His arms tightened around her. “Yes, krasavitsa?”

“Why haven’t we made love in the den?”

He strained his neck to look at her. “When I showed it to you, you gave me the impression you didn’t like the idea very much.”

“What’s different about the den?”

“It’s just for fucking. This, here,” he patted the bed, “is for so much more.”

She didn’t want to think about the women he was going to fuck in his den, or the ones he had made love to in his bed.

“It’s late. Let’s get some sleep, yes?” He kissed her hand, the one with the ring, and unbuttoned his shirt.

When he pulled it from his torso, Kat’s eyes widened. A cry escaped her lips. He had long scratch marks over his chest. Deep ones. The skin on his ribs on the left side of his body was blue, and there was a cut on his shoulder, stitched up.

She slammed a hand over her mouth. “Oh my God. What happened to you?”

“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” he said, lying down on his back. “Come here.” He opened his arms.

She didn’t hesitate. She put her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around him so tightly that he exhaled sharply.

“That hurts,” he said, his voice tainted with humor.

She eased her grip, but didn’t let go. “It’s all right. You’re home now.”Kat woke at daybreak. Lann was already awake. His arms were still around her, and he was looking at her with a warm expression.

He kissed her softly. “Sleep well?”

In reply, she stretched in his arms. She suddenly remembered the scars, and pulled back the sheet to look at them. In daylight, they looked worse. The scratches over his chest reached from his shoulder all the way to his ribs. They were evenly spaced, as if cut by the tips of a claw, only a claw that big didn’t exist. What kind of weapon left such marks? She shuddered. The skin over his stomach was sliced too. The line was short, reaching over his navel. Tears built in her eyes. What was Lann involved in?