XXVII
＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

Twin coils of desire and nervousness threaded through her at the sultry tone of his words, and Lillian stared up into his devastating visage with an ache in her heart- an ache of need and the dim awareness that whatever transpired between them was destined to run its course.

But she couldn't dwell on that now.

She was confident in her decision, her choice of becoming the lover of the male before her borne of a multifaceted and calculated decision of all that he was and all that he had shown her over the last few days.

So she swallowed back her trepidation, focused instead on the nearness of the man pressed against her. The material of the dress she wore was so sheer his heat easily permeated the fickle cloth, seeping into her own skin. A shiver spiralled down her spine at the gentle caress of his fingertips as they skirted across the line of her jaw, tilting her head back further.

His expression was shadowed, the stars an impressive and mesmerizing background behind him, and his chest rose and fell against her palms with even, slow breaths. Even like this, with her fingers against his fevered skin, she could feel her composure begin to splinter and crack, her tremors almost blatantly obvious.

Lillian balled her fingers into fists. "Will you..." Her tongue thickened and the words dwindled softly into nothingness between them, causing Aëghan to draw his brows together with concern. It was possibly that which provoked her to continue, warmed by his regard and instantaneous concern for her. "Will you allow me to... to lead proceedings between us?"

His face softened, his wide lips twitching with the urge to smile. "Proceedings?"

She scowled. "You know what I mean."

"I do." Aëghan seemed to consider her a moment longer, his smile thoughtful, and then his hands dropped to her shoulders, his thumbs stroking against the skin of her upper arms in a soothing gesture. "Very well, duchess. Where do you want me?"

Deigning to ignore the flippancy of his words, Lillian considered her surroundings for the first time since he had brought her into the clearing.

It was breath-taking. A quiet stream cut through the centre, splitting the soft grass that was surprisingly dry and cushioned her bare feet, spotted with delicate white flowers. At the farthest end, a gentle cascade of water fell at interspersed sections over moss-covered boulders and fed into the narrow stream that wound through the centre. A solitary tree of unknown genus stood proudly beside the falls, its limbs long and narrow, adorned with slender, deeply green leaves that hung like tufts of long hair from its branches.

There was little other light in the clearing other than the starlight above. The occasional luminescence flickered and dimmed through the foliage as a fae creature flittered through the leaves above or the undergrowth below.

Yet even in the shadows, Lillian could tell that the grove was contrived to be a special place- unknown and secluded from other forest inhabitants, for why else would he bring her here?

Her gaze returned to Aëghan, questioning. "What is this place?"

He released her and stepped away, providing some space between them, but took her hand in his and began to lead her towards the imposing tree looming at the other end. "Do you like it?"

"It is beautiful," Lillian was quick to point out, riveted on his austere profile as they walked. With each step, the tiny blooms parted, snaking through the short grass to avoid becoming crushed, and once their soles had lifted, merged back together with fluid seamlessness.

"It is," he agreed, his voice a quiet hush. "It has been an unknown reprieve for some time... when the constant demands of either a beastkeeper or a needy inhabitant become too much, the dragon sometimes chooses to retreat to the grove."

"The dragon?" she enquired archly.

A rueful smile tugged his lips and he glanced at her askance. "Me, then. Is it too hard to believe that I am susceptible to the expectations and burdens of those around me?"

She recalled then all his endeavours to ensure the safeguarding of a people that were repressed- his people. His persistence at finding a haven for them at Ravensfield, his protection and continuous support of the inhabitants within his holding, the ledgers that revealed his efforts to ensure all of those under his care were well-maintained and comfortable...

He was an astute and charismatic leader, his cavalier demeanour a clever ruse to keep his motives closely hidden from those that would take advantage of him and his kind. Her heart panged, knowing full well the burden that he harboured.

"No," she murmured as they drew to a halt beneath the boughs of the magnificent tree, "it is not." A small gasp escaped her when the branches above elongated into graceful vines, curling and interlocking to form an intricate web that descended about them until they were cocooned within a spacious bower. Soft, lightly coloured blossoms fell from the leaves to settle on the grass at their feet.

Lillian turned to Aëghan, a wry smile on her lips, and noted that he was settling between two large protruding roots of the tree, his back against the trunk. Uncaring of his nudity, he reclined almost indolently, one leg cocked to afford his forearm a suitable rest while he studied her with a familiar assuredness.

"Was this-" she gestured to the leafy shroud surrounding them- "is this your doing?"

He raised a brow at her. "Lillian, come here."

Her breath hitched, her toes curling into the soft grass. The anticipation had culminated to this moment- finally- and she had asked to lead, yet now she felt entirely clueless as to how. Sensing the cause of her hesitation, Aëghan's expression softened and he said, with quiet temerity, "You are in control, Lillian, of everything- of me, of how far you wish to take this tonight. We will only proceed for as long as you desire it, no longer- you have my word."

She wondered distantly if he had allowed anyone but her to witness the honourable male that he was, but her hands had moved to the clasp at her shoulder after he had spoken before she could think further of the boldness of her actions, working the two ends of fabric until they fluttered loosely before moving to the other shoulder. Lillian thought she heard his sharp intake of breath, but it was too quiet to discern anything other than the rampant beat of her heart as she tugged the loose material over her breasts, shimmying it off her waist and hips to pool in folds of fabric around her ankles.

Naked before him other than for the painted markings that trailed over her bare arms, shoulders and chest, she felt more than ever the manner in which her fingers began their irksome tremors. It was not that she was ashamed or shy; rather it was the acute awareness that her scars were on full display, webbed across the skin on the left side of her body. Having Aëghan aware of them didn't bother her- it was her own awareness of them that caused the all-too familiar flickers of panic to prickle through her.

When she raised her gaze to his, he was frowning- his jaw hard and unrelenting as he met her eyes. Wordlessly, he held out a hand to her and waited.

She slid her fingers into his and took a few steps forward, only then did he speak again, "I am enamoured by everything that you are, and honoured beyond words that you have deemed me worthy to share your body with." His eyes turned molten and heated as he assisted her, guiding her between his legs and unto her knees between them. "When I tell you that it is by sheer force alone that I am holding myself back from taking you in my arms and worshipping every inch of you, it is not my intention to frighten you, but to make you aware of how utterly desirable you are to me." He tenderly placed her hand upon his chest, his muscles and flesh flexing beneath her fingers, directly over the mark she had placed there earlier. "You have the lead, Lillian," he murmured, his voice imbued with the heaviness of his desire, "my body is yours to command. Guide me, tell me, use me- I am yours."

Her self-conscious unease abandoned her as she stared down at her fingers splayed against his chest, her breath catching at his sensuous words and presence.

Aëghan waited, his entire body still and reposed, beneath her- calm and immoveable.

Slowly, she raised her eyes, taking in the sight of his broad shoulders and the straining tendons in his neck while his arms rested at his sides. She had never been taken with a man before, never finding one that caught her attention long enough to warrant a second glance, yet she couldn't seem to stop staring at Aëghan.

He had intrigued her and captured her attention from the moment they had met in Ravensfield all those days ago.

Being with him now, in this way, in this place, was right- she felt that deep within her soul, even if there was little promise of their future other than these moments together.

She leaned forward slightly, bringing her other hand to brace against his chest next to the other, and lifted her leg so that she straddled one of his thighs. His eyes lit with intrigue at her movements, his hands lifting as if to touch her but then stalling, fingers clenching as he settled his fists back down at his sides once more.

His evident restraint made her smile, and his gaze dropped to her lips and lingered there hungrily. It was clear to her that he was urging her to close the distance between them and kiss him, but Lillian knew the devastating effect of just one of those and she was nurturing other ideas with what to do about the beautiful male beneath her.

Instead she leaned away from him, sitting back so that her bottom rested lightly against his leg, causing a muffled, agonised sound to emit from him. With the lightest of touches, she grazed her fingertips over the handprint on his chest, scrutinising the contours of his muscle there. In this position, he seemed so large, it would be effortless for him to overpower her- magic or not.

But she knew he wouldn't, not even as his skin twitched and his breathing quickened when her fingers trailed up to trace the prominent lines of his collarbones. She took her time, memorising the feel of him, the way his eyes darkened and how his throat moved when he swallowed, while she followed the paths of the paint on his thick upper arms. When she strayed over the paint that concealed the mark, his muscle flexed, the skin hotter there, and she faltered momentarily before catching herself and continuing her exploration.

She had been watching his face for every nuance when her fingers halted at the crook of his arms, and she dipped her gaze to watch as her nails found the unrelenting skin of his flanks. His flesh erupted with a shiver, his skin pricking, and she scraped her nails against his ribs, deliberately taunting, before running the pads of her thumbs over his small, hard nipples-

"Lillian, if it is my death you wish, there are less cruel ways to go about it," he ground out tautly. "Allow me to touch you, please."

His abdomen clenched, drawing her attention to the array of muscles spread before her and the very prominent bar of his rigid cock laying between them. The sight made the air in her lungs leave her lips with a shudder, and she shook her head, not meeting his gaze, "Not yet."

He huffed but said nothing, his knuckles whitening as he clenched his fists harder, but when Lillian bent suddenly to drop a kiss to the tiny freckle – perhaps the only blemish the male had – just above his navel, he nearly jerked her from her tenuous position on his thigh. She laughed darkly against his feverish skin, enjoying his reactions to her touch and kiss, feeling powerful at the way she could make him react so responsively to her.

Perhaps recklessly, she licked the same spot she had kissed and a groan tore from him. "Dear gods," Aëghan seethed. "If my regard for your comfort weren't as it is, there would be retribution for this torture."

She glanced at him, momentarily stalling the trail of tiny kisses she was administering up his torso. "Retribution?"

His eyes were dark as they devoured her. "This little power play of yours can work both ways, Lillian."

"What do you mean?"

He tilted his head back so that it rested on the coarse bark of the trunk behind him. "I mean," he told her, his voice a dark promise, "that it could be you powerless beneath me, forbidden touch, forbidden release."

Her smile was crooked as she dropped her mouth back to his chest, her breasts brushing against his abdomen as she began to slide up him. "Sounds horrid," she murmured between kisses. "I don't think I'd enjoy it all that much."

"You would," he assured her as she nipped at the base of his throat. She had to adjust her position in order to slither further up his body, shifting her leg to straddle both of his. Like this, she was open and vulnerable, her pelvis mere inches from the heat of his cock, and raw need undulated through her at the erotic position. "I'd make sure of it."

Arrogant male. She traced the tip of her tongue along the side of his neck, following the path of a straining tendon, until she found the edge of his jaw. Stopping, she pressed her cheek against his, the coarseness of his fine beard grating but not unpleasant. Here, his scent- of maleness, of pine and fresh rain, something tangibly Aëghan - seemed to surround her. "Maybe one day you can show me," she acquiesced on a hushed whisper.

She felt him stiffen when she pressed into him, her breasts flattening against his chest, and when she settled in his lap so that her core was flush against his cock, he bit out a foul curse.

Yet for all her teasing, he had not reached for her once. Aëghan was true to his word- allowing her the liberty to use his body to assuage her curiosity and her own need for control. As if he knew the very demands of her soul, as if he knew that by relinquishing his dominating nature he would serve to grant her the dominance she was innately familiar with in her day to day particulars.

"When you allow it," he agreed, almost absently rubbing his cheek against hers as his breath blew hot in her ear, "I'll show you everything you desire and more."

She found the lobe of his ear and took it between her lips, and a curious thing happened. As if the tether of his control slackened, Aëghan moaned abruptly and rocked his hips under hers, the motion sliding his cock between her folds, and the contact was so sensually wicked that all coherent thought fled her mind entirely.

Unthinkingly, she chased the sensation and shifted against him. She rolled her hips slowly, testing, along his length, and gasped when shards of pleasure erupting through her at the illicit motion. Unnerved, uncertain, she braced her palms against his chest and leaned back slightly to consider him, their faces an inch apart.

But his expression was almost pained, his eyes clenched shut, and she surreptitiously admired the qualities of his features that were unapologetically human- the lines that spread out from the corners of his eyes, the long lashes that shadowed the arch of his high cheekbones. There was nothing that set him off as remarkably different other than his unique magical abilities and his eyes.

"Again," he murmured, strained. "Do it again."

"W-what?" She hadn't realised she had been holding her breath until she spoke, the sound leaving her in a stuttering rush.

His eyes snapped open, pinning her immoveable with their intensity. "Again." This time, there was an edge of implacability to his voice, as if he was mere moments from being torn asunder- from what, she could only guess.

And Lillian knew then that she needed him, needed him to help her lose her finely honed control. He made her feel curiously safe and uninhibited- something she had never allowed herself to feel amongst others. Even with Millie and her father, she had held parts of herself back, the innate need to protect herself from everyone ingrained too deeply within her.

Yet Aëghan had earned a way through and she was surprisingly pleased for it- for his unerring patience and tenacity, though she couldn't fault his wickedness which titillated her far too much for her own good.

So she relinquished some of her control to him, her fingers flexing. "Show me."

His countenance changed, his gaze flickering, and then his hands skimmed her thighs, his fingers curling into the flesh of her backside with a force that was not unappealing. "Like this," he said emphatically, dragging her hips down and up against him.

The sudden motion and explicit contact rendered her shocked and breathless, and Lillian dropped to her elbows against his chest. The feel of his cock sliding against the molten core of her body made her thighs slick with the need rushing through her. A sound unlike anything she had ever made before escaped her and Aëghan dragged a hand over her hip, holding her pinned to him with the other, over the dip of her lower back and up her spine until his fingers threaded with the thick hair at the nape of her neck.

His gaze bored into hers- with triumph, with fiery need- for an imperceptible moment before he pulled her down against his lips, and like it always did whenever he kissed her, Lillian's world was tilted off its axis and she was left to flounder madly in the aftermath of its desolation.

He was merciless, moulding his lips with hers until it was impossible to discern anything else but the ragged sounds of their breaths. He groaned when he found her tongue, his fingers clenching spasmodically against her bottom and subsequently grinding her harder against him. The reaction served to jolt her recollection that moving against him like this felt good, so she did it again- mindlessly consumed by his tongue and mouth.

Aëghan groaned his approval, urging her hips into motion with a guiding hand until his cock was sliding rhythmically through her folds, aiding the exquisite sensations that were beginning to knot and expand in her lower abdomen with a keenness that made her almost desperate to assuage. A shudder went through her and, sensing it, he deepened their kiss, plunging his tongue deep until she gasped and clutched his shoulders for stability. When she staggered, overcome, he guided her back with a firm hand, catching her movement and correcting it until she was once more able to bore down against him in just the right way to ensure that exquisite friction.

But even as he kissed her endlessly, and her body reacted wildly to every fluid glide of his cock through her folds, she knew she wanted more- needed more- and a desperately needy little moan escaped her as she reared back, breaking apart from his lips almost vehemently. When she began to slide a hand down his chest, Aëghan caught her wrist, stopping her.

An entirely too wicked smile curled his lips, dimpling his cheeks, and her heart fluttered even as her body teetered from heady need to curiosity.

"Come for me first," he said huskily. "Like this. Just like this. Then I'll allow you to take me inside you."

Her lips parted, his salacious words causing her body to react in unimaginable ways, and when she hesitated for too long, his grin deepened. He swatted her backside, the sound loud in their secluded bower, and she gasped in shock and... desire?

"Move," Aëghan commanded darkly.

Her brows snapped together, indignant at his tone and- maddeningly- finding it desirable at the same time. "Are you-" a yelp cut off her words as he