Chapter 9
Ava's POV
"Princess, you must focus…try not to approach me." The stranger's icy voice cut through the fog in my mind, and trying to get me to regain control but the heat kept multiplying within me and shredding all rational thought. My skin burned and felt like it was on fire and I could barely think straight.
"I feel so hot…" I murmured, my voice trembling as i closed up the gap between us against his warning and he himself didn't seem to want to move away from my touch.
My hand drifted up, weakly clutching his loose black shirt, which clung to his chiseled frame like it was draped over marble. He still had his piercing blue eyes locked onto mine, with the intensity in his gaze seeming like it was fanning the fire in my core, making my body ache with need.
"It's the mating bond. You have to fight it," he said, his tone cold and a bit strained.
"Mate?" My voice came out husky, almost like a growl as sharp claws protruded from my fingertips and slowly dug into his skin.
I watched as he took a hard swallow, his throat bobbing my gaze fell lower, taking in the naked flesh of his that was peaking out of his black cloak and my throat tightened even more at the thought of taking it off and exposing more of him.
My gaze worked it's way back up to his face and i could see as he tried to wrestled with the same urge threatening to consume us both.
I pulled him closer, a sigh escaping my lips as my body pressed against the taut, firm lines of his. The contact seemed to send sparks through me as i sighed.
"What's your name?" I asked, my gaze heavy-lidded as I rocked against him.
Silence filled the space with only our ragged breathes. Then, his hand slid down, resting possessively on the curve of my hip as he pulled me even closer towards him, I sighed, leaning closer, my breasts brushing his chest as I stood on tiptoes, my lips inching toward his.
"Thane," he whispered, his other hand grazing my neck, soothing the aching flesh there. The pain vanished and was suddenly replaced by a deep longing.
''Are you a visiting official…i don't seem to know who you are but you should know that a mating bond should not be ignored when found as it's rare…'' I whispered.
His blue eyes bored into mine with hesitation written over his face. "This isn't just about the mating bond Ava…I shouldn't…" he started, but I silenced him, crashing my lips against his. My claws dug deeper, pulling him impossibly closer as the uncontrollable hunger for him spasmed through my body.
"Heavens, Ava…" Thane's deep groan rumbled through the air as if the last thread of his restraint had snapped.
His hands moved with urgency, one raking roughly down my back while the other slid beneath my hips.
In a single, effortless motion, he lifted me as if I weighed nothing with our lips never parting. My arms wrapped tightly around his neck and my legs instinctively following, coiling around his waist.
I felt the hard press of his arousal against my belly, it felt so huge and had a pulsing heat to it, making a blush creap up my neck in embarrassment, i had never felt something as intense as this.
He moved his lower body, settling even deeper in between my legs as my lips fell open in a silent gasp as his bulge connected with the throbbing entrance between my legs that sent a jolt through me as his hands roamed my body, kneading my flesh and exploring, as moans and groans filled the dark space around us.
His fingers fumbled at my corset, snapping the laces with a sharp tug. The fabric loosened and my clothes slipped free, and in the next heartbeat I felt my back sink into something soft as Thane's weight pressed atop me. His hands caged me in as his breath blasted hot against my skin, but suddenly he froze.
"You should run, Ava. I'm no good for you now…" he whispered, his voice strained, almost pleading. I could see his muscles twitch, spasming under his skin as he fought for control.
I gazed up at him, my heart pounding. "If you were no good for me, I doubt the goddess would pair us together," I whispered, my voice soft but firm.
Pushing myself up, I met his gaze, my claws extending as they grazed his skin. With a swift motion, I shredded his shirt, the fabric tearing away to reveal the hard planes of his chest, now bare in the dark.
"You've never been one to listen," Thane groaned, his voice thick with desire and In an instant, his hands seized mine, pulling them from his body and pinning them above my head.
The movement was rough but strangely gentle and my hooded eyes snapped open immediately i sensed a shift in the air. I froze, my gaze locking onto his, and my breath caught at the sight before me.
Thane's once plane white skin was now marked with black, snaking tattoos that seemed to pulse like living shadows.
His clear blue eyes now had a ring of blazing red ring in it. Shadows clung to his form, bending and twisting unnaturally around him, as if drawn to his presence.
Most striking of all was the crown of fire atop his head that had blazing horns and i felt my belly drop at this sight already having an idea of what he was.
"What are you?" I gasped, my voice trembling with shock. I had assumed he was a hybrid, his magic had hinted that to me, but this creature staring down at me was no hybrid.
"It's too late to back out, Little Apple," Thane said, his voice now laced with a dark edge that sent a shiver through me.
That name, Little Apple felt so familiar but I couldn't place it.
"Ahhh!" My thoughts shattered as a sharp ripping sound tore through the air.
My eyes darted down, widening in disbelief as Thane's claw sliced through my dress, parting the fabric in two.
The remanning part of the fabric of my clothes that still hung to my frame caught fire with the red flames licking across the material, burning it away without so much as a sting from the heat against my skin.