Allegiance Sworn (30 page)

Chapter 33

“C
LAIM
you?” A faint flush heated Imhara’s skin, working its way from her neck to her cheeks even though she tried to control it.

Teasing was the last thing she’d expected from Arek.

He nodded, his small smile betraying his enjoyment at her shock. She shook her head, not at all sure whether he was ready to go where this line of questioning seemed to be headed. Not yet.

Light
, she wasn’t even sure!

“Arek, tonight I protected you.” She chuckled, trying to keep the moment lighthearted. “If I’d claimed you, you’d have known it.”

She’d been tempted. Very tempted. The tension in her belly hadn’t disappeared with Miana’s withdrawal, although it had morphed from the raw heat of outrage to something deeper, more combustible.

Arek’s talk of her claiming him was like laying tinder to embers. It wouldn’t take much to ignite either if he kept adding fuel to the flames. And this conversation was fast moving in that direction. Did he realize that?

Imhara corralled her thoughts. “If you hadn’t noticed, Miana likes provoking reactions. She does it to anyone who lets her. There’s every chance she saw your armband and decided to play one of her games.”

She’d almost stooped to Miana’s level, but annoying her further by claiming Arek publicly wasn’t justifiable reason enough to push his limits. He might have committed to helping her, but their fledgling relationship remained on uncertain ground.

Witnessing the
Isha
had definitely tested him. Their confrontation in the bidding room was proof of that. And even though he’d apologized, the memory of his reaction and accusation still lingered.

“Now who’s the one giving half answers?” Arek shook his head slowly. “Imhara, you were a hairsbreadth away from taking her out with a fist.”

Light
, why was he pursuing this?

Imhara put the width of the ornate rug between them, needing a distraction, but everything in the room, from the huge bed she had to step around to the supply of
haze
twists sitting in the burner on a table against the wall, served as reminders of what needed avoiding.

Frowning, she pivoted on her heel. “Do you really want to discuss this now, Arek?”

“I don’t blame you for being reluctant to share your thoughts with me after how I acted earlier.” He paused a moment, then his jaw firmed. “But I’m choosing to face what we’re dealing with here head-on instead of ignoring it.”

Choice.

Knowing what she did about his past, she knew how important this was to him. Imhara searched his scent for any sourness, but the odor remained pure citrus.

“I liked seeing you react that way with Miana.” His admission sent a frisson of pleasure through her. “How far would you have gone to prove your point?”

His gaze glittered with curiosity as a familiar spicy scent teased her nostrils. She inhaled a deeper breath, unable to resist savoring it. It tugged at her, like the undercurrent of a deep, mountain stream, insistent and hard to resist. Her boot scuffed on the rug before she caught herself. His gaze flickered down, his slow smile confirming he’d noted her reaction.

And just that quickly, with a look that went from inquisitive to hot in a heartbeat, he ignited the flame inside her.

“All right.” Resolve edged her softly spoken words.

A small tremor ran through him.

Uncertainty or anticipation?

Maybe a little of both, because each gnawed at her.

The rigid line of his shoulders tightened as she crossed the rug to him. Placing her hands on his chest, she gave him a gentle push. Holding his gaze, matching him step for step, she backed him up until he came to a stop against the wall beside the door.

She slid her hand from his chest, over his vest, to trace the edge of the gold band on his bare arm. The metal was as warm as his skin. “The emblem of the Kaal Clan.”

Arek grunted. “You tapped it. Made sure Miana saw it.”

“My mark of ownership. Protection for anyone wearing it.” Her fingernails scratched his flesh in a light caress as they went down his arm. “I may have wanted to claim you in front of her”—dropping her hand to his thigh, she ran her fingers up the inside seam of his breeches—“but I didn’t know if you’d accept this—” She cupped him, the press of her palm firm. His sharp inhalation fired her blood. “In public.”

She closed her hand around him, her own breath catching as he hardened with her touch. What she wouldn’t give to unbuckle his belt and feel him, flesh to flesh. He’d be smooth, velvet steel. Pulsing and hot.

“Crude but effective.” She stroked the length of him, from base to tip, felt him shudder, and smiled. “You like me touching you like this.”

“You already know I do.” That came from between gritted teeth.

On the next stroke, he made a sound in the back of his throat, and pushed his hips toward her, thrusting into her palm. She teased him again, slowly tightening and easing her grasp, up and down, watching the skin across his cheeks tighten in pleasure, the color in them darken.

His growing hunger fed hers. Her heart pumped the heat right around her body, until she trembled like he did. She brushed her fingers over the rounded curve of his sac, squeezed it gently, then retraced his length again and felt him thicken, liking how quickly he responded.

Leaning in close, she grazed her lips against the shell of his ear and smiled at his sudden indrawn breath. His chest brushed against hers, the sensation causing her nipples to pebble.

Light
, that felt good.

“You asked how far I’d have gone to prove my point to Miana.” His cheek touched hers, his jaw flexing, his breathing shallow, hot against her neck. “I wouldn’t have stopped with a quick feel, Arek. Given the nature of the celebration she was inviting us to, we’d have both ended up naked. There’s nothing that says,
you’re mine
, more than if I’d ridden you, then made you beg for release.” Drawing back, she met his gaze. “And you would have. Guaranteed.”

Arek stilled, his whole body stiffening. A quick caress with her thumb along his length once more, then she stepped back. The color on his cheeks matched the fiery protest swirling in his gaze. She smiled wryly and placed a finger over his lips as they opened to speak.

“Remember, you’re my blood-slave. Keeping you hungry for my next feeding would make you compliant. You’d do anything to please me.”

She trailed her fingertips over his bottom lip, his jaw, then moved to the center of the room. Better to remove herself from temptation.

“How comfortable would you have been doing that in front of Miana?” She cocked an eyebrow. “The other
Na’Reishi
? Or Ilahn and his staff?”

By the way his cheeks darkened with a fresh flush, probably not at all.

“Point taken,” he conceded, his tone gravelly. “And what about now? Was this just a demonstration? A way to drive a message home?”

“It could be taken that way,” she conceded.

Arek’s spicy scent overwhelmed her and made it hard to gauge his reasoning behind the questions. Yet he stared at her, the sound of breathing harsh, the fit of his breeches over his straining erection tight, desire evident in the burn of his gaze.

He did nothing to hide any of his reactions—a warrior who hated revealing any weakness—and her pulse fluttered with the significance of the moment.

Need, hopes, desires, all too long buried, spiraled up from inside her. Her thoughts burst forth, like a dam giving under pressure, some sharp and crystal clear, the majority obscure yearnings, indistinct through denial, all raw enough to make breathing and speaking difficult.

How long had it been since she’d allowed herself the simple pleasure of looking at a man with the sole purpose of enjoying what she saw? Training with the
Na’Hord
and working around the fortress had once provided that small pleasure, yet over time she’d blocked it out, trained herself not to notice as it left her aching and unfulfilled.

The familiar dissatisfaction of unrealized dreams.

The possibilities of what Arek was asking, telegraphing, were terrifying and exciting. And there was no denying he tempted her like no one ever had before, if she was willing to take the risk.

Imhara swallowed against her dry throat. “For five years I’ve concentrated on nothing but my Clan, our legacy, and ensuring we all survive. I’ve sacrificed many things to keep that focus, including denying myself the pleasure of a lover.” She retreated to sit on the edge of the bed and drew in a slow, deep breath. “So, it frightens me to admit that I want you as one, Arek. I shouldn’t, but I do.” She gave a shaky laugh. “And to answer your question, I hope you’d see this as an invitation, not a demonstration or a lesson.” Her pulse skipped hard in her throat. “If you want this to be something more than me proving a point, then you need to tell me. You need to let me know where you want this to go.”

“I decide?” Arek’s voice vibrated with a deep huskiness that sent shivers over her skin. His twilight gaze glittered as he pushed away from the wall and came toward her. “And if I want to claim you?”

Imhara clenched the soft bed cover, a thrill streaking though her innards at his softly posed question. She wet her lips. “I wish you would.”

His step faltered, then he chuckled, his teeth flashing white in the ambient lamplight. “
Lady’s Breath
, you never cease to surprise me.”

His spicy scent saturated the air, stronger than before. Imhara inhaled deeply, savoring it, swallowing thickly as her mouth filled with saliva. He came to a halt in front of her, his knees brushing hers.

“Unbuckle your sword belt.”

Her hand shook as she released the catch then slid the leather free of the buckle and handed it to Arek. He placed it within easy reach, on the lid of the chest pushed up against the end of the bed.

“Lean back on your hands and don’t move.”

She raised an eyebrow. Did this mean he’d accepted her invitation?

Her heart beat faster. Desire and need fluttered hard in her stomach.

Was he going to claim her?

There was only one way to find out.

She did as he requested.

* * *

AREK
plucked at the ties on his vest, observing Imhara as he shirked the garment.

“Five years is a long time to deny yourself.”

A jerk and tug and his belt slid free from around his waist. He dropped it on top of his vest. A quick flick of a clasp eased the pressure of his breeches over his erection.

Her gaze dropped lower, drawn by his movements. The heat in her eyes, the rosy flush of color staining her cheek, the sweep of her tongue over her bottom lip impacted Arek like a blow to his gut.

Shrugging, Imhara drew in a deeper breath. Unable to resist, he watched the rise and fall of her breasts, liking the way her shirt strained over them, the material clinging to her curves, her nipples.

Just how sensitive were they? Did she like them to be played with? Stroked? Pinched? Sucked? Bitten? He suspected all, going by what he’d experienced with her so far.

“Liaisons with warriors just led to quarrels, jealousy, and competition.” Her voice sounded husky. “It wasn’t worth the dissention.”

He nodded, having seen his fair share of fights and arguments in the Light Blade barracks. It made her admission of a moment ago, and her decision, a whole lot more meaningful.

It also reminded him of who she was.

Na
Kaal.

Na’Reish
, not human.

Almost as if someone had lifted a veil, the amethyst hue of her eyes registered, the markings trailing the sides of her face and neck became more prominent, her dark lips unmistakable even in the soft light.

He blinked. Since when had he stopped noticing her
Na’Reish
features?

Did it matter? The journey taken with his grandfather no longer belonged to him. This path was the one he’d chosen.

“Arek?” Imhara’s soft query and frown made him wonder if his scent had changed.

He shook his head and braced one hand on the edge of the bed. With the other, he cupped the back of her head, threading his fingers through her plait, and tugged, angling her face just right, so he could place his lips on hers.

He intended a gentle kiss, one where he could explore her mouth and take his time to reacquaint himself with the softness of her lips, the scent of her skin, the textures and flavors of her mouth. But when Imhara opened her mouth and tasted him with an aggressive stroke of her tongue, the temperature of their kiss ratcheted up from passionate to raw sensuality in less than a heartbeat.

He tore his mouth free of hers and sucked in a much-needed breath, every muscle tight, tension coiling low in his abdomen.

His fingers tightened in her hair. “One kiss . . . one damn kiss and I can’t think beyond how sweet and hot you taste . . . and I want more. . . .”

She palmed his erection, the pressure firmer, no longer a teasing caress, the sensation streaking through him like lightning. He widened his stance, groaning as she took immediate advantage. The pleasure of her touch hardened him in less than a heartbeat.

“Lady’s Breath!”