Fervor (The Fervor Chronicles Book 1) (13 page)

“Yes, but the worst part is, I can’t control it. I have never had that happen before; my people are known for their physical strength. We have no power over lightning that bursts from the clouds. I… I can’t control it. It leaves me powerful yet … blind.” For a split second he appeared helpless.

She was lost as to what to say. The warmth grew in her chest as he paced closer. The heat swirled and went further down, and this time there was no confusion. It was just as it had happened back in the dungeon. Soon she would be lost to the sensation, but she needed answers, had to know. “But I…”

“You’re the catalyst. When I’m near you, the ache…
Gods,
it is the sweetest thing I’ve ever known. That’s the second part of the
fervor,
the part most coveted by our women. Once it begins, it doesn’t end. It needs to be completed in order for the bond to be created. For the women, they have a man who is their virtual slave, ready to do anything to ensure her happiness, her pleasure, because she is his sole focus. He can have no other, want no other until the
fervor
has passed.”

She sighed, her heart fluttering an erratic beat in her neck. Is that how he felt about her? But how could that be? They weren’t of the same race. Were they bound by the same rules? “What happens after the time is up?”

He glanced outside, watching the last drops of rain pelt the ground. “If it’s interrupted before the full cycle of the moon—the couple, or perhaps the man, well… there are rumors he can go mad. Die. Kill. It’s…”

“Why do you sound so unsure of this? Will I go mad as well? I don’t understand.”

“I don’t either!”

“Why not? What aren’t you telling me?”

“I’m not keeping secrets. Don’t you understand? No one ever denies the
fervor.
This feeling is so overwhelming, promising so much passion, no one thinks to fight it. So I don’t have the answers you seek.”

“Have you heard of the
fervor
affecting people from other races?”

He let out a frustrated growl. “We are an isolated tribe, living on the southeastern most part of the
ledge
. Before the discovery of the Bicullis, travel was difficult, so no… I do not know how it affects non Fiera.” He couldn’t stop moving, wouldn’t stay still yet he ran his eyes over every inch of her body.

“Why can’t you just explain what is happening? I don’t think it is so unfair for me to ask this of you. Your
fervor
has irrevocably changed my life! I need—”

“I’m trying!” His shout made her jump, and she would have been scared if she hadn’t been obsessed with every tiny expression and gesture. He ran the heels of his hands against his eyes, then through his tousled hair. “I’m trying to tell you everything, but the
fervor
is growing in me, even now.”

Gasping for breath, she felt her breasts strain against her wet dress. A wave of energy drifted off of him toward her, and it felt… heavenly. Stumbling backward, she leaned against the wall, reveling in the feeling. Warmth, light, heat… It encompassed her, and right before her eyes drifted shut she saw the hair on the giant’s head begin to rise and fall as if rustled by a gentle wind.

Sparks flew behind her closed eyes, and she knew she should finish her conversation, knew she had some important things to discuss, but not now. Later. There was time for all of that later. Now, she needed to feel. What if she ran her hands down her skin, would it feel even better?

“You feel it, don’t you? Tell me you feel it!”

“Yes.
Gods, yes. I feel you. I feel you everywhere.”

He roared, filling the small space and Caprice felt an arm encircle her waist. Instead of placing her against the stone steps, he carried her toward the waterfall.

“Wait. What are you…?”

“I need to touch you. Won’t hurt you.”

She gasped in shock as he ripped off the billowy bottom of her dress, exposing her legs from the knee down. He wet the cloth and pushed her gently toward the water. The cool fall of liquid was welcome relief, running over her hair, her exposed arms and legs. Gently, so gently, he took her torn gown and ran it down her limbs. It didn’t hurt. The glass had been treated for quick removal after the ice bath she would have received after The Binding. It sloughed off her skin, and she could concentrate on the warmth of his hand through the satiny material.

His callused palm pressed against her cheek. It made the humming increase and the pleasure double. Now the current of his desire wrapped all around her, and she decided to succumb, ready to feel the heady warmth of him.

Sensitive nerve endings that had never been touched, never stimulated before, jumped to life. She moaned with the sheer joy of his weight as he moved her to the side, pressing her against the dry stone wall. His bulging erection found its way through her billowing gown, hitting her just in the right spot.

The breath left her lips and she whispered, “Thank you. Thank you for taking away this pain.”

“Have to touch you. Need you.”

Once he had washed every exposed inch of her icy skin, he tossed the white cloth behind him. Soon his hands were replaced by his mouth. His firm lips traveled past her collarbone straight to her pebbled nipples. He latched on through her gown, sucking and pulling through the silk of the dress.

Pleasure speared through her, straight between her legs, making her sex clench. The sensation was overwhelming. No one had ever touched her there. Anywhere. So much bliss, so much she didn’t know. Addy had kept so much from her.

“I have dreamed of putting my mouth on your beautiful flesh since we came through that gods-forsaken portal. I’ve seen your beautiful breasts straining, begging me to suck on them. I need more…
need more.”

Allowing her head to float back, Caprice ran her fingers along the silky heat of his shoulders, her fingers dancing on his bronzed skin, scraping the leather bands that criss-crossed his back.
To have the freedom to touch another.
It was like nothing she’d ever known. When he sucked particularly hard, her hands found his hair, sunk in and held him in place. A swirling pleasure grew, centering between her legs and she felt as if she neared something. “Yes. Please,
yes
. I want—”

“Say it. Tell me what you want.”

Frustrated because she didn’t have the words, she simply replied, “I want more.”

“More of my mouth on your nipples? But I want you to say the words. And I want my name on your tongue as you demand it from me.”

She paused, fighting through the pleasure. His name? She didn’t know it and a part of her had held back from asking. It was too personal. She felt that would acknowledge the connection, the
fervor
between them, if they shared such intimate information. There was no trust yet between them. A trace of the anger she’d felt only seconds before started to creep in, so she squeezed her fingers tighter. “I do not know it.”

His teeth grazed her nipple. “Ask me. Ask me for this one small piece of myself.”

His lips stilled, and she wanted to scream.
More, more, more!
The plea sat at the edge of her lips, and she almost said the words, suddenly desperate to know. But after everything he had taken from her, her body might be a slave, but she still had power. She could still control her mind, and after he had kidnapped her, she refused to ask anything of him.

She looked away.

“Do not turn away from me.” The whispered words were all the more powerful for their softness. “Know this. I
will
have all of you, even if I have to take it piece by piece.”

She cried out as she heard him tear more of her gown. Fear sped up her heart that was already beating impossibly fast, but still, she wanted him. She wanted more.

‡

T
he fire that
scorched him went straight from his lips to his pulsing cock. Never had he been so hard, so ready, and so furious, all at the same time.
She won’t even ask my name
. Did not want to share in any part of him. He wanted to walk away, leave her panting—no,
begging
for more. But he couldn’t. He was a slave to the sensation. He craved her touch, her skin, and
gods…
her smell. He longed to be inside of her.

He tore at her gown, ripping away more of the fabric, to free her, to allow his gaze to wander over every inch of her. He fought the urge to strip her naked, but he knew he couldn’t humiliate her. Had no urge to do so. He just needed a release and her dress was an easy outlet. The gown now fell to mid-thigh.

Her legs went on for miles. Perfectly formed, long, porcelain-white, he imagined them wrapped around his waist, his cock pounding inside of her waiting warmth. What would his princess feel like, would she be soaked for him, heated, or would she feel as cool as her skin, a burning cold that set him on fire?

His head felt like it would explode, the energy growing inside of him. He fought for control, he must not succumb again, he couldn’t make himself vulnerable in this strange place. But to do so, to prevent blindness, would he have to step back, stop touching her?

No!
It reverberated through his mind, even as he stepped back. Her hands tightened in his hair, the nerves popping and sending a current down his spine. Every action, every touch seemed to trail down to his erection, making it swell harder, stronger. Fury and passion fought for supremacy. The whole time, he tried to hold onto his control. Caprice leaned back, her eyes closed, her head resting against the wall, exposing the alabaster white of her skin. Perfect. She was perfection.

Moaning, she said, “W-why have you stopped?”

He roared in anticipation. Unfastening his buckle, he waited, needing her to acknowledge him. Whether she asked his name or not,
he
would be seared into her memory.

When she lifted her head, their eyes caught, and hers widened and then fastened on his straining cock. Grasping the material in the front of his pants, he unfastened the second button, and she licked her lips. Just that fast, he was gone. His eyes flashed to white and she was lost to him. He could have wept with the frustration.

If I’m not careful, I could take this room down around us.

“Your eyes, they’ve changed again. Oh no…” Her groan was a mixture of fear and arousal.

“It’s—I have it… under control.” At that point he didn’t know if he was talking to her or to him.

“W-why does that keep happening?”

He heard the rustle of her dress scraping against the wall. No… No!
Don’t leave
. He would get this under control.

“
Stay. Right. There
.” He knew he couldn’t be inside of her. Just the idea of her satin walls gripping him made his pulse jump and energy flow from his body, bouncing against the walls. But the compulsion to please her, to make her
need,
overwhelmed him.

He rushed her, kneeling again and pushing up her gown. The smell of her hit him hard. The dark, sweet scent of her arousal was so earthy, so different than he expected from his Ice Princess. “I will have you.”

“No. No, stop! I don’t want you to hurt me. Like my men, the guards.” Her words came in disjointed breaths.

He felt his way forward, rubbing his cheek against her leg. She jumped, and he knew it wasn’t from the scrape of glass on her legs. It was from him. “Please, Caprice. Trust me. I will make it so good. I promise.” The words were nothing more than a whisper. He dove forward and latched onto her silky smooth labia.

Her scream shot across the room, high pitched and then sinking into a guttural groan. “Yes! Yes,
oh gods,
please. I’ve never… It feels… so good.”

Her words made something inside him melt. What had she said earlier about her friend? That she was the only one who truly loved her. Well, he didn’t have the emotions she needed, but he could give her this, pure pleasure, every night for the rest of their lives.

The dewy softness of her lips slid against his tongue. So bare, so tight. He grasped her ankles, spreading her legs apart. When she started to slump, he clamped one hand against her waist and propped her up.

“So good, so good,
so good…”

He found her tight bud with his lips and latched on. His control broke when she moaned, and he sucked harder, tonguing her over and over, desperate now to hear her release. Needing more, he placed two fingers inside of her, riding her silky walls. Her soft gasps only fueled the fire inside of him.
I will keep control!

Within seconds, he felt her muscles convulsing around his tongue. She cried out. Her hands tightened in his hair again, practically pulling it from the roots, and it only jacked him up higher.

He laved his tongue against her, riding her orgasm, even though he knew he should stop, should try and control himself, but he was determined to consume every second of bliss. Caprice continued to breathe hard with soft sighs peppering each breath.

Falling back, he turned and crawled away. Why hadn’t her pleasure soothed him, released some of the energy within him? Instead, it only made the force stronger, overwhelming him. Each time they came together, he had less control. He had to get away.
Now!