Page 67 of Shadow Queen
And then the urgency came.
She struggled to hook her fingers on the hips of her underwear in the chaos of her skirts. She couldn’t get them off fast enough. His hands found her flesh under her gown, and the silk of her undergarments tightened and bit against her skin as he tore it away. He moved his hips upward, grasping her tightly and pulling her down to join them together, and she gasped as he sheathed himself inside her. They stilled for a moment, their foreheads together, but only for a moment. The calm before the storm. Then she began to rock against him. His head fell back as her pace quickened. She felt his need growing. As she moved faster, he pitched forward and lifted her from the chair, and she wrapped her legs around him.
Mikael carried her to the bed and laid her down without breaking their union. He tore the top of her dress and chemise down below her breasts and kneaded the milky flesh with thick desire. She writhed underneath him. He buried himself in her, possessing every part of her, and she let him take her.
Mikael clasped her shoulder firmly, pinning her down, and a wave of heat rushed through her. She pulled him closer, urged him harder, and surrendered as he took what he needed. The fiend inside him tore at her—claiming her, consuming her—and her own need answered back. He brought his hand to her face, looping his thumb into her mouth, and she bared her teeth against his skin and bit him. His chest rumbled, and he thrust harder, gripping her tighter. Norah pulled him deeper—deeper into her body, and into her mind. She gave herself—she gave all of herself. She cried out as release came, and pleasure rippled through her. He followed. His body shook as he thundered to his finish, and he collapsed on top of her.
After, they lay in each other’s arms, panting, sweat beading across their skin. Finally, Mikael pulled himself from her and rolled onto his back. Norah turned on her side in sweet exhaustion and reached out her hand to trail it down his chest.
He drew in a breath and turned to face her. “I’m sorry,” he said as he brushed his fingertips across the marks he’d left on her shoulder and along her sides. “I should have been gentler.”
She smiled and whispered, “Sometimes a woman likes a good ravaging.”
A deep rumble came from him again, and he pulled her back to kiss him.
Music filled the halls. Mikael felt surprisingly settled going into the evening’s social. Despite his loathing for the Northmen, they seemed allied with Kharav against this unknown threat to his queen, and he couldn’t deny he appreciated the additional men. Anything to keep her safe, even if it meant tolerating the Bear.
He shifted his shoulders uncomfortably in his crimson jacket. Salara had been pressing him away from the usual battle dress, and his dark linen and leather. She was beautiful, in a gold gown with beaded patterns on the bodice. He walked with her on his arm and couldn’t keep his eyes from her. As they reached the great hall, she paused.
“Salara-Mae has come,” she said.
His mother rarely attended social events. “How did you manage that?”
She shook her head. “It’s not my doing, but I’m going to go greet her.”
“Of course,” he said, and watched her make her way across the room. She really was beautiful.
Soren stepped in beside him, and his mind shifted.
“Where is he?” Mikael asked, and followed Soren’s eyes to where the Bear stood with a small group of Northmen.
Mikael and Soren approached, and the surrounding men took their leave to give them space but kept a wary eye over their justice from a distance.
“Shadow King,” the Bear greeted him coldly.
Mikael stood casually, watching Norah across the way. “I see you found your way back,” he said, not taking his eyes from her.
“I needed to ensure the well-being of my queen, as is my duty.”
“As you can see, she’s quite well.” Mikael cast him a sideways glance. “You can return to your place back in the North.”
The Bear scoffed. “My place is by her side.”
“I don’t believe Salara shares your view. Has she not sent you back to the North twice already?”
The justice cut him a glance with a sharp brow. “She sends me away because our closeness disturbs you. But it’s not what she wants, and I know you know that.”
Mikael bristled at the Bear’s boldness—at the audacity he would hint at Salara’s affections for him so directly. His skin burned with the heat of war. Any other man he’d force to his knees and cut his tongue from his mouth. Any other man he’d split his neck with his bare fingers and pull out his throat. But this wasn’t any other man, and Mikael attacked the only way he could. “Oh, I’m not disturbed,” he said. “I find your visit a pleasant surprise.”
The Bear gave an unbelieving chuckle.
Both men kept their eyes on Norah, but Mikael leaned in closer. “I enjoy what your visit brings. You see, when you’re here, our lovemaking isn’t how it normally is—gentle and passionate. It’s raw. She comes to our bed with a wildness to her.”
The justice inhaled sharply as the fake smile fell from his face.
Mikael’s eyes burned cruelly. “I feel it when I’m inside her,” he taunted. “Her body begs me to take it. And I do. Most violently.”
The Bear’s nostrils flared.
