Oath of the Alpha - Eva Dresden Page 0,62

clean seeped into her soul. She did her best to ignore his quiet praise and sounds of pleasure but knew it wouldn’t matter. He would do what he wished, whether she consented or not.

“Open,” Er’it murmured, gliding a wet thumb over her lips.

Before she could open her eyes, he pressed inside, sliding a piece of dried meat over her tongue until Aida had no choice but to accept. Stomach at first revolting, she gagged on the heavy spices until he pressed the waterskin to her lips, feeding her a trickle of sweet water until Aida could manage to chew the shred of venison without her jaw aching.

“Easy now.” He slipped another piece between her slack lips, following it with a taste of more water. He continued feeding her small scraps and sips of water, praising her for every tidbit she accepted as they soaked in the cool rush of the stream, his fingers traversing the column of her throat as she swallowed.

Ravenous now, Aida accepted it all, even his petting and the deep resonance of his pleased growls as she wrapped her hands around his and held them still so she could tear a delicious mouthful of the jerky free with her teeth. Turning her face up to his, she offered him her parted lips.

Chapter 12

Er’it

Knowing she wanted more water did not stop him from leaning down to lick away a smear of spice and grease staining the bowed perfection of her lips. Delving inside her, he searched out more of her decadent taste beneath the flavor of dried meat, growling when her tongue made a shy pass over his. Still so innocent despite all he’d done to her, she drove him mad with need.

Far past desire, well into his obsession, Er’it forced himself to sit back, his chest heaving with the strain of keeping his hands from grabbing at her soft curves as he held the waterskin to her flushed lips. Watching Aida’s throat work pulled a groan from him, and Er’it hurried to hold another piece of jerky up before he sampled more than her mouth.

While the color returning to her cheeks was a good sign, Er’it knew he couldn’t take her, not here, not now, not when each time they came together their combined magic gained a life and purpose all its own. Expending too much power in too short a time, she’d drained herself to the dregs, somehow managing to take most of the other mages’ magic in the process… even his. None of them understood it, least of all him. Her power alone supposedly unfeasible, she appeared to wield far more than seemed human.

Regardless of how much she had at her disposal, she spent too much of herself. The way the eerie blue light exuded from her skin, it was clear she did not draw that energy from some outside source, not by any means known to Er’it or any of his mages. It was within her, a part of her, an endless well of magic at her fingertips. Still, she had limits, as evidenced by the pasty cast of her skin and the way she felt like a bow strung too tight. With every morsel he fed her, she brightened, and the intense promise of all that she was began returning by degrees.

Er’it hid the widening of his eyes from Aida as he shoved a hand deep into the pouch Tor’en had given them. Filled to the brim with jerky and dried fruit, it should have been enough to feed them both. Yet Aida remained starved, ripping into the sturdy slabs of meat and tearing at the fruit. She let him continue feeding her, though, and that fact distracted him long enough for the bag to empty before he was prepared for this scene to end.

Grabbing the bag, Aida tugged the opening wide to see the empty interior. Rounded eyes of midnight sky met his, and her lower lip trembled. A flush stained the fresh tawny gold of her cheeks as she ducked her head, letting the drying cascade of curls provide shelter for her embarrassment.

“Hush now, kou’va. There is more at the camp,” Er’it said, running his splayed hand up and down Aida’s back.

“I ate it all,” she said in a low whine, pushing her face against his chest.

“It was meant for you.” And him, but he would have his tongue ripped out before he said as much to her, not while she sought comfort in his arms, pressing all of her softness