I was shocked at the sudden feeling of him filling me. Stretching my inner walls and rooting deeply into me. I stared at him stunned my blue eyes huge.His green ones seemed equally as shocked. His fingers gripping my hips tightly now as if to still me. “Are you okay?”“Would it matter?” I asked snidely.“Would I ask if it didn’t?” He tilted his head, sliding it over his down pillow to give me a penetrating look with those piercing green eyes.He’s despicable.“Fine. Have it your way.” He withdrew his hands. Hovering them out near my hips in a big gesture of ceasing restraining me. “Do as you wish.”He tucked his palms behind his head. “Have it your way, Mary Mage.”“My way would be not at all.”“Then perhaps you shouldn’t lose after you make a wager.”“As if that was my intent!” My palms

I was indeed afraid of what Hawk would do to me as penance for my escape.But not enough to stop my mad flight back through the castle. My hands tracing the corners that I’d clung to when I’d gone to his chamber. Using them to find my way back.His fury had felt like enough to bring the bricks of this castle down around my ears.But even that wasn’t as terrifying as the realization that I’d been so relaxed in his presence that I’d nearly fallen asleep on his chest. And he’d welcomed me there like a familiar lover.Not like a less powerful mage he was controlling with his blasted magic.I’m not his toy. I was soon pacing my chamber. His threat ringing in my ears so vividly that I couldn’t sleep.‘I swear by all that’s holy Mary, if you do not finish me, I’ll take you on your knees like a dog tomorrow!’He wouldn’t.W

Oh, no. My head shot up.His purposeful look immediately putting me on edge.He strode across the Training Garden and caught my arm. Before calling over his shoulder. “Markus!”Markus, nicknamed Magus by Hawk, was the most promising of the senior mages. An auburn haired, green eyed mage in training. One we all knew Hawk shared all his spells with. Hawk favored him enough to nickname him a mage’s title.I wonder if he gifted him what a mage could do with a woman’s lock of hair? I grimaced. Remembering that word he’d said so many times.Kerdan.Markus immediately stepped forward and started lining the other mages up with the arrow stands.Oh, no… My worst subject. I was frowning over my shoulder as Hawk drug me away on stilted legs.“Don’t worry about it.” He said harshly over to me. “You won’t be rejoining them until after I&rs

He let the tip of him put pressure against my entrance. Letting me feel him.I know what’s coming now. I closed my eyes and prepared myself as much as I could. Still, I was nowhere near ready when he abruptly entered me. Burying deep into me. Making my hips feel as though they needed to part to allow him to probe my depths.My mouth opened and my head reflexively tossed up as I struggled against the urge to scream at the sensation of him filling me. But I knew Warlord was close by and knew that everything I seemed to do was wrong and everything Hawk did was right.And I remembered him telling Hawk to “fix me.”“I doubt when he told you to ‘fix me’ he was telling you to mount me.” I hissed.Hawk caught the ends of my blonde hair along my lower back and rolled them around his fist. Then reached forward to scoop one breast before letting his chest drop against my back so his heat surrounded me entirel

The impact of Hawk’s statement wasn’t lost on me. It implied that training and leading the mages was awful.“Why is it so dreadful?”“Because when I fail. One dies.”I stared at him, jaw agape. My blue eyes blinking widely. I’d never considered what it must be like for Hawk to train us. Only how insufferable he was to endure the instruction of.“Come.” He caught my shoulder to turn me. “It’s time we return to the Training Gardens.”It was the last thing I wanted to do.No, that’s inaccurate. I don’t want to be alone with Hawk again.The only thing worse than enduring his cruelty was experiencing his vulnerability.***I heard Magus giving bold instructions even before we rounded the last turn, and they came into view.Mages were back to practicing casting arrows.In Hawk’s absence, Magus commands were