Free The Empire (The Lover's Opalus) by Grayson Reyes-Cole Page B

bed, or even the floor, and come inside her body. She wanted this more than she wanted to breathe.
    Though his lips responded and drew pleasant sensations from every possible nerve in her body, he did not touch more than her mouth and his pace was slow, tasting her in a way that made her press her thighs together. She was dazed, but he was controlled.
    Raeche stepped away from him, her chest heavy, but when she felt his Spirit envelope her and saw the green storm in his eyes, she knew he had buried his desire, not tamed it.
    “It is not unnatural for a woman who has known the pleasure of a man to desire it again.”
    “Is that all you have to say, Lanus?”
    “I know what you have been feeling, little dark one. I know the thoughts constantly raging in your mind, the things you are curious about, the desire. It is natural.”
    “Natural. Yes, I suppose wanting my husband is natural.”
    “You want your husband?” His laugh held no humor.
    “I would have believed that to be obvious, Lanus. I know you pick thoughts from my head at will. You must know that I desire you.” This answer clearly did not please him.
    “I know well what you desire. You are not welcome in my bed, Raeche.”
    “We did not use a bed, Lanus. However, that matters little. You are certainly welcome in mine.”
    Lanus squinted and the expression was a new one for Raeche. She did not know what it meant.
    “I will not come to your bed, either.”
    Anger chased heat over her skin. “If I cannot have you, then I must be granted someone else. Where is your Personal?”
    “My brother would fall on his sword rather than come to you while I lived–”
    “Yes, he hates me–”
    “As for someone else–would you have the blood of yet another man, ten more men, a thousand more men on your hands? Are you comfortable with their deaths because you will not wield the sword?” His eyes lazily roamed her body, setting her afire from embarrassment and desire. “Is the ache there so deep?”
    Raeche considered possible answers. None of them seemed as if they would satisfy her husband, so she told the truth. “Yes it is. I thought to be rid of it by lying with you and reminding myself of the pain of coupling with you. Yet it has grown and the pain ebbed soon enough this last time. Perhaps it is perverse of me but sometimes when you are angry with me, I am…darkly affected. I ignore your words preferring to watch your mouth. I forget your message and feel like touching your hair or your arm. I feel like walking behind you, climbing onto your back and going where you go until you pay attention to nothing but me. I have never felt this for another man. I cannot imagine I ever would.”
    “Lies have always come so easily to you. You did feel it for another man.”
    “No, Emperor, I did not. I betrayed you with this fantasy of Galan, but I never felt for Galan or Galan the Impostor what I feel now.” She clasped her hands to the sides of his head, demanding a Lock of True Eyes.
    Lanus grabbed both her wrists in the swipe of one hand, refusing her gaze.
    “What are you afraid of, Lanus?” she asked. “What is your greatest fear?”
    He squeezed her wrists then growled before dropping them and stepping away from her.
    Raeche advanced, feeling the stir of dark courage that came before she did something truly stupid. “Once your greatest fear was that, even with an Empire as dowry, I did not want you. I no longer dwell in the Spirit of Fear, Lanus, so I see.” She put a finger to her eye above the red splotch. “I wonder what it is now…your greatest fear.”
    “My greatest fear is for my daughter. Perhaps that is where you should concentrate your energy.”
    She did not want to let go of her slight advantage, yet his mention of Rucha halted her. She pressed a hand over her heart. “What is wrong?”
    “What has been set into motion in the Empire cannot be stopped. At least, not yet.”
    “Lanus?”
    He shook his head, chewing his lower lip while he