In the ocean, Alaric’s body shifted, turning sleek and dark, the blackthorn crown still resting on his head. As a seal, he dove under the dark surface.
A shock of pain rocked through my body where the serpent had bitten me, and I found myself losing control of my flight, careening down toward the water. My wings weren’t working now, either.
Salty spray misted over me, and then I crashed hard into the sea, the agony blinding. Injured as I was, I hadn’t managed to retract my wings in time before I hit the surface. The force of the fall plunged me under the waves, and pain splintered my bones.
I’d become so used to healing quickly, but that wasn’t working out for me right now. In fact, I felt distinctly mortal. I felt like I wanted to vomit. Where the fuck was up? Where was down? My wings slowly slid back into my shoulder blades.
At last, my feet struck rough stone, helping to orient me. I pushed forward toward the shore until my head popped above the waves, and then I sucked in a furious breath.
I dragged myself from the sea, rasping for air. Holy hell, that serpent’s venom had wrecked me, and the saltwater in the puncture wounds didn’t feel amazing.
I trudged through the waves, my whole body shaking.
Orion stood on the rocky shore, knee deep in the water. His sleeves had been rolled up, and the sea spray had dampened his white shirt, making it translucent and leaving it clinging to his abs. “You okay?” he called.
I managed a smile as I trudged closer to him through the crashing waves. “I’ll live, right?” I didn’t want to puke in front of my rival but avoiding that wasn’t the easiest thing right now.
As I moved nearer, he stepped forward, just in time to catch my arm as I started to fall. “I need to get the venom out of you.”
I clutched my side, staring at up him. “We’re competing.”
He slid his arm around his waist, helping me to walk. “All we can do now is wait until old Alaric comes out of the sea, and I don’t need you to be in pain that entire time. Alaric won’t be able to stay transformed forever, but we might have a long night ahead of us.”
I leaned into him, too agonized to refuse his help. Was his body shaking a little? I felt like his muscles were vibrating. “What was that creature?”
“A monster called a Ladon, with venom toxic even to demons.” Even in the darkness, I could tell that Orion’s face was drained of color. “Alaric must have called him from the sea. The venom won’t kill you, but it’ll hurt like hell and interfere with your magic.”
I gritted my teeth as I sat on the stairs. “Legion thought taking a crown from a mortal would be easy.”
“Legion has no idea what he’s talking about.” Orion knelt between my knees and lifted the soaking hem of my shirt. I grimaced at the sight of two deep puncture wounds. Dark poison flowed through my veins beneath my pale skin.
“How do you get it out?” At this point, I could hardly get the words out, and they mumbled forth as more of an incoherent moan than a question.
Without answering, he lowered his mouth to my skin just above my hip bone. He swirled his tongue once, and then he began to suck. The relief of pain was almost instantaneous, replaced by the warmth of Orion’s magic—the fucking glorious healing power of an incubus. Heat spread from my hip bone outward, making my muscles go supple and relaxed. The feeling of relief quickly slid into something pleasurable that had me threading my fingers into his hair. Molten heat slid through my body.
Gods, I loved the way he healed me. Might as well admit it. His mouth moved above the hollow on my hips, and desire hummed through me, a hot vibration that made me want to pull him up over me. Except at any minute now, we’d probably have a whole crowd of onlookers, and I didn’t want them to see their future queen in a compromising situation. I tried to keep my eyes on the sea as Orion worked his mouth over my skin, occasionally spitting venom onto the stones.
He really didn’t feel like a rival right now. But of course he didn’t—he was Orion, the last incubus. His sexual appeal burned with all the heat of a star.
My thighs clenched around him, and he looked up at me with a half-smile playing around his lips. “Seems like you’ll be fine now.”
I felt breathless as I released my grip from his hair, forcing my gaze from him to the dark sea. “You could have left the poison in me and won easily.”
He shifted away and sat next to me on the stairs. When he turned to face me, his eyes were burning bright blue. “And you could have killed me instead of binding me. But the thought of you in pain makes me want to die. Or massacre people. And I’m doing my best to avoid both at the moment.”