Anastasia was speechless. She had never seen or heard this kind of a thing before. Did the Fae spirits reside in the tunnel? Everything was baffling. But the thought that King Óisin brought his sword down to block the exit was... enthralling. No wonder so many stones must have broken away from the wall that held his statue. "Do you think the statue has broken?" she asked with a little sadness.

Ileus's eyes shot up to her. He placed his hand on her cheek and said, "I don't think so. It was an act that protected you. The statue of King Óisin only protected you."

She stared into the warmth of his eyes and felt a strange reassurance. Her lips kicked up a little and they stayed like that for a while.

He breathed a sigh. "When I look at you, it's so painful," he whispered.

On an impulse, Anastasia bent down and feathered a light kiss his lips. Ileus slid his hand behind her neck and curled his hand around her nape. His other hand slipped to her back and he slid it beneath her sweater. He brushed his calloused finger up on her spine and hip and her body shivered. He lifted her sweater till her breasts and skimmed his palm light over the scar that ran from her lower back and disappeared below her slacks. Her breathing became ragged. She remembered how he had flipped her on belly in the carriage and applied lotion on her scars. This touch reminded her of his care, of his reticence and of his coldness when they had come close for the first time.

"No one should have got such scars," he growled.

She didn't reply and continued to look in his eyes. Her body became aware of his growing erection. Ileus skimmed his fingers further up and then he brought them to the lower swells of her breasts. His body shuddered as he caressed them. He lifted his knees up to cage her legs tightly in his. He made slow circles around her breasts making her bite her cheek so that she didn't make a sound. Suddenly he cupped both her hips and slid her up in a way that her breasts were next to his mouth. He kissed her nipples briefly and slid her down immediately. Anastasia stifled a cry. Her jaw slackened as she looked into his luminous eyes and as his features became angular. Once again he brought his hand to his breasts and cupped them and squeezed them.

Anastasia closed her eyes as once again the sensation she felt blow the insides of her body. Her pulse raced. Ileus removed his hands from there slowly, curled them around her and pressed her into his body, pressed his erection into her belly. He whispered, "When I am alone with you one day, I will do wicked things. Be ready."

Gods. She ended up biting his chin, and he pressed her hips into his erection once more. "Sleep, Ana," he said and slid her down him. He gathered her in his arms and bundled her close to his chest. She tucked her face into his neck and closed her eyes to let the sensation pass through her body.

An hour later when the lamp's light had dimmed further, she found that even though she was too tired, sleep was difficult to come. She heard soft snores of Aidan. Kaizan had turned towards them and his hand was almost reaching her. It was exposed in the chill of the air so she lifted a little in order to tuck it back in, but Kaizan held her hand as if like a support. He started snoring again. Anastasia pursed her lips and bit by bit, removed her hand from his grasp.

She turned to look at Ileus and then suddenly her gaze fell on the book that Aidan was reading earlier. And now it was lying on the top of his chest. Tempted as hell, this was her chance to look inside it. Anastasia lifted to her knees slowly. She bent over Ileus, stretched her hand towards Aidan to take the book, but she realized that only her finger reached the book and if she stretched further, she risked waking Ileus. However, she estimated that just an inch more and she would be able to slide the book off his chest easily. She peered at his face and was assured that he was sleeping like a baby. So she took the risk. She pressed a little into Ileus's side and glided the book off Aidan's chest neatly. She suppressed a gleeful cry by pursing her lips hard. She retreated as gently and slowly as she could.

Anastasia settled down and turned on her belly. The movement made Ileus stir a little. He moved and pulled her closer by curling his arms on her waist and resting his leg over hers. She held her breath for him to settle against her. Once he was sleeping, she opened the book. And the first page was:

Tie Her And Have Sex

Her eyes became wide and she gasped. There was an image of a girl wearing deep red lingerie was slit till her hips. Her nipples showed through the fabric. Her hands were tied behind and her eyes were blindfolded. She had opened her mouth. Beneath the picture it was written, 'Brush her lips with your erection for maximum anticipation. It will make her want you more.'

Anastasia felt that her cheeks had singed like the fire in the hearth where they were cooking the food. It was difficult to blink her eyes. She flipped the page and then there was another image of the same woman but with a naked man standing in front of her and his shaft in her mouth. Her lips were wrapped around his shaft as if she was dying to suck it. It read, 'Grab her head and glide the shaft inside and out in slow but steady thrusts.' It was followed by a large amount of text. 'In my experiences, I have seen women loving this position when they are kneeling on the floor. They like dominance. Show them.'