Chapter 34
Her eyes widen to an almost comical degree, her hands fluttering like startled birds. “M–my lady, I… I…” She resembles nothing so much as a comered rabbit, sweat beading on her forehead despite the room’s cool air.
“I’m not asking you to steal the pack’s sacred jewels,” I clarify, stepping closer. “I just need to return home. To see my mother.” Her throat works convulsively as she darts glances around the library like a stranger in unfamiliar territory, clearly uncomfortable.
Something isn’t right. The realization settles between my shoulder blades like an ice cube sliding down my spine. “Is something wrong?” I rise from my chair, but she recoils as if I’ve brandished a weapon.
“Zoey!” My voice cracks with uncharacteristic fear. Her behavior unnerves me more with each passing second.
The door swings open with a sharp creak, revealing Thalric, his expression carved from granite. “Leave us,” he commands, his tone holding the chill of a winter gale. Zoey flees without hesitation, nearly tripping in her haste.
I stare at the space she’s vacated, unable to shake the crawling sensation creeping along my skin.
He advances until mere inches separate us. “What?” I snap, meeting his gaze for only a heartbeat before looking away, my irritation bubbling over. “Now you want to talk? After how you left me earlier?” The words escape sharper than intended, my anger simmering just beneath the surface.
Silent as a predator, he closes the remaining distance between us. “I think I’m becoming addicted to you.” His voice slides over me like dark velvet, raising gooseflesh along my arms.
“Thalric…” My voice betrays me, wavering as my thoughts scatter like leaves in a storm.
I retreat a step to reclaim my sanity, but he’s too quick. “I don’t want to be around you right now.” The lie tastes bitter on my tongue. I sound about as convincing as a child denying stolen sweets.
His gaze travels the length of my body with deliberate slowness before settling on my mouth. “It’s like being under a spell. When we’re apart, I lose my mind. When we’re together, I lose myself.” His fingers barely graze my arm, yet the contact burns like a brand.
“You feel it too.” His skin begins to emit that eerie glow again–terrifying yet intoxicating. My traitorous mind supplies images of tracing its luminescence with my tongue, and I nearly choke on the sudden heat flooding my cheeks.
I try to retreat, but his hands find my waist with unerring precision, pulling me flush against him. The hard evidence of his arousal presses against my stomach, and understanding dawns with dizzying clarity.
He wants me.
The realization sends liquid heat pooling between my thighs. I cross my legs instinctively, bewildered by the unfamiliar sensation. Then the scent hits me–my own arousal mingling with his, unmistakable and heady.
I want to slam my head against the nearest wall. He’s barely touched me, and already I’m reduced to this trembling mess. “Aureliza,” he murmurs, and the way my name rolls off his tongue sends fresh
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tremors through me. “You do things to me. Things I can’t explain.”
“Thalric, what do you want?” My attempt at sternness fails spectacularly as an invisible presence coils around me–his magic, I realize with a start.
“I’ve been reading about fae bonds,” he says, smugness coloring his tone. “Did you know mates must consummate within the first month?” His smirk widens at my shocked expression. “You want this too. Otherwise, you’d have rejected my magic weaving through your veins.”
The phantom touch along my skin suddenly makes sense. “This is moving too fast,” I protest weakly. We barely know each other–surely he doesn’t truly want…
“I think we’re moving exactly as we should.” Between one blink and the next, he stands before me s hirtless, his lean frame revealing sculpted muscle that defies his usual tailored appearance. My mouth goes dry,
His lips find my shoulder–a paradox of roughness and tenderness that makes my knees weak. Large hands settle just below my breasts, alternating between featherlight strokes and firm possession.
My thoughts spiral into chaos. How have we gotten here? Does this mean he sees me as more than just an obligation? Could he possibly want me the way I…
He captures my gaze, and every doubt evaporates. “Stop thinking so hard,” he chides, pressing a kiss to my forehead that somehow quiets the storm in my mind. All that remains is him–his scent, his heat, the impossible contrast of pale skin over hard muscle.
My tongue darts out to moisten suddenly dry lips as my gaze travels the length of his torso. When our eyes meet again, his have bled to pure white–yet instead of fear, I feel only a strange rightness.
He leans in, whispering words I can’t comprehend through the haze of his scent. Then his lips claim mine, and the world explodes into sparks. I cling to him like a drowning woman, knowing that even if I wanted to pull away (and gods, I don’t), his kiss has ruined me for any other.
With effortless strength, he guides me onto the bed. His skin glows paler than moonlight, and then…
All thought ceases as he traces my lips with his tongue, a silent request for entry. The simple touch sends electric shocks straight to my core, where arousal pools with embarrassing intensity. He straddles me, his weight a delicious pressure between my thighs.
Heat floods my cheeks. One accidental shift and he’ll discover exactly how thoroughly he’s undone me -the soaked fabric barely containing the evidence of my desire.
