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“Where are we going?” Grae called as I yanked on his hand, pulling him back into the rainstorm. Our boots splashed throughdeep puddles, mud flying around us as we darted toward the fortress. My clothes were soaked to the skin, but I didn’t care. In that moment, with just Grae and me and the roar of rain, I felt giddy and light.

We reached the outer wall of the ruins and climbed over the rubble. I tore back the vines obscuring the doorway and stumbled into the shadowed room. Grae’s hand clenched around mine, keeping me upright as my feet wobbled over the loose stone. My eyes strained. A human would probably see nothing but darkness, but, even in this form, I could see the outlines of shapes.

I panted, wiping my wet hair off my forehead as I surveyed the space. Shrubs and weeds had reclaimed the floor, growing from the dirty cracks in the paving stones. Cobwebs covered the ceiling and only a few scraps of wood remained.

“What is this place?” I released Grae’s hand and ventured further into the room. I held out my hands in front of me as I walked, my eyes working to see through the gloom.

“A ruin of some sort,” Grae breathed, wiping a hand down his wet face. “A human temple maybe?”

He followed after me as I found my way to a curving stairwell. Rivers of water ran down the moss-covered steps, the heavy rain misted from the caved-in ceiling to the right. I got up two stairs before Grae caught my hand.

“I feel like one misstep and this entire thing will crumble,” he said, pulling me down a stair so that I was the same height as him.

I slid my hands up his chest and around his neck. Fingers dipping into his drenched hair, I laughed. “You might as well have jumped into a lake.”

“I was lured into the rain by this beautiful creature. It’s not my fault I was bewitched.” His hands slipped between the folds of my cloak and circled my waist.

“I wanted to be alone with you,” I whispered.

His lips found mine, enveloping me in a warm, soft kiss. His mouth skimmed up to my ear. “This is far from the crackling fire and a warm bed I’d imagined for our first time together.”

“What is this wolfish obsession with firsts?” I rolled my eyes. “The third time can be in a nice warm bed, or the fifth.” Grae’s lips twisted into a wicked smirk. I waved a hand up and down my tunic and leathers. “Do I look like some dainty, soft-hearted damsel?”

“No.” He took a step closer, his cloak brushing against the fabric of my tunic. His breath danced across my cheek as he leaned into me. I sucked in a sharp breath as his teeth tested the flesh below my ear. “You look like my mate.”

“If we waited for everything to be perfect, we might never have each other.” My fingernails pressed into his neck. “Besides, we are Wolves. We don’t need fires and beds.”

Grae responded with his tongue replacing his teeth, making me arch my head back further.

“I knew I shouldn’t have given you that little taste,” he murmured, his hot breath in my ear making my skin ripple with goosebumps. “Now you’re ravenous.”

“Yes,” I groaned through clenched teeth. The rain poured so loud throughout the cavernous space, I was certain no one could hear me.

“What do you want, mischievous little fox?” Grae’s hand strayed from my hip, moving around to cup my ass. “Tell me and I’ll give it to you.”

“I want you.” My lips parted as I panted, “I want you inside of me.”

Grae groaned as his fingers pressed in tighter and then he released me. His hands made quick work of unclasping his cloak and he threw it down on the stairs behind me. I grinned as he hastened to unclasp mine and did the same, layering the stone steps in our thick wool cloaks.

“You have no idea how badly I’ve wanted to hear that,” he growled.

His lips crashed into mine, pulling my bottom lip between his teeth and sucking until I moaned. He guided me backward and I perched myself on the crumbling stone steps. Grae prowled overme, holding himself up as his hips nestled between my thighs. The friction of our leathers made me squirm, and he tilted his hips, rubbing his hard length against me even more directly. I already felt so light that I might’ve tipped over the edge from anticipation alone.

“Since the moment you crashed into me in Allesdale,” he groaned, rocking against me as his teeth found my neck again, “I’ve been wanting to claim you as mine in every way. You’d claimed my heart so many years before that, but it was then that I knew for certain. You are mine.”

My tongue slid against his in a hot, deep kiss. My hips matched his rhythm as I chased that throbbing desire building within me.

“And you aremine.”

He took my hand and put it against his erection straining against his trousers. “Is this what you want, little fox?” Grae’s voice was low and husky.

“Enough teasing,” I growled against his mouth, giving a squeeze to show he wasn’t the only one in control. “Take your clothes off.”

Grae sucked in a breath. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

I fumbled with the buttons of my trousers as Grae unbuckled his belt.

“Grae!” a voice boomed through the darkness.