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Why I brought her here, I’m still not entirely certain. This whole place has sat unused for years, forgotten and gathering dust. There are a dozen other places I might have taken her, residences in the larger cities of the realm set aside and maintained for my use. Far grander places, tidy, comfortable ones. Yet, when I had only moments to take her somewhere safe, this was the instinctual choice.

“Allie,” I whisper, running a finger down her cheek.

Her nose scrunches adorably and she lets out an annoyed little huff of breath before opening her eyes.

“Eren?”

I’m down beside her in a moment, pulling the covers back so I can slide in beneath them. They’re not as musty and mothball-ridden as I thought they would be, and I smile a little as I suspect my witch had something to do with that. Allie comes readily into my arms, pressing herself tightly against me and burrowing her face into my neck.

“Are you alright?” Her voice is tight and a little shaky.

“Shh,” I soothe, running a hand down the back of her hair. “I’m alright.”

“Was anyone hurt?”

“No serious injuries,” I tell her, pressing my lips to her temple.

“What about the keep? How much of it was destroyed?”

The worry in her voice cuts straight through to the core of me. “We can talk about it in the morning. You must be exhausted.”

Was it only just this morning I had her writhing beneath me in the forest? Was it only just hours ago that she and I had time together away from all of this? What I wouldn’t give to live those hours over and over again, just to savor her.

“Tell me,” she insists. “I want to know what happened, and if there’s anything I can do to help.”

Instead of answering, I drape a wing over her, settle her even more deeply into me and simply breathe her scent into my lungs. After the last few hours, I swear it’s all I need to live. Just her, just my Allie, safe and in my arms.

“Eren,” she protests.

“Allie.” I nuzzle into her neck.

Soft. She’s so impossibly soft, every inch of her kissable, bitable, delicious. Letting my fangs drag along her skin, I’m rewarded by a low moan and an arch of her back as she squirms against me.

“We need to talk,” she says, but it’s nearly lost in a hot, fervent rush of breath when my hand curls around her ass, pressing her tight against my growing erection.

I rock into her, rubbing the length of my cock into the vee of her thighs. Even through the fabric, I can feel how hot she is. If I pulled that dress of hers up around her hips and dipped my hand beneath the thin, lacy barrier of her panties, I’m certain I’d find her wet and wanting and….

It’s only when I realize she’s placed a hand against my chest and is pushing firmly against me that I pull away reluctantly, removing my wing and leaning back so I can look into her eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

Allie rolls her eyes. “You’re using sex to avoid the conversation.”

“And?” I ask.

With another firm push of her hand, she rolls away from me and comes to a sitting position on the bed, tucking her legs beneath her.

We stare each other down for a few seconds. Her hair is a little mussed with sleep, and the color of her cheeks is still high, but her gaze is focused, serious, and more than a little bit pissed off.

Can I blame her? I’m acting like an ass.

She remains silent—watching, waiting for something from me. It’s not hard to guess what she wants.

“I’m sorry,” I tell her. “I shouldn’t have tried to use sex as a distraction. I had just hoped we could enjoy a few hours of peace before facing everything that happened today.”

Her expression softens into one of understanding. “I get that. And I’m so sorry, Eren, for anyone who was injured and all the damage to your home.”

I nod around the sudden tightness in my throat. “Our home.”