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She’d give the mortal pleasure unlike she’d ever known before. After all, the creature was proving to be a valuable asset.

Starting right here.

With Thaddeus.

30

Bryce stretched his arms over his head, his hands knocking into the solid wood headboard. Cracking open an eye, he spotted a hazy figure half-hidden behind the bed’s curtains. A beautiful arch of creamy flesh, the delicate bumps of her spine as Rihanna leaned over and lifted a long gown of rich red from around her ankles. He rolled onto his side, propped his head on his hand, and admired every inch of Rihanna as she gracefully maneuvered into the gown. He couldn’t believe his little bird could make such a simple task as dressing something utterly sexual.

Then again, everything about her was sensual grace, right down to the way they made love.

Rihanna tossed a knowing smile over her shoulder as the laces along the back of her dress tightened on their own, followed by the leather fasteners of her corset. As each piece fell into place, it enhanced every delectable curve he’d spent hours exploring throughout the night.

Bryce growled, snatching her around the waist and tugging her back onto the bed beside him. She laughed until he tucked her beneath him and replaced her laughter with aheady moan as he consumed her mouth with a fierce, hungry kiss.

“Mm, I want all of this off you,” he said against her mouth. It was such a shame anything that she pulled onto her body fit too well. He loved how her clothing looked on her, but it only made him want to tear everything off. “My goddess.”

Rihanna pressed a palm to his shoulder, her fingernails scraping his skin. He suppressed a groan of pleasure, capturing her hands and pinning her arms over her head. He damn near drowned in maddening desire as he watched her lavender eyes darken with wisps of royal purple and the ever expanding black of her pupils.

“Must we get out of bed?” he whispered.

“Aye, though I’m tempted to stay here a while longer.”

He dipped his head, tracing her neck with opened lips and shallow breaths. “What’re the plans for today that require us to leave this room?”

“Mo ghra,” she moaned, sliding a leg to hook around his waist. “Liam announced Terrek’s birth to our people a short time ago. Breakfast is being held in Shaye’s chambers, as is customary after the birth of a child. We must attend, however much we both wish to engage in other activities.”

Bryce ended his teasing with a nibble along her lower lip before releasing her shackled wrists. She remained on her back, arms overhead, breaths short gasps and cheeks a familiar rose. He mustered a mischievous smile and rolled onto his back. As he expected, his beautiful Rihanna shifted to lean over him, her cape of silky black hair pooling against his chest.

“How was your brother and Moira when you visited them last night?” Bryce asked, tucking her hair behind her jewel-studded pointed ear.

“My brother was terribly worried and upset. Everything that happened went against all of their hopes for Terrek’s arrival into this world. Moira and Shaye wished for a celebratory birth, but ’twas not to be.” She traced a finger along his lips. “But both hisanam caraand his first blood-born son have survived.” She grinned. “Come, beloved. Aspen was able to obtain some fresh items of clothing for you until we can visit the village and have a suitable wardrobe created.”

Bryce complied with Rihanna’s every wish, including allowing her to dress him in the unconventional—to him—outfit she’d retrieved from her armoire. Leather, and a lot of it. Soft, supple, comfortable. Some silk, too. Nothing was simple. Everything appeared intricately designed with the utmost care. Rihanna fastened the gold buttons of his black silk shirt, then pulled on a black leather vest with a high, stiff collar and embroidered with bronze stitching and Celtic knotwork buttons.

When she was through, she stepped back, her expression a lovely mixture of admiration and awe. “My, Aspen did well.” She gathered his hand in hers and led him to a full-length mirror. “Look, love.”

Bryce did a double take with his first glimpse of the man in the mirror. The reflection staring back at him was far from the Bryce Hampton he recognized. Instead, he looked like a cross between one of the Fae men he’d seen in the castle and Mikhail.

And everything about the man in the mirror made him feel like he’d finally found where he belonged.

Rihanna slipped behind him and carefully gathered his hair at this nape, tying it with a leather thong. She stepped up to his side, meeting his gaze in the mirror. Bryce slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her in front of him. They stared at their reflections, the perfection of the pair observing themin return. She was stunningly gorgeous, and utterly perfect in his arms. Anything beyond this picture, this union, held no worth to him.

“Look at us, little bird,” he murmured quietly against her head, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair. A faint tremor coursed through her, enticing his desire once more. “I can’t imagine anyone else standing with me. Only you.”

“And ’tis the same for me. Not a soul but you,” she replied, relaxing against him. A few more seconds of admiring their reflection passed, then she turned and pressed onto her toes, kissing his mouth with a tenderness that caused his heart to flutter while stealing his breath. He could never go back to the life he’d lived before Rihanna. He wouldn’t.

He lowered his hands to her waist as she leaned back. When she gazed up into his face, pure, raw love brimmed in her eyes. Love poured from her, filled the air around them.

But as he drank her in, his old reality niggled at the back of his head.

Rihanna’s brows pinched. “Something bothers you.” She pressed her fingers to his forehead before he turned his head to respond. “Aye. I feel it inside my chest. Your worry. What worries you, beloved?”

His lips pulled tight and he sighed. “I’ve everything I could dream of. Everything I could ever want, ever need, is here with me now. You. I’ve found you. I’m in a world that shouldn’t exist and can’t imagine being anywhere else. I feel childish saying it, but I never care to return to my old life. But”—he frowned—“something made you panic at my house. Should I be worried about my parents? Are they safe?”

Rihanna lowered her head. “What did you see that eve?”

“See? Aside from my parents arguing? Nothing.”