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“What? I get cold.” I hadn’t grabbed much before we left, but it was getting cooler outside, and a blanket seemed like a necessity.

The den forced us to share a tight space. We could lie flat, side by side, but there was no getting away from each other. Jase laid beside me, resting on his elbow before pulling me back against his chest.

“I can think of much more effective ways to warm you.” His words tickled the shell of my ear, instantly heating the part of me he’d ravished that night in front of the window.

Was this an invitation? My interest piqued. Feeling bold, I challenged his offer. I pushed my hips back, pressing my ass against him. A low, growling vibration emanated from his chest. Before I could react, his arm was turning me onto my back.

He had a way of making me fearful and excited all at once.

My heart was pounding. Nervous energy coursed through my veins as he slid his hand up my body.

He tilted my chin toward his own, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

His icy blue eyes held my gaze, dropping to my lips before he leaned down gently sealing his to mine.

It was soft and sensual, as though he were testing the waters—seeking some form of nonverbal consent.

The heat of his breath mixed with my own as I parted my lips, deepening the kiss.

Jase had never shown me this kind of intimacy.

The night at the window was something altogether different.

His hand was in my hair, gripping the back of my head to pull me in closer. We were lost in the moment. Consumed with lust. What had started out as a soft sweetness quickly devolved into fevered need, feeding that starved piece of our soul.

I pulled at his clothes. I wanted to touch him, to feel his skin. Breaking the kiss, I sat up, ripping at my dress, cursing the damned fabric keeping us apart

He reached for my hands, stilling me. “There’s no need to rush. Let me.” The familiar smoky wisps of his shadows crept over his shoulders and glided effortlessly up over my chest and behind me. One by one, the laces of my dress loosened.

Jase pulled his shirt over his head and, without skipping a beat, tilted my chin up, placing delicate kisses along my jaw trailing down my neck, while his gift made quick work of my dress. The shoulders slouched forward, and I slid my arms free, dropping it to my waist, leaving me bare.

Biting his lip, Jase watched intently while his shadows crept up my ribs, circling my breasts. Teasing me with their icy touch, they tugged at my taut nipples. Even though they were an extension of himself, he watched through jealous eyes.

“Fuck, Mic,” he whispered under his breath. “Lift your hips so they can undress you. I want you the way nature intended.”

The heat from his gaze made me feel like sin incarnate. I leaned back on my elbows, lifting off the evergreen branches while the dark fingers slid off the rest of the material. Just like before, they leisurely wandered back up my legs.

“Surrender to them. Let them explore your perfection,” Jase said with hunger in his eyes. “I want to watch you writhe.”

Closing out the world, I focused on the cold, feather-like touch of the shadows gliding along my skin, sending shivers throughout my entire body.

The torturous delight of the unknown had me in its clutches.

Tendrils swirled up my legs, down my chest and arms. Every inch of flesh was alive with sensation.

And then, they closed in on my most sensitive parts.

I tried in vain to stay quiet. The last thing I wanted was to alert someone to our presence. But the feeling overpowered my sensibilities. A desperate moan escaped my lips as his shadows simultaneously tugged at my nipples and probed my throbbing wetness.

“Such beautiful sounds you make for us. Don’t force me to silence you.”

“Jase,” I panted. “I can’t. I—”Another cry slid from my lips as his wisps circled my swollen clit.

Darkness immediately climbed the column of my throat, invading my mouth. Panic washed over me as a strange smoky weight restricted my tongue, muffling my cries.

“That’s my good girl. Breathe.” I looked at Jase for reassurance and found him fisting his massive cock, the tip glistening with a bead of excitement. He was panting just as hard as I was. Enjoying the show his gift was offering up.

A cold fullness filled my opening, stretching me to the edge of gentle pain, forcing another muffled cry from my lips.

Jase climbed over me, settling in between my legs, pushing back my thighs, and spreading me wide.

His tongue replaced the smoky fingers circling my clit.

“Mmm.” His sighs of content vibrated my sensitive nub, and my legs quivered.

I couldn’t hold on any longer. I lost control, every muscle in my body contracted as pleasure erupted from my core, throwing me into frenzied bliss.

I tried to call out his name, but the darkness still held my mouth hostage. My legs clamped around his head, my hips grinding out my orgasm on his masterful tongue.

“Your taste is bewitching.” He looked at me as though I was prey, licking his lips and savoring the remnants of my release. It was clear he wasn’t done toying with me. “I think it’s best we leave you silenced.”

The shadows bound my wrists, lifting them over my head, and twisting so that my body was forced to roll over. Lifting my hips, Jase exposed my sex to the cool air of the den.

“You have the most exquisite ass,” he said, gripping my cheeks tightly and spreading them. “Tell me, have my brothers claimed this part of you yet?”

I shook my head no, and a wave of fear washed over me.

“No?” He questioned. “We’ll have to go easy then.”

My muscles clenched when he circled a finger over the uncharted area. Much to my surprise, the sensation brought forth a flood of wetness. A shameless moan escaped my muffled lips, delighting Jase, and emboldening him to explore some more.

“Breathe,” he reminded me. “Relax”

I forced myself to take a deep breath and exhaled out my fear.

“Good girl,” he purred. His praise stoked the fire burning in my core, and my compliance was handsomely rewarded.

His cock was at my entrance, pressing against my slippery wetness, invading me inch by delectable inch until he was fully seated inside my core.

And then his thumb, slick with my desire, was again circling at my back door.

“Breathe, baby girl,” he ordered again. But this time on my exhale, his shadows released my mouth as he pushed his thumb inside, driving my pleasure to new heights.

I tried in vain to keep my voice down, but the sensations were too strong. Once he started moving, it was hopeless. Animalistic groans fell from my lips as the tension inside me grew like a coiled snake ready to strike.

“Fuck, Mic,” he growled, his pace quickening. “Your pretty little pussy takes me so well.”

“Jase,” I panted, “I can’t…I’m going to cum,” I warned as my insides clenched around his length.

“It’s okay, baby. Cum for me. Cum on my hard cock.” He wrapped his arm around my hips, stroking my clit till I hit the crescendo. My toes curled, body arching against him, and I fell off the edge into a sea of ecstasy.

With a groan, Jase collapsed over top of me, his deep thrusting becoming jerky until he stilled, sheathed to the hilt. His shadows instantly recoiled, releasing my wrists from their grasp, as our breathing slowed, becoming synchronized.

Spooning naked with Jase, post coital, in a tiny rocky den was definitely not something I ever expected.

Yet there we were. My stubborn Bruin lazily traced his fingers along my curves.

The more time we spent alone, the softer his armor became.

At least this time he wasn’t running off dismissing what we had just shared.

But one thing remained the same, and it was eating at me.

“Why do your shadows restrain my hands every time we…” Sex with Jase was something out of a spicy paranormal romance novel.

His shadows added a layer of supernatural surrealness that I could never have with anyone else.

But both times we’d been intimate, I had no choice but to play a passive role.

And even though they scared me, his shadows were part of him and they excited me just as much.

“I like the way you look, helpless and bound by my will.” I didn’t know what to think of his answer.

It was definitely giving psychopath energy.

There was something about Jase that you didn’t see in his brothers.

Even his bear reflected the darkness inside with its obsidian coat.

“Since we’re asking questions: why did you use the sprite ash today? You didn’t mention feeling ill.”

“What?” I played dumb. How did he know?

“Mic,” he said gently. “I have memorized every inch of your beautiful skin. That pale blue shimmer between your breasts is not natural. Did I push you too hard?”

“I… I—” I panicked, stuttering my words. “I was tired, and I didn’t want to slow us down.”

“Did Maxfield say anything about using sprite ash when you don’t need it?”

“No. I just thought, why not? It’s harmless.” At least I think it’s harmless. Maxfield said it shouldn’t be trifled with. But it never seemed to cause any trouble.

“Can I see the vial?”

I reached for my pack, retrieving the sprite ash and handed it to Jase.

“Mic, this vial is almost empty. How much have you been using?”

“I guess I wasn’t really paying attention. I’ve spent my whole life feeling awful. Forgive me for wanting to maintain a level of comfort.”

“I’m not reprimanding you. But I don’t like the idea of you losing track of how often you reach for it.”

“Jase, I need it.”

“That’s how it begins,” he said sharply. “First it’s just to help you get through the hard days. Then it’s to get through all the others. One morning, you’ll wake and need it just to exist . I don’t like it. I’m going to hold on to this for you. When you need it, I’ll give it back.”

I stared at him in disbelief. My heart pounding with the thought of not having a safety net at my disposal.

He reached for my jaw, caressing my cheek. “I promise, everything is going to be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you. Come to me if you need to life-bind.” Jase leaned in kissing my lips tenderly and pulled my body in tightly against his own. “You should try to get some rest.”

I wasn’t thrilled that he’d taken the ash from me, but I wasn’t about to argue with him now. Instead, I closed my eyes, pulled in a deep breath, and tried to relax into the warmth of his body. Enveloped in the scent of the evergreen boughs beneath us, I fell into a deep sleep.

The trek to Mathenholm took several long and arduous days.

The sight of the castle finally within reach brought on a level of anxiety I’d never experienced before.

I hadn’t been visited by Hunter or Finn since that day in the forest, and dread had begun to rot its way through me.

Our greatest enemy was now less than a mile away. This—was what we had come for.

“Are you ready?” Jase asked as we crept toward the edge of the tree line.

“How close do we need to be to send in your shadows?”

“Once we’re inside the outer bailey, we’ll infiltrate the staff quarters. Thats where I’ll release them.”

“And how exactly are we getting into the outer bailey?”

“There’s a section of loose stones on the southern wall. We used it as children when sneaking out. Not once were we caught,” he boasted proudly.

The first step out into the open field took every ounce of courage I had left. It was dark, yes—but without the cover of the forest. If someone were watching, they’d see us.

Nothing happened. It was exactly as Jase promised, we crossed without incident. Within moments, we were standing before the curtain wall.

One by one, Jase began pulling free the loose stones, revealing a narrow crawl space. “I’ll go first. When it’s clear, follow me.” He kissed me quickly, then dropped to his knees and slipped through the gap. “It’s all clear, Mic. Come on through.”

I exhaled hard, trying to slow my racing pulse. I crouched, poking my head through the hole—and froze.

A cold, sharp point pressed against the back of my neck.

“Well, well. I gotta say, I didn’t think you’d actually pull it off,” an unknown male said above me. “Stand up!” he barked.

Slowly, I got to my feet. Jase stood in front of me. His expression was blank. Guarded. There weren’t just one, but two guards waiting. They clearly knew exactly where we’d be. And worse—they were completely uninterested in Jase.

“It wasn’t easy,” he said quietly.

It wasn’t easy? The world tilted. My thoughts reeled as the truth slammed into me with devastating force.

“Jase?” My voice was barely a whisper. I stared at him, searching his face—pleading silently for answers.

He simply looked away, refusing to make eye contact, dismissing me.

No. No, this couldn’t be real. He wouldn’t… he couldn’t have. Not after everything. Not after what we’d shared. The long nights. The trust. The bond we’d started to build.

But the guards weren’t guessing. They were waiting. And Jase hadn’t been caught.

He’d delivered me.

The guards moved in, each one grabbing an arm with force. “Johan’s waiting,” one muttered. “He wants her in her old room.”

There was no point in resisting. No one would defend me here. Not even the male I’d trusted. Jase had walked me straight into the dragon’s lair and laid me at its feet.

And the worst part?

I’d walked in willingly