Page 41 of Crave Me

I growled.I am a goddess. I am not weak. He just… he just…I swallowed, unable to finish the sentence. I felt so dizzy. So broken. So… so…rejected.

And I wanted him to feel the same way.

To experience this loss, to realize how much it hurt. This might have been my idea, but I hadn’t expected this pain!

I growled at him.

Which made the bastardsmile.

“There’s my goddess,” he said. “Come on. Reject me.”

“Your goddess?” I repeated. “Yourgoddess?” This asshole thought to call me his after driving this bolt of invisible energy into my chest?No. No, that was not okay. Nor was I accepting it. Because… because… “Vesperus Veritas… I reject you.”

Energy cackled in the air between us, causing all the hairs along my arms to stand on end.

I closed my eyes, my lungs fighting to breathe, my heart ceasing to beat.

Until…

Until it all cleared.

In a blink of time, everything shifted and a weight on my spirit lifted, freeing me from the agony of being rejected.

My lips parted, my insides in shambles over being shredded by a foreign spell. The moon kissed my senses, rejuvenating my spirit and sprinkling stardust all over my skin.

I sighed, relaxing into the leather behind me, and slowly opened my eyes.

Vesperus had released me, his expression giving nothing away as he sat silently beside me.

“You’re definitely not a troll,” I murmured, pleased to see that the deliciousness that was Vesperus still existed.

And, mmm, he still smelled like chocolate.

A glorious sundae with hot fudge and warm nuts. Yes, please.

“I don’t think that worked,” I said, leaning toward him. “Because I still very much want to lick you.”

He arched a brow. “Do you?”

“I do.” I ran my gaze over his delectable form. “So I guess the ‘no fucking’ rule needs to remain.”

“It does,” he said, his tone and expression still unreadable.

I pulled back a little to study him, slightly annoyed by his ability to turn himself off completely. “Do you still want to lick me?”

He ran those beautiful irises—still glittering like eclipses—over me in a slow, sensuous path. “We’ll see,” he replied, his hand going to the shifter between us as he pulled back out onto the street.

I frowned.We’ll see?What kind of answer is that? Does he no longer feel attracted to me like I do to him?

My stomach churned in response.

Had cutting off the enchantment made him immune to me? Or was he playing coy? A king protecting his heart and throne?

Hmm.

I would just have to… test some barriers. See how he reacted. And go from there.

Perhaps he hasn’t decided how he feels yet,I thought.