Page 42 of Crave Me

Well, if that was the case, I’d just have to help him along.

My gaze returned to the night outside, the moon calming my spirit and reminding me of my true path in life.

I came here to determine if this realm could be my home. Now I would also need to decide if Vesperus could be a future mate.

Or just a passing fancy.

Regardless of our fate, I planned to lick him.

Because chocolate was my favorite food.

And I fully intended to devour the treat beside me.

CHAPTERTEN

VESPERUS

Breakingthe bond had been a sound idea. A practical choice. The right path.

And yet, I couldn’t shake this feeling of wrongness.

Nor could I seem to handle my attraction to Nyx.

She hummed to herself as I showed her around my home, her gorgeous eyes flitting to the windows as often as she could to admire the sky outside.

Which was why I chose to show her the roof second to last.

We’d already been through the living area, the kitchens—where I’d introduced her to some of the staff members—and the three different dining rooms.

I’d also shown her the various quarters where everyone slept on the other floors and taken her through the library, into the adjoining conference hall, and by the second-floor seating area.

Then I’d bypassed the third floor with a soft “We’ll come back down here in a minute.”

And now I stood at the top of the stairs that led to my favorite sanctuary.

“This is a section of my home that is off-limits to everyone. But as my…guest…you may visit it anytime.” It would serve as a way to inspire rumors regarding our mating. Only a future queen would be given access to my private sanctuary. Not even Kaspian was invited up here.

Of course, he would break that rule in the case of an emergency.

But that had never happened before.

My grounds were well protected, the manor—which was really more like a palace—had been built along the central harbor in old-town Reykjavik.

Water lined one edge of the property, and a thick park area framed the other three sides.

I’d forgone the park tour. I figured Nyx could explore those after a full night’s rest. She’d be able to see it all in a moment.

My fingers swept over the keypad to unlock the door. “I’ll have your biometrics added to the system later.” It would essentially take a digital imprint of her magical essence and grant her access to everywhere in my palace.

Perhaps that was a lot of trust for someone I’d just met, but I was following my instincts about her.

Which hadn’t changed in the slightest since our rejections in the SUV.

I still wanted her as badly as before, making me question if we’d even severed our bond. However, I couldn’t feel the pulse of it any longer in my chest, so we must have succeeded. And this was just residual attraction.

Intense, insane, overwhelming attraction.

Fuck.