Page 36

twenty-two

H e smashed his lips against mine, pressing me up against the bookshelf. Several books pushed through to the other side, falling on the floor.

Clunk.

Clunk.

Clunk.

The sound reverberated through the library.

We were unfazed as he hoisted me up, aligning our hips.

I wrapped my legs around him and we rocked together; pulling hair, biting, clawing, as we desperately tried to close any space between us.

Our teeth clashed as his tongue flicked to the roof of my mouth and I licked along one of his canines. I needed to be closer.

A metallic tang coated my tongue. Blood . I’d nicked myself on his fang. “I-I’m sorry…” I blurted out, my chest heaving as I caught my breath.

His eyes were large and wild. “Don’t be sorry.

You taste… fuck , you taste phenomenal. Potent, powerful…

like you’re the gods damn sun that I’m lucky enough to orbit around.

” He huffed, kissing the shell of my ear, breathing me in, as he moved to my neck.

Licking, sucking, nibbling. I knew what he wanted.

It should’ve terrified me, but instead it sent lava down my spine. His desire was my desire, traveling down my core and heating my blood.

I didn’t know exactly when the idea of his bite had become enticing. At some point, dirty dreams had turned to curiosity… and now curiosity was throbbing throughout my body, begging him to claim me.

I cried out as he raked his teeth along delicate skin. He’d successfully worked me into a crazed state… I was boneless in his arms. I’d submitted. I needed him. I rubbed myself against the hard bulge in his pants, wanting more .

A preternatural stillness washed over him and I froze.

I wanted it. Could he feel how badly I wanted it?

Would he just bite down or would he ask?

My blood felt thick as it sloshed through my pumping heart.

It was fluttering in rapid, frenzied beats as his tongue trailed down to the crook of my neck.

Then he was gone. In one breath, he’d been thrown across the library by a shadowy force. I heard his body smash against the stone wall as the bookshelves around me shuttered. He fell to the ground in a crumpled heap. A black fog poured in and then I was blind.

I stumbled towards him in the dark, not taking time to process who attacked or if I was also in danger, before I was at his side. I could barely see through the opaque mist. I stroked his cheek to rouse him as I frantically called, “Galen, can you hear me?” but he remained unmoving.

The smoke cleared and I smelled blood. I scanned the rest of his body.

His arm must’ve hit first, because it looked broken in several places.

Bone was protruding from his forearm, while a wound on his head gushed.

The coppery scent surrounded me. It smelled like him —smoky, spicy, warm.

Galen . I stroked the hair out of his eyes as I hovered over his lifeless form.

“Did he bite you?” I heard Rafael’s silky voice echo against the library walls. My head whipped around. He was wearing his signature black, looking dark and menacing as shadows slithered behind him. His golden eyes glittered as he studied me.

I stood up and hissed . Ice coated my fingers as I curled them at my sides. “Did you do this? Why!?”

I lunged, throwing the full force of my body at him and punching him in the chest. I was tempted to turn him into a fucking icicle— he’d thaw eventually. I hadn’t seen him since our midnight ride and this is how he decided to make an appearance? I was wild with wrath, nearly frothing at the mouth.

He held me easily as I struggled and clawed at him like a hellcat.

“Did he hurt you?” Raf asked, more sternly this time. He pushed my hair away from my face, touching around my neck and chest, presumably searching for a bite wound .

“No!” I yelled, shoving him away. “And if I had let him bite me, it would be none of your business. Help him!” I was sobbing—out of my mind at Galen’s limp body.

“He’ll be fine. He’s Fae. That’s just a scratch for us,” he said evenly, while sliding his hands into his pockets with zero remorse.

“You’re a monster. If you aren’t going to help, then leave us.” I raised my hands and whipped a wave of icy wind towards him.

He easily dodged it and looked down at me with a twisted grin. “Impressive.” And then he was gone, leaving smoke in his wake. I was seething with icy fury … I’d get my revenge, but first I needed to help Galen.

A healer’s blood would fix him. Meli had told me as much for this very reason.

She said there might come a time where I was desperate to help, but didn’t yet have control over my magic.

She’d also warned that I should be cautious with who I choose to give my blood to.

But in this moment, there was no one I’d rather use my gift on.

I reached for his belt, for the scabbard, and unsheathed a gold and emerald dagger.

I cut into my palm until blood began to pool at the seam.

I didn’t feel the pain as it sliced. My adrenaline was high, giving me focus and clarity.

I opened his mouth and let my blood trickle onto his lips.

My hand began mending itself immediately and I had to cut myself one more time to ensure I'd given him enough.

Sitting back, I watched, holding his hand.

Galen’s eyelids began to twitch, then open. He looked up at me in a daze. “What happened?” he groaned, attempting to sit up as he took in the scene, the blood, and then his arm.

“Rafael. He threw you across the room. You hit your head… and broke your arm.”

“That bastard . You healed me? How?” He looked down at his arm with knitted brows, then licked his lips. I watched his pupils dilate as he realized what I’d done. Nearly all the green in his irises was gone as he said, “Y-you gave me your blood.” It wasn’t a question.

Before he was even fully healed, he was on top of me with the sharp stare of a predator, making my heart leap into my throat. “I can still taste you on my tongue. You’re going to drive me mad… I need you. Now. Please … Can I bite you? I promise, I won’t hurt you. ”

I couldn’t say no. After what had just happened, I didn’t want to. Seeing him unconscious had shattered me. I didn’t want to hold back—I was done holding back.

“Yes,” I said, my voice thick with emotion.

Before I had a chance to reconsider, his canines were scraping along the flickering pulse above my collar bone.

For one fleeting moment, a wave of heart-stopping pain pierced through me as he bit down.

I inhaled sharply, ready to shove him off—but before I could, a wave of sensation washed over me, making me shudder. There was a sweetness to the sting.

He released a low groan, while the soft pressure of his lips sent a cascading waterfall of pleasure down my spine. And then my soul was on fire with red-hot desire.

The magic that tethered us together felt primitive in its pull—ancient in its hypnotic power. He could have all of me. I was his; he could drain me if that’s what he wanted. As long as this feeling didn’t stop.

I was throbbing, aching, burning—absolutely obliterated by this tidal wave of lust. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that it was a dangerous level of pleasure. This feeling was too powerful—this Golden Prince, too perfect.

He drew back, looking as unhinged as I felt. “Are you okay?” Galen asked shakily, wiping tears from my eyes with his thumb. My emotions were so heightened. Seeing him broken on the floor, then experiencing euphoria minutes later… It was as if I was having an out of body experience.

I was floating, detached from reality, as I peered down on the scene below.

Galen’s mussed bronze hair and his grey velvet tunic, coated in dark crimson stains.

Me, splayed on the ground, staring up at the ceiling, holding a hand over the swollen bite.

Us, lying together on the marble floor, in a pool of Galen’s blood. It would take a crew to clean this up.

His lips were the cleanest part of him. The copper smell of his blood was overpowering, making me feel queasy. My neck throbbed where he’d bitten me, but it didn’t hurt. I silently hoped my healing magic would work quickly. As much as I’d secretly wanted it, I didn’t want it on display.

I eventually found my voice and replied, “It felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest, from how much you made me feel—how much you make me feel.” A small truth.

He looked drowsy as he kissed my cheek. “I feel the same. I’ve bitten humans, but never a faerie. Never you . That was... other worldly. ”

“ Literally ,” I giggled. His strong arms wrapped around me and I didn’t want him to let go.

Galen and I spent the remainder of the day in my room, making up for lost time: Talking, sleeping, cuddling, and kissing.

He’d been gentle with me since the library, refraining from anything too physical, as if having me close was pleasure enough.

The Queen expected us at dinner, but he boldly declared that she could be disappointed and instead ordered food to the room.

Lusha drew me a bath, turning pale when she saw the state we were in. He excused her until morning, asking for her discretion. She nodded ferociously, before turning crimson and fleeing the scene.

I should’ve resisted any scenario that suggested we were involved, but it felt so nice to be taken care of.

He bathed and massaged me with sweet-smelling oils, dabbing at the small hurt on my neck, coveting every inch of me.

It made me feel loved like a child. We drank wine in front of the fireplace, then fell asleep in each other’s arms.

The next morning, Galen woke me up at sunrise, pressing into my backside. I couldn’t hold in my grin, as I realized he was real, and this wasn’t a dream. I felt a hot puff of breath behind my ear, then his splayed hand on my stomach, as he began to explore me.