Page 52

thirty-one

M y heart was pounding as the door of the tiny inn room clicked closed.

I was still angry, but gods I wanted him.

I backed against the wooden door, trying to find my fortitude.

Galen snapped his fingers, sending flames to the untouched logs in the hearth.

The familiar crackle of a blazing fire began immediately.

Smoke filled my nostrils, acting as an aphrodisiac as it blended with his scent.

My pulse quickened and the butterflies in my stomach went rogue, darting around as if they'd caught fire as well.

He held so much power in those fingers of his.

My gaze traveled over his capable hands, up his toned biceps…

to the exposed skin above the collar of his tunic.

I wanted to press a kiss against the soft hollow of his throat, to taste the salt of his skin on my tongue.

He stalked forward… slowly, deliberately.

I knew where this would lead if I didn’t stop it.

“Galen. We need to talk about Isla.”

He stopped short of touching me, tilting his head. “Marigold, it was just a bracelet. She means nothing to me, and I didn’t appreciate you making a scene.”

He took a step closer, testing my boundaries. One more and his hands were on my arms, rubbing the chill from them as my magic responded to his touch.

“A scene? She is the one who gave you a gift in front of me. Clearly, it was to provoke me. Does she love you?” My heart pounded, afraid to hear his answer.

“I can’t control how she feels about me… and I doubt she loves me. She loves my power, my title. I don’t care one way or the other. You are the one I want.”

He leaned down, waiting for me to tell him no, but I didn’t. His lips brushed along my neck, stopping right where my pulse fluttered, and I gave a pathetic whimper. I arched my back in response, like a cat rubbing against its master.

“Have you slept with her?” I panted as I broke away from him, jolting us back to reality.

“Of course not. You keep me plenty satisfied.”

I silently stared at him, trying to decide if I believed him.

His emerald eyes narrowed. “Are you looking for reasons to push us apart?” He gripped my throat with one hand, his fingers curled loosely around my windpipe.

Adrenaline shot down my spine. This large male was undeniably dangerous, an apex predator—a literal lion . And his focus was locked on me.

“Take it off,” I hissed, pointing to the bracelet. We glared at each other until he pulled it off with a slight tug and threw it in the fire. He slowly released me, still holding my gaze.

“You need to learn to respect me,” he said in a rough voice. “It seems you’ve left me with only one option. Punishment . In the form of unrelenting, torturous pleasure.”

Yes .

I yielded, letting him pull me into his arms. Our tongues clashed together like violent waves in a tumultuous, stormy sea. He broke away with a growl and knelt down until he was on his knees. He began unbuttoning my pants, pulling them down forcefully, while his unblinking eyes drank me in.

Mesmerized, I watched him peel my underwear off, ripping them away like cobwebs.

I stopped breathing when I felt hot breath at the apex of my thighs—then his tongue as it parted my wet curls.

The first stroke set me aflame as he lapped at me like an unstoppable wild fire.

His touch was searing, making me writhe in delicious agony.

Soon we were rocking against the door as he feasted on me.

What was it with us and doors? One of my legs hung over his shoulder, while the other shook so hard, it had been rendered useless.

He supported me as he spread me open, licking me, devouring me…

as if he’d spent an eternity starving himself for this mo ment.

Two fingers moved inside me, while his tongue continued to explore me with steady, mind-numbing pressure. Every time I came close to release, he pulled away, purposefully tormenting me.

I was going to evaporate into steam.

“You don’t get to cum until I say so,” he huffed.

“Please…”

This time, he didn’t pull away when I began to climb. And climb. I looked down at his bronze head between my thighs and lost my gods damned mind. Muscles clenched as he sent me orbiting around the sun.

I went slack against the door and Galen gathered me into his arms. He deposited me on the bed with a gentle thud . We stripped frantically, needing to be skin to skin. He laid me on the shabby comforter of the creaking bed and climbed on top of me.

“I’m going to drink from you while I fuck you.” His devilish smile made my stomach dip.

It wasn’t exactly a question, but I nodded in consent.

He slid in, hard and deep, not giving me anytime to adjust—making me take all of him.

I sucked in a breath as my body was forced to accommodate him.

The line of pain and pleasure blurred until I forgot my name.

I moved my hips to meet his, until his body was flush with mine.

As he plunged in and out, my breathing became short and frenzied.

A hand came up and brushed the hair out of my face, caressing me. I opened my eyes and met his starry-eyed gaze. Cupping his cheek, I acknowledged the magnitude of this, of us .

I’d lived a grey existence, but now every moment was exploding with color.

I was living in the here and now because of him .

I’d been numb for so long and now I was feeling every emotion at once.

It was an overwhelming experience—relentless in its pursuit to humble me and splay me open as I let my weaknesses show.

Neither of us knew what we were doing, but that hadn’t stopped us from trying .

Releasing a moan of ecstasy, I exhaled the feelings that were too much to fully process. Every moment with him was a blind leap of faith.

I watched, enthralled, as he moved over me with tireless thrusts. His stomach muscles stretched and tightened as we rocked together. I wanted him to go faster. Harder . Growing impatient, I tried to set the pace. Delirious with need, I dug my nails into his back and bit at his shoulder .

“Easy, love. I want to savor you,” he whispered, quieting me with a kiss.

I went supine, letting him take full control as tears pricked the corners of my eyes. I was overwhelmed with realization of how much I cared. I’d been driven mad with jealousy over almost nothing.

He lingered at my neck, scraping his canines along the sensitive skin. Wherever his tongue went, goosebumps followed, spreading like flame over kindling. I was gasping for air, feeling more desperate by the second.

“Are you ready?” His smooth voice was the most seductive sound I’d ever heard.

“Yes…” I panted.

His muscles hardened beneath my touch as he leaned over me.

He brushed velvet lips along my throat with open-mouthed kisses and paused.

I held my breath as he sunk his teeth into the pulsing flesh at the side of my neck.

I cried out at the rush of pleasure. It intensified with each beat of my heart—spreading to my limbs, my fingers, my toes.

His thrusts were slow and luxurious as he unhurriedly took and took… and took.

I was going to combust.

The combination of his canines inside me, while he was inside me… I was in an opium-laced fever dream. The magic that flowed between us erased all pain, all doubt. All I knew was him . Euphoria swallowed me whole—a tsunami devouring everything in its path.

I became dizzy as he began to slam into me, no longer holding anything back.

I wasn’t sure if I was speaking coherently, as I repeated his name over and over.

My heart fluttered as he pulled back and peered down at me with blood-rimmed lips.

His eyes darkened as he watched me buck and twist beneath him.

We climaxed together and magic exploded around us.

The fire in the hearth lit up the room in a raging blaze, before everything went dark.

I lifted my sleepy head off of Galen’s chest, smelling the distinct acrid scent of something burning.

I sat up, glancing at the fireplace, disoriented.

Had I blacked out? Everything felt fuzzy.

A small fire burned; nothing out of the ordinary.

Then I found the source—charred handprints had been branded into the bedding, on either side of me.

Frost covered the dark marks, spreading across the bedspread and onto the walls.

“Are you alright?” Galen asked, stroking my cheek with a gentle touch .

“I think so. I’m… just… dizzy.”

Galen sat up. “Do you need water? Did I take too much blood?”

I took a few deep breaths. I felt fine now. By the time I’d nodded, he’d left the bed and was back with a glass of water. He brushed my hair back as he held a glass up to my mouth.

“That was…” He grinned.

“There are no words,” I agreed with a matching grin. “Actually, there are…” I paused, building up courage. “I love you.”

His radiant smile nearly made my heart crack in half. I’d never said those three words to any man. I blinked back tears and he kissed me, clutching my cheeks in his palms.

Before I could overanalyze or panic, he responded, “I love you too. In one-hundred and fifty years, I’ve never felt anything like this. I want to consume every inch of you. I want to live inside of you. I want to make love to you until our souls are one.” And then he claimed me until morning.