Page 86 of Princess Redeemed

“Enough,” he finally murmurs.

Reluctantly, I pull away, my fangs retracting with a painful slowness.I could easily drain him, so inebriating is his blood.I lick the small wounds closed and then cradle his face, gently wiping away the bead of blood trickling from the bite mark on his neck.I press a soft kiss to it, an apology and thank you bound in a single act.His blood still dances on my tongue as I pull back to study his face.

Rogan’s eyes flutter open, the green depths infused with warmth and trust.“You’re insatiable.”

I chuckle as I trace patterns against his chest.His skin is warm under my touch, and his heartbeat flickers under my hand.

“When you’re involved, definitely.”I press my lips against his, not in search of sustenance this time, but in celebration of our raw connection of lust and love.

Rogan runs his hands through my hair as he deepens the kiss.

I lose myself in the exquisite mixture of affection, desire, and a pinch of desperation.Every moment we share is a stolen one as long as Rogan belongs to Eris.

He breaks the kiss.“I do love you,” he whispers against my lips.

The raw and heartfelt confession echoes through the silent room like a sacred vow.

“I love you too,” I reply.“But I’m not naïve, Rogan.I know what’s coming.You and I both have important roles to play, and so does our child.”

“Our child?”

“Yeah, according to Alara, anyway.”

“Right.Alara.I’m sure she’s great and all, but I don’t know her from Eve, and while I appreciate her taking care of you, I?—”

I touch his lips to silence him.“She showed me powers I never knew I possessed, Rogan.Whatever I must do, I will do it.If it means facing Eris.If it means facing my stepfather.Even my father.I’ll do it.I’ll do it because it’s my destiny.”

“Destiny…” He closes his eyes.“If we’re going to use terms like ‘destiny,’ I should return to Eris.”

“No!”I shout.

“Destinyis a fool’s errand, Hannah.Destiny means that we are pawns in a grander scheme, that we have no free will, no true agency.We’re more than that.”He tightens his fingers in my hair.“If my encounter with Eris taught me anything, it’s that we aren’t bound by the whims of fate but by our choices.Our love, our commitment to each other and our child—that’s what binds us, princess.And that’s what I choose.”

His words echo in the silence.I stare into his eyes, lost in the depths of emerald-green.

“Having a destiny doesn't imply an absence of choice,” I say.“It’s about forging your own path within those destined grounds.”

“It is.”

Rogan jerks at the voice.

Alara.

She’s returned.

I hastily wrap the sheets around Rogan’s and my naked bodies.

54

“Apologies,I didn’t realize you two were…occupied,” Alara says, averting her gaze, but not before an amused smile tugs at the corner of her mouth.

Rogan masks his surprise, replacing it with a scowl.“Who the hell are you?”he demands.

“This is Alara,” I say.“I told you about her.”Then to Alara, “You could’ve knocked.”

“Andyoucould’ve locked,” Alara retorts.“I’m thrilled you two have found your way back to each other, but you mustn’t get complacent.I have things to tell you.”

Rogan pulls me closer.My heart leaps at his protective response, and I give him a squeeze.