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CHAPTER ELEVEN

BELLE

A dom kissed me like he’d never tasted anything sweet before. He kissed me like I was the rarest nectar and he was parched beyond reason. The intensity of it was all-consuming, leaving no room for thought or doubt. My world narrowed to the heat of his mouth on mine, the possessive press of his tongue, and the way his sharp teeth grazed my bottom lip, sending sparks skittering down my spine.

I’d never been kissed like this in all my years. Fairies were known for their unique taste. It was said that we tasted like honey to shifters and humans.

I’d never kissed a shifter. Kissing a human was considered taboo in Evergrove. To most fae, humans were a step below shifters and barely a step above trolls.

Didn't matter. I didn't want to ever kiss any other being again after being kissed by the Beast Prince. When he finally pulled back, I was breathless. My pulse fluttered like the wings at my back. I thought that was it; that we were about to get naked and get to the main event.

I was wrong. Adom was just getting started.

He brushed the lightest touch of his claws against the base of my wings. My entire body shivered in response. He stilled immediately, his golden eyes darting to mine.

My wings were made of strong stuff. They could handle the wind’s harshest torrents, the sting of rain, and the scrape of brambles. And yet… I couldn’t find the voice to tell him so. I was too caught up in the way he looked at me—as though I was the most precious, beautiful thing he had ever seen.

His claws traced along the gossamer edges, the gesture so painstakingly gentle I shivered again. Adom’s gaze followed every shift and flutter. I didn't need to give my consent vocally, not when my body was being so loud with its desires.

Adom leaned closer. His head dipped, his breath a warm whisper against the membrane of my wings. The moment his lips touched them, I thought I would shatter apart. A single kiss, feather-light, more reverent than anything I’d heard spoken in a temple. The sensation rippled through me like lightning across water, leaving every nerve alight.

I was going to faint. I was sure of it.

He kissed my wings again. More aptly, he licked them. The same way he'd kissed me, like I was his first taste. His lips tasted the delicate veins with the same care one might give a rich dessert. My skin burned in response. My hands flew to his shoulders, fingers curling into the fabric of his tunic as I tried to anchor myself.

“Adom…”

His hand cradled the back of my head. His lips captured mine again. This kiss was hungrier than the last. When his teeth tugged at my bottom lip, I knew I'd let him bite me. Mark me. I wanted it to scar. So that every being on this planet knew that he was mine.

My fingers tangled in his thick mane. I couldn't seem to stop touching his hair. The golden strands were impossibly soft. I curled my fingers tighter, trying to pull him down to my neck. Was that where shifters marked their mates?

Adom growled low in his throat. His mouth left mine for a heartbeat, his breath warm against my cheek as he drew in a deep, ragged inhale, like he couldn’t get enough of my scent. Then he was back, his lips slanting over mine with renewed fervor. But I wanted them at my neck, staking his claim.

“Adom,” I breathed against his lips, the word a mix of plea and surrender.

He pulled back just enough to meet my gaze, his eyes burning molten gold.

"Aren't you going to mark me?"

"Before our wedding day?"

"Does the day matter? I'm yours."

He purred at that. An honest to goddess deep rumble from that massive chest. I wanted him to make that sound when he licked at my core.

The bite could wait. I needed him inside me right now. I reached for his trousers. His large hands surrounded mine, but they didn't stop me.

"I want to. I want you. I want you all for myself."

"It’ll hurt." He looked down at the clear outline of the beast in his pants. The sight of the impression made my mouth water even more than his purr did. "I'll hurt you."

"I’m not a virgin."

Adom blinked. Then blinked again. His eyelids lifted slower this time, as though my words did not compute.

"Oh." Now it was my turn to wince, and partially shutter my eyelids. "Are you?"

"Of course not." He sounded scandalized. His brows knitted together as though he couldn’t fathom how such a question had even crossed my mind.

Fairies weren't known for abstinence. Was he expecting his bride to be pure? If so, that was hypocritical.

"I have experience. You do, too. We both know what we're doing. Which means this sexual encounter is not going to hurt me. Unless you wanted a virginal pure princess. Because I’m not that."

There. I'd told him. Well, it was a partial truth about not being a particular princess.

It was a start. I'd get to the other bit soon enough, especially since I doubted the guards and queen would find Charlotte. The actual princess clearly didn't want to be in this position that I very much wanted to be in.

"Who?" he demanded.

"What who?"

"Who touched you?"

"Are we swapping names of former lovers now?"

Adom gritted his teeth and growled at me. I merely blinked and waited patiently for his temper tantrum to pass. It wasn't like Charlotte was innocent. No matter what, he would've gotten an experienced woman.

"The point is, I'll be the only woman you ever sleep with from this day forward. And you'll be the only man who ever touches me until my last day in the sun."

That appeared to appease him. His big shoulders relaxed. His lips were still pursed, but he was no longer grinding his canines. And the growl had—well, the growl was still there. But I had plans for his mouth that included growling.

I reached for his pants again. But he grabbed my hands, careful of his claws. I stared at the hand over mine, marveling at how well my lavender skin went with his tawny gold fur. I couldn't wait to see us naked together. I would design a whole line of lavender and golden brown couture.

"What is it now?"

"The fact that we both have experience doesn't change the fact that I’m huge."

"Yeah? Show me."