Page 54 of The Path of Blood and Betrayals

He chuckles. “Do you know the Dark Fae have exceptional senses? We can smell hormonal changes. For instance, I can tell when someone is aroused,” he explains, voice dangerously low. So low, my belly clenches, core fluttering. “Or when they’re lying. And you, pet, are lying.”

Clearing my throat, I try not to let his words unnerve me. “Why are you here? You know what I am. What I can do. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” He twirls his fingers into my wet locks, words pensive. “This forest would eat you alive. Anything powerful, it attacks. And you, Max, are the most powerful being in this territory.”

I pull away, forgetting how close he is and how naked I am.“Powerful?”

Absurd.

I’ve been told my whole life that only a monster—someone evil, would be given such horrible magic. That I am a monster in a mortal’s body, meant to be feared.

He tilts his head and scans my face, nodding. “The Coven feared you.” He says it so simply as if it hasn’t caused me the greatest pain. “It’s understandable, though no less disgusting. People tend to hate things they envy—or fear.”

He grabs my chin, looking into my eyes as if to gauge my reaction to his next words. “Magic is unheard of in this world—but yours? It’s powerful,youare powerful, Max. You should be worshiped just for gracing this world with your presence. And that’s what makes the forest so dangerous for you.” He looks to the silent trees, lips twisting. “The beasts here kill for dominance. Because of your power, you disrupts their hierarchy. They can sense it, smell it. You are at the top of the food chain, and they hate it.”

His fingers drift from my chin to my jaw, the barest touch and my body shudders. “What are you doing?” I ask, breathless.

The pull in my gut to be close to him is maddening. In the palace, I could avoid him, ignore it. Pretend it didn’t exist, or lie to myself about the threat he was to my safety. Here, with him so close, in the forest where we must work together to survive, I cannot deny how he pulls me in. I cannot deny how all logic leaves me and I lean close, seeking more of his warmth.

He can destroy me with one secret and yet, I want to give him more. What is wrong with me?

“I don’t know,” he says, eyes narrowed. “But I can’t stop it.”

Those fingers drift higher, tracing my cheekbones, plucking my lip. His hands are rough, calloused from battles, and fights. It makes him seem real.

And I still can’t hear him, his blood, his heart. It’s beautifully quiet.

“It’s tiring being the thing everyone fears,” he remarks, words rumbling over my flesh like a caress. “Being the monster everyone hates, the thing that lives under children’s beds. It’s a spot in society that only few know about and even fewer who understand it.”

His hands drop and I mourn the loss.

“How do you handle it?” I don’t bother to hide now, seeing a kindred spirit in the heir. A monster seeing another, as more than just acreature of evil.

A fang slips over his bottom lip, as he winks. “I am a monster, pet. I am what everyone fears. As they should.” He licks his lips, eyes trained on mine. “But you? You don’t deserve that title. You are nothing but a beautiful creature, with an extraordinary magic living inside her body. You should be revered, not punished.”

The way he says it, knocks the breath from my lungs.

Revered. Worshiped.Me.

My heart cracks as I gaze at the heir, taking in his unnatural beauty.

I’ve only ever wanted to be understood—never feared. And here, with my enemy, I’m finally seen.

A branch snaps behind us, and I jump, water splashing around us, as I collide with this bare-chested male, my body completely nude.

His burning touch sears my flesh, as his hands grab my upper arms, hauling me close. As my cool breasts press into his warm chest, I sink into his touch and pray I’m not dreaming.

This close, I feel his blood. It’s pounding, thrashing in his veins. But my magic doesn’t reach out to demand it.

Looking up, I notice his eyes are trained on the bushes across from us.

“What is it?”

“Get dressed.Now.”

I don’t bother to fight, scurrying from the water and into my damp leathers. As I dress, a prickle of awareness coasts along my neck, my magic twisting as it too senses something. A drum, only one vibrates in my skull.

Turning, I search the bushes, magic seeking.