Page 229 of The Queen’s Shadow

I sat with Koda and watched as Kasha mingled with Rhyalla and laughed with Aiden. I smirked to myself as I listened to Kasha convince Aiden to help her sniff out Alley Cat, and watched as the two of them hunted around the community, trying to find the plushie so they could tease me with it.

The crowd got more and more rowdy as the drinks continued to flow, and when the music started and the energy turned more sensual, I decided it was time to call it a night. I didn’t need Kasha out here with a bunch of drunk, single males looking for a dance partner. Marked or not, there was no need to tempt fate.

I prowled up to Kasha, and slid my hands around her waist, tugging her into me.

“Time to go.” I whispered into her ear, and she turned to me, still smiling from something Rhyalla had said.

“Aw, so soon? Don’t you want to dance?” She asked and I chuckled, shaking my head.

“Not tonight. We have an early day tomorrow.” I used the meeting as an excuse. In reality, I had no interest in dancing with her here where everyone could watch her.

I wanted her all to myself.

She looked like she was going to argue, but I tugged her closer, whispering in her ear,

“If you come back with me, I’ll give you a hint on where to find Alley Cat.”

She pulled back, a mischievous grin curling across her perfect little mouth.

“Okay, deal.” She agreed and I sighed in relief. That was easier than I had expected it to be.

We made our way back to Rhoan house, and I gestured for her to go up first. I followed; shamelessly watching her ass, which had been filling back out since she had been eating more regularly.

Fuck, I wanted to take a bite out of it.

“Go get ready for bed, I’ll make you a tea and come tuck you in.” I ordered softly, and she gave me a gentle smile before nodding and heading to her room.

When I followed a few minutes later with her tea, I was pleasantly surprised to find she was still wearing my t-shirt, with the blankets pulled up to her waist. Her pants lay discarded on the floor and I tried to ignore the fact that she was clearly no longer wearing a bra beneath my shirt.

How was it possible to be jealous of cotton? The way the fabric brushed softly against her chest made me so fucking hard I had to sit on the bed just to hide the rager that had caught me by surprise.

This fucking female…

“Here,” I said roughly, handing her the mug. Her fingers brushed against mine as she took the cup from me, and electricity shot down my arm and directly to my heart. She gasped at the same time I did.

We stared at each other for a long moment, and she put the cup on the end table, her eyes remaining glued to mine. The tension between us grew and I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was waiting for me to do something. I wasn’t sure what she wanted, but she had let me mark her earlier, maybe she would let me do more if I eased her into it. Fuck it.

I went for it.

I reached out and brushed my hand against her cheek, bracing myself for her to pull away, but she didn’t. She minutely pressed her face into my touch, and my stomach flipped.

“Kasha…” I said, glancing down at her mouth. My cock was literally throbbing in my jeans. I felt like I was going to explode just from touching her fucking cheek.

I needed to be godsdamned tranquilized, for fuck sakes.

“Can I ask you something?” She asked quietly, and I nodded, barely able to breathe.

“You can ask me anything.” I murmured, completely mesmerized by how soft her skin felt beneath my fingers.

She pursed her lips. “What Malik said out there…”

Malik?! I felt like she had just punched me in the crotch.

“Don’t say his name right now. I don’t want to hear any male’s name come out of your mouth but mine.” I leaned in closer, my grip tightening on the side of her face. She frowned at me.

“You just said I could ask you anything I wanted.”

“You didn’t ask a question.” I pointed out. “What do you want to know?”