Page 39 of Wicked Beasts (Lament Princess #1)

Thirty-Eight

T he evening unfolds like something out of a dream, far more enchanting than I’d expected.

Laughter, music, and the energy of the crowd still swirl in my head as we make our way back to the manor.

Yet, by the time we arrive at the foot of its beautiful darkness, my body feels weighted, drained by the night’s revelry.

Once in the comfort of my own bedroom, too weary to bother with pajamas, I shed my clothes in a quick, unthinking motion and crawl into bed, only the cool sheets and the soft chill of the night air against my bare skin to keep me company.

My body sinks into the mattress, a quiet relief flooding over me, but the hum of the night lingers just behind my eyes, refusing to let go.

Hours slip by, the world outside my window silent but for the eerie scrape of the tree's branches against the glass. A soft turn of my doorknob stirs me from my half-sleep, and I blink into the darkness. I silently curse myself for forgetting to lock my door.

Had I truly forgotten?

A shadow crosses the threshold, and the door clicks shut with a sound that feels too deliberate.

He stands there for a moment, his presence heavy in the stillness, as if lingering in the space between us, studying the quiet rise and fall of my breath.

My pulse quickens, though I don’t move, my eyes searching the darkness for a shape I know too well.

Dr. Shadow .

He moves toward the bed, his fingers trailing lightly over the silk of the sheets. I sit up slowly, instinctively drawing the fabric closer, clutching it to my bare chest, as if to shield myself from both the cold and the weight of his primal gaze.

“I heard you had a little fun this evening,” he whispers, his voice low and laced with a quiet seduction. Yet beneath it, there's something darker, a note of challenge, as if he's watching for my reaction, waiting for me to slip—searching for some crack in my composure to exploit.

“Were you there?” I ask, my voice barely steady, a tremor I can’t quite hide betraying the rush of heat that flares between my thighs, a sensation I desperately try to suppress.

A devilish smirk darkens his face as he sits on my bed beside me. He tugs the sheet from my grasp, exposing me to the cold air. He keeps his sharp gaze fixated on my face for a moment longer, waiting for me to move, to cover myself back up.

“Did you want me to be?” Those captivating and sharp amber eyes travel down the front of my body, his hand moving to brush against the curve of my breast. My breath hitches as his thumb grazes my nipple.

“I…”

He shifts his weight as he draws in, like a predator seeking prey.

His lips find my throat as his coarse hands gently travel down my body until he forcibly shoves my thighs apart.

I can feel my body betraying me, aching for his touch as he presses his fingers possessively through the fabric of my panties without hesitation.

He starts to rub slow, deliberate circles over the right spot, applying just enough pressure to send sparks of pleasure shooting through my veins without entirely pushing me over the edge.

My hips buck involuntarily as my hands grip the sheets.

Dr. Shadow shifts to cover my body with his, pressing my thighs back with his weight as his fingers tug my panties to the side.

“You’re so wet,” he teases, his breath hot against my neck, coating his fingers in my arousal as he continues with his intoxicating touch, my body yielding and tensing, pleading for more.

My cheeks flush, hot with embarrassment as a moan escapes my parted lips.

He grazes his teeth against my throat just as he pulls back.

Dr. Shadow slips his fingers out from beneath my panties and drags them against my bottom lip and down my chin, marking me.

“I have a surprise for you,” he says, his eyes dropping to my mouth, glistening with my desire, his thumb smearing the coat on my lower lip as the doorknob twists.

He shifts to lay beside me as I try to reach to cover myself with the sheets, but he stops me, tearing it from my grasp.

“Don’t be shy,” he murmurs, his eyes flickering toward the door.

And then, I see him.

Tristan .

My eyes widen as I reach for the sheet again and shuffle away from Dr. Shadow, but he holds me down. Tristan shuts the door behind him.

“I know you think about it,” Dr. Shadow’s low murmur teases in my ear as Tristan’s eyes wander over the nakedness of my body. “Let him pleasure you while you pleasure me.”

“I thought you two hated each other,” I say. It feels like a trap, and yet I can’t help but be captivated by Tristan’s eyes transfixed on me. He stares at me almost with longing, with hunger, with a desire I hadn’t seen from him before.

“Miss Amara,” he says gently, sleepily, as he approaches my bed. His voice is so warm and kind. His hair is tousled messily, as though he had just climbed out of his own bed, too drawn to mine. “May I?” His hand hovers near my thigh, as though waiting for permission just to touch me.

I look back at Dr. Shadow languidly lying beside me, his back pressed up against the bed frame. He raises his brows as though to encourage it.

“Spread those pretty legs for him,” he says.

I look back at Tristan, his eyes meeting mine, and I nod.

His hand glides up my thigh with a soft, serene touch as his tongue dips between my lips.

He climbs onto the foot of the bed, fingers finding the hem of my panties as he gently tugs them down the length of my legs and tosses them to the ground.

I tremble as the cold air kisses my exposed pussy, making me shiver as I bare myself to him.

A lustful look darkens his face, one of hunger and desire.

Tristan pushes my thighs back just as his tongue finds my clit.

I grab Dr. Shadow’s wrist as waves of pleasure course through my body as Tristan devours me, my head falling back against the plush pillows.

My nails dig deep into Dr. Shadow’s skin as my other hand tangles in Tristan’s hair, grinding myself against his face as my toes begin to curl.

“Come for him,” Dr. Shadow growls in my ear. “Come all over his face, little one.”

His words send me over the edge as Tristan’s skillful tongue laps at my clit, teasing my sensitivity.

My body tenses, sending shockwaves of pleasure rippling throughout my body.

My chest rises and falls rapidly with each breath, my body convulsing from the strength of my orgasm as I trap him between my thighs.

“Good girl,” Dr. Shadow says, his breath hot against my neck as my legs fall back. “Now, get up,” he commands.

Get up?