Page 181 of Settle Down, Princess

I laughed then, because while what he was saying was ridiculous, he said it with such confidence, such surety, for a moment I was caught up in it. He grinned back at me with eyes almost green now, a beautiful world contained within them. One where we lived in that amazing little cottage I’d dreamed about while staying in the packlands, him coming home from his toils each day only to sweep me up into his arms, his lips pressing to mine. I traced the shape of his mouth right now, almost able to feel it, until he kissed me in real life as well as my imagination.

I thought I’d imagined it, the way his lips burned against mine. The press of his fangs through his lips, the prickle of his beard, it had me writhing underneath him. My hands sank into his hair, gripping tightly and not letting go. I needed more from him, more. I think I mumbled something to that effect between kisses, gasping it as his mouth trailed down the sensitive skin of my neck, only for Roan to interrupt.

“Sounds like our princess is right where she wants to be.” He unstrapped his sword belt and pulled his shirt up and over his head, then pushed his boots off. “And I know how that feels. Got any of that sweetness for me?”

It wasn’t me that Roan was focused on, though. He leant over slowly, his mouth getting closer by the second, but it was Creed he kept an eye on. The big warrior was ready to jerk away if the wolf shifter started to growl, but Creed shifted against me.

“Kiss our mate, brother.” His voice was more growl than anything, the wolf obviously riding him hard. “Give her all that she needs.”

“Mm…” The feline purr from Roan was everything. I leaned forward, meeting him halfway, catching the moment his eyes went to molten gold, right as he kissed me.

Was this what it would always be like? Me wedged between the four of them, a promise of unimaginable pleasure fulfilled over and over. I heard Roan’s muffled moan, a twin of my own, then felt Creed’s scoring kisses down my throat. Some were harder, rougher than others, his fangs scraping against my skin, when Silas interrupted.

“You should be making this decision with a clearer head.” The other two groaned as he slid his hand through my hair. Over and over, like a maid with a brush in her hand, he worked the tangles from each strand. “What Creed needs—”

“Is to mate you.” My focus shifted to Arik, who crouched at the entrance of the tent, but was that to stop people entering or so he could make a quick escape?

“Mm hmm…” I sighed as Creed’s kisses dropped lower.

“You think you know what that means, Jessalyn.”

My name was a collar around my neck, trying to tug me away from all of this lovely heat, but all I wanted to do was warm my hands on the fire we were building together. I stared over Creed’s shoulders at the prince, catching the moment his jaw tightened as I raked my fingers down the wolf shifter’s back. Arik’s eyes narrowed when I dug my hands into Creed’s buttocks, his hips jerking forward instantly, and that’s when I felt something hard settle right where I needed it. His cock, I now knew, and that knowledge was tantalising. What Silas had done to me that night… What we had done to each other. The thought of feeling that again, and more, had me forcing Creed hard against me.

“Creed will always love you. It’s an integral part of his nature. He doesn’t need to get to know you, work out just how you tick. There is no wooing with a wolf shifter.” As if to prove the prince’s point, Creed’s fangs nipped at my skin, leaving stinging, little marks that throbbed so sweetly when he moved on. “He just wants to make you his in every way possible.”

“Is that true?” Creed pulled back at my question, and I stared into his eyes, smiling even as his brow creased.

“Have I ever made you doubt it? I tried so hard to care for you for the entire journey. I saw to you in that room in the stews, made sure you didn’t crash when riding the red dragon. I made you good food, tasty food. I drove your carriage, not trusting that responsibility to anyone else. Then I killed those that dared to lay a finger on you.”

I caught the moment his arms began to shake, as if the effort of holding himself back was too much.

“I will always protect you, care for you…” His head tilted to one side as he swallowed hard. “Love you, Jess. There is no other woman in the world more important to me. I want to take you back to the packlands to keep you safe, but if there’s somewhere else you want to go, I’ll throw you on the back of my horse and we’ll ride hard until we get there. You…” His head dipped closer and mine rose up from Silas’ lap, ready to meet him halfway. “You’re my moon, my stars, everything,” Creed told me. “And I’ll bring you every celestial body and lay them at your feet if that’s what you require.”

As proof of his affection for me, I knew that now. I’d sought to take advantage of his soft feelings before, but that was not my natural state. I was a scared, angry little girl who was shoved into a carriage and wheeled off to meet her fate, but now… It wasn’t enough for the veil to come off, I needed this. The opportunity to make decisions about my own life, autonomy over my future.

Our future, I decided.

“I don’t need the stars, Master Creed,” I said, imitating my overly formal manner from before, but he smiled. “Just you.”

His smile was like the sun because it warmed me down to my bones at the sight of it, but Arik was determined to be the storm clouds, getting between the two of us.

“But do you understand what that means? What will happen to you now if you accept Creed?” There was a tautness to the prince’s voice that had me peering past Creed at Arik. He shook his head slightly, lips thinning. “What will transpire is more than playing with knives for Silas. My brother is always in control, even when he’s not.” He nodded to Silas. “But Creed—”

I stared up into the wolf shifter’s eyes.

“Will bite me, claim me, make clear to any and all that see me who I belong to.”

My throat closed up then, not from fear, but from anticipation. I had belonged to something, someone, back in Stormare, but to gain acceptance I had to squash all that I was into a tightly controlled form. Not here. Not Creed. At first, I’d found the instant infatuation of wolf shifters somewhat alien, but now… That certainty, I clung to it like a life rope, helping me to keep my head above water. I wanted to belong to something, someone… My grip on his arms tightened. I wanted to belong to Creed.

“That’s what you’ll do, correct?” I asked, and he nodded slowly, suddenly solemn. “The women of your family told me what to expect. That the need to mark me will become overwhelming. Right as we reach our peak, you’ll…” I pressed a finger to his lips, feeling his beard and the satin of his skin before tracing the shape of one fang. “You’ll lock your jaws around a fold of skin and mark me as yours.”

“Yes…” There was something savage and needful in Creed’s gaze, and I found I liked that very much.

“And then…” I swallowed, remembering Hazel’s very frank conversation. “You’ll feel the need to knot me.”

“That’s the problem,” Arik insisted. “Creed, she’s only just lost her maidenhead. You’ll hurt her trying—”

“No.” I felt the vibration of Creed’s growl all the way through me, because the wolf was riding him now. “Never. No pain again. I can’t, Jessalyn. I can’t.”

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