Page 139 of Threaded

But … he still had to know.

Andrian was lost in his thoughts for some time, staring at the floor, preparing for the worst before his shadows twisted in his gut and pulled his attention back up to meet her gaze.

Her jaw was hanging open, a look of pure shock and astonishment in her eyes.

“Andrian … howlittledo you still think of me?”

The waffle iron chose that moment todingloudly behind him.

“You know I don’t think little of you at all, Mariah,” he growled, turning back to the device. He flipped it over and used a pair of tongs to gently pull the cooked pastry from the cast iron. He set it on a plate to cool before adding more butter and filing the iron again, turning it over and resetting the timer.

He kept his eyes downcast, unsure of what else to say and waiting for her to continue, worried that with that one question, he’d just fucked everything up again.

As usual.

“Andrian.”

The tenor of her voice snapped his eyes up, and he whipped around to meet her gaze filled with …

Amusement?

“Do you honestly believe I would tell you that Iloveyou—something I’ve never toldanyonebefore—then go take another man to be my consort at the Solstice the very next night?”

He was frozen in place.

Every time she said that word—love—it made him feel like his entire world collapsed around him and then was simultaneously being built right back up.

Her voice was thick as she continued.

“I want it to be you. No one else.You.”

His knees buckled slightly. He gripped the counter behind him tightly to keep himself from slipping to the floor.

The waffle iron dinged again, and Andrian quickly straightened and turned, flipping the device and plucking out the pastry. Setting it on a plate next to the other, he picked up both servings and strode to the island, depositing them both in front of Mariah before moving to stand beside her. She turned her body as he approached until, once again, he stood between her thighs.

Andrian slid a hand into her thick, near-black hair, staring down into those bewitching eyes.

He’d never seen anything more beautiful than her.

Would he ever stop thinking that?

“I don’t want you to be with anyone else, either. I want it to be me.”

She exhaled sharply, her surprise written across her features before it morphed into something slightly darker and incredibly more sexy.

Fucking Enfara.

She spoke again. “So … we’re really doing this, aren’t we?” Wickedness gleamed in her eyes.

The shadows in his blood thrummed and leaped in his veins.

It seemed that wildness, no matter if it was born in the light or in the dark, was cut from the same cloth.

“Yeah. We’re really doing this.” He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips, the energy between them sparking in the air and zapping against their skin. The contact was quick, and he pulled back just a moment later, whispering his next words against her cheek.

“Let’s go show them what moonlight really looks like,nio.”

CHAPTER59

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