Page 90 of The Reign of Blood

She refused to hide under my arm or behind Raiden’s back, and as much as I would have been happy for her to stay there, the fact that she stepped forward, unguarded, was the moment of no return.

My dick liked it. I liked it. My animal liked it.

Rubbing my lips together, I consider our options. “Are you up for some motion sickness?” I offer, pulling her deep green eyes to mine, and she nods.

“Please.”

I don’t wait for her to change her mind before I tug her against my chest, lifting her an inch off the floor before I take off. I move so fast that the media doesn’t get a chance to acknowledge our existence. The world blurs around us. I rush as quickly as I can, considering my options as I near the fountain along the usual pathway, but before I can regret my decision, I hurry on past.

It’s only an extra ten seconds—seconds I’m sure she’d rather not have to deal with—but I hope it will be worth it.

Coming to a stop, she clings to the lapels of my blazer, her eyes taking a second to focus on mine, and I can’t deny that she’s a little paler than she was a few moments ago.

“Thank you,” she breathes, smoothing her hands down my blazer before taking a step back. Reluctantly, I let her go.

“You’re welcome,” I rasp, watching as she slowly spins on the spot, attempting to take in her new surroundings.

“Where are we?”

I press my finger to my lips as her gaze turns to me. “Shh, it’s a secret.”

She sighs, a sense of contentment seeping from her. “It’s a very pretty secret.”

I hum in agreement. “It’s where my animal likes to be,” I admit, revealing a piece of myself that I don’t share with anyone else, but it feels necessary with her, like I’m compelled in some way. I just can’t pinpoint why, or I don’t want to accept the reality of it, either way, I’m not delving into it right now.

Moving to stand beside her, I follow her line of sight. The dark cave glows with trinkets that line the walls, illuminated by the moon that peers through the opening at the top. There’s a king bed tucked in the far corner, but otherwise, everything else caters to my creature.

Thick, warm blankets are scattered all over the floor, but it’s the view the opening offers that brings me back here time and time again. The City of Harrows glimmers in the distance, the kingdom’s skyline gothic from this vantage point, with the castle glistening in the background. If you focus, you can also see the edge of Evermore to the left and the town tower of Foley Hill to the right.

“Do you like your creature?” she asks, peering up at me with a sense of inquisition that vibrates through my bones, leaving me eager to lay everything out for her to sift through.

“Yes.” One word. That’s all I can manage as I stare into her shimmering emerald eyes.

“Am I going to have to tiptoe around asking what you are? Or, more specifically, am I likely to get an answer, or would you prefer not to share?”

Her words hang in the air, leaving me speechless as my mind reels a mile a minute. “It’s not a secret,” I rasp, scratching at the back of my neck.

“But…”

How can she read me so well? Clearing my throat, I turn to look out at the kingdom beneath us. “I don’t know. I guess I just naturally like to keep things to myself.”

“That sounds exactly like something a shifter would say,” she muses, pulling my gaze back to her as she grins.

“Exactly.”

“I’m going to have to start observing your every move so I can try and piece it together,” she decides, eyes lighting up with excitement as the challenge settles between us.

Turning to face her, my hands instinctively move to her waist. She tenses beneath my touch, but not in a way that screams she doesn’t like it, more that she doesn’t want to admit she wants it. Just like me.

“Is that so?”

“Uh-huh.”

“What have you got so far?” I ask, inching closer, and her hands drift to my chest.

“You must be able to fly.”

“How so?”

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