Page 134 of The Evernight Court

No Valentine anywhere, but the more we stayed here, the more my instincts insisted that I shouldn’t leave. The more days passed and the more magic gathered inside me, the more I was sure that we couldn’t leave this place yet—because Valentine was here.

And Shadow proved it to me.

I saw him flying near the top of the mountain all by himself on the morning of the second day, and even though it was incredibly dark on the Isle, and he flew away too fast for me to make out details, I knew it was him. The more magic in my body, the better my ears, and I could tell when Shadow was beating his wings close by among a million other dragons. I’d learned his rhythm perfectly without even realizing it.

It helped that Grey believed me. I didn’t even have to try to convince him—I said I saw Shadow, and he didn’t question it for a second, just sent Storm to search for him around the Isle.

I loved him a little bit more for that.

And that truth had shocked me just this morning when I woke up.

He was there, lying by my side—alwaysby my side. I had yet to wake up and find him away from me because he claimed watching me sleeping was one of his favorite things to do. I didn’t mind it one bit, but when I woke up and I found him with his arm over me and his eyes closed and a content half smile on his face—because he knew I was awake—my heart all but burst right out of me because I loved him more than I’d ever loved anything in my life.

Though the thought had obviously occurred to me before, it was only this morning that Iacceptedit.

I was completely, helplessly in love with Grey Evernight.

“Good morning, my beautiful Fall,” he whispered, lazily opening his eyes as he came to lay over me. My body adjusted to him instantly and my legs spread and my arms found their way around his neck.

“Good morning,” I muttered as he planted kisses all over my face.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Mhmm…” I always slept perfectly well because he was holding me all night.

That, and he exhausted me properly every single night until I collapsed.

“You were calling my name in your sleep,” he whispered against my lips.

I smiled. “Maybe I was dreaming about you.” Not that I remembered any dreams.

“Maybe,” he said, kissing me slowly. “Maybe you were dreaming of what’s about to happen in a minute.”

I pretended to be surprised. “Oh, yeah? What’s that?”

He grinned like the devil.

I used the kitchen knives I’d taken from the castle to cut off most of his beard, but I left hishair a bit longer on purpose. It suited him perfectly, even if it made him look even more like his great-great-whatever grandfather from five hundred years ago.

“Just a little something to make my girl scream,” he whispered, then stuck his tongue in my throat. He grabbed both my hands and brought them up over my head, and held them there, not letting me move. “Just to show her how frustrating my night has been to watch her ass pressed to my cock and feel her tits in my hand and hear my name on her lips.” He wouldn’t even let me say a single word as he kissed me again, furiously, then pressed his hips onto me harder. “Do you have any idea how hard I’ve been all night, baby?”

I moaned into his mouth because he wouldn’t let go of my lips.

“So fucking hard it was painful. I couldn’t wait for those beautiful eyes to open.”

“Gre—” Impossible to speak when he thrust his tongue inside my mouth like that, and I didn’t reallywantto, so…

“I couldn’t wait for these legs to spread for me. You’re so fucking wet you smell incredible,” he said, pushing himself lower so that the length of him slipped between my wet folds, making my eyes squeezed shut. Of course, I was wet—we were naked and he was on top of me and he was holding my hands over my head—not to mention the way he talked to me.

“I’m going to make love to you slowly, Fall. Just so you know the sweet torture I’ve endured all night,” he whispered. “Raise your hips for me, baby.” He raised his own, giving me a little room to do the same. Our bodies knew each other so well that as soon as I moved, the tip of his hard cock was already at my entrance, and he slid inside me so smoothly. So beautifully.

I lived in moments like that—truly lived.

And the morning lasted a long, long time because true to his words, Grey took it slowly, never rushed even when I begged him. He showed me exactly how long his night hadbeen, and I already couldn’t wait for him to show me the same thing tomorrow morning, too.

After breakfast,Grey took me outside to attack a rock.

“I don’t know how,” I said, looking at the darkness of the Isle, still hopeful that something about it had changed, that it would give us a sign as to what to expect. It all looked the exact same, though.

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