Page 20 of Fate & Monsters
Later in the night, when I’d dismissed any threats around the castle, I had every intention of returning to my study or my own rooms. But my mind was full of her, and my blood burned with lingering concern. As if pulled by an insensible force, I stalked through the castle like a feral thing on the hunt.
My entire body trembled as I reached her door, hand shaking as I twisted the handle. A rush of air escaped me, and my chest deflated upon finding her huddled in the center of the bed.A white rose petal wilted and collapsed.
World-ending relief washed through me.
Safe and secure. As she should be.
I could provide that for her—forever.
Memory of my earlier—tantrum—made me wince, a low growl vibrating through my chest. A more tangible situation than the one in the garden, and one I should have managed better. I wanted to woo her, not worsen her already upturned life.
Look at her… I would kill for her, maybe even die for her.
Her luminous sky-blue hair fanned out around her head, falling in waves with a few errant curls interspersed. A gossamer cornflower blue night gown adorned her still frame; thin straps over the shoulders dropped into a low v-neckline accentuating the expanse of her chest and upper swells of her breasts. Each breath lifted them, perfectly perky, with nipples peaked in the cool air. The gown ended at her upper thigh, showing off a heart stopping length of skin as smooth and pale as cream.
Halfway across the room, my foot caught on something soft. I picked up the crumpled scrap of lace, turning it between my fingers. Undergarments…
Herunderwear.
My heart thudded an uncomfortable staccatoagainst my ribs.
Tha-thump. Tha-thump. Tha-thump.
With each passing second, perhaps even an eternity, the vile monster of obsession and hunger curdled inside me. Teeth gnashing and claws mauling me from the pit of my stomach to the base of my throat. I wished I could vomit it up and rid myself of this odious craving.
A heady, musky scent clung to the lace. I shoved my nose further, inhaling deeper. It wasn’t enough. I rubbed the fabric bearing the smell of her sex across my face, marking myself with her. It wasn’t enough. I lapped at it, the sweet musk and lace soaking with my saliva as I laved my tongue over the fabric. It still wasn’t enough. I shoved it between my teeth, sucking the essence of her cunt down my throat.
A gentle sigh cracked through me, and I jolted.
She was still asleep, breathing slowly. When she remained motionless, I stepped closer, clutching her underwear in my fist. My shadow stretched across her body, submerging her light in my darkness.
It wasn’t enough
An inferno of heat roared to life in my chest, and molten lava coursed through my limbs. Hand shaking, I uncurled my fingers, reaching for her—
As soft as I remember.
I’d had Inferni females in the past. Lovers come and gone, flesh to be fucked for the night and discarded upon the dawn. Lust I knew, and I understood—or thought I understood. Nothingcompared to the inexplicable tide of feelings tearing me apart from within. Sundering my very foundation with such a visceral reaction. None of them had ever been as soft as her.
My presence expanded and filled the room, drenching every corner in my pheromones and the natural essence of my scent. Still, she slept, kept under by whatever trials and fears exhausted her before her arrival. More than some random magic and a portal, her fidgety nature and inconsistent heart rate described the story of a runaway.
She had escaped from something, and I would be her refuge.
I kneeled at the side of the bed, smoothing my hand over her cheek, lightly brushing hair behind her ear, trailing my claws over her shoulder until she shuddered, and drawing a line from one collarbone to the next. Her bones seemed so delicate, as easily broken as a bird’s. She slept soundly, highlighted in radiant silver from the window light.
She inhaled, and my gaze dropped to her rising chest. So, so damn soft. Pressure on my hand distracted me. Her face turned, nose nuzzling my palm and breathing in another lungful of my scent. Reacting to me even in sleep.
My heart pounded harder.
Her back arched, body bowing under my inherent influence. Lying on her back, hips turned sideways, she had one arm draped over her stomach and the other reaching out. My bloodburned as I smoothed my hand down her hip to the edge of her dress. A low moan vaulted from her lips and her thighs rubbed together.
A harsh breath punched through me.
I shouldn’t.
I shouldn’t.
But…she is mine.
