Page 34 of All the Devils are Here

I stroked my hand over his fur, and his soft, lingering purr became more intentional. A shiver of magic rippled through the air, and his body shifted beneath mine so my ear rested on his chest and the rumble was so much closer.

“Good morning,” he said softly.

“Morning.” I could still pet the velvety fur on his back, and I felt a little hypnotized by it. Until I felt something I should have expected, but somehow was still surprised by. The way Ban was pressed against me, I felteverything. And as a man, it was morning, and he was hard. Which reminded me that in spite of the fur, he was entirely naked. That didn’t cool the arousal swimming under my skin. It only made it worse.

He was so close, and my body was still needy.Fuck.

“How do you feel?” He asked.

It should be impossible that I was still sleepy, but I guessed nearly dying and having magic shoved into my body would do that. If I went back to sleep, would I have more sexy dreams? “How should I feel?”

Ban moved, rolling me so I was on my back and part of his body was pinning mine down. The way he placed us made me even more aware of him and the way he was looking down at me. Even more than yesterday, this growing, dawning attraction that seemed impossible. With Trin too.

That dream… was it because I wanted them? I mean, Ididwant them, even if it made me feel guilty. And confused. There was just something there that drew me to these men, despite where we were and what was happening to me.

Was this what Christine felt? That she was suddenly ridiculously horny around her monsters? Or was I just horny because I was alive and they were beautiful, and my heart was still bruised with rejection?

“I don’t know how you should feel. But I am sorry for yesterday.”

I couldn’t quite stop myself from reaching up and touching his face. Exploring the fur on his cheekbones and tracing the ridge of his nose. “You didn’t do anything.”

“He hurt you.” His purr morphed into a growl. “And I couldn’t stop him.”

“That’s not your job.”

Another growl. “I disagree, kitten.”

My stomach fluttered at the nickname. “Why?”

“Mmm.” He leaned down, pressing his face into my neck and inhaling like he had before. I flushed, wondering if he could scent my arousal. “Because you’re mine.”

The casual way he said it had my heart fluttering along with my gut. That kind of casual possession and desire was what I’d always wanted, despite it not being something womenshouldwant. Everything in me craved to be the center of someone’s world in the same way Christine had found.

It gives you what you want. Your deepest, most pure desire. Think about that.

Both excitement and dread twisted through me at the same time. That wasn’t possible, right? The magic hadn’t hypnotized the men of this island to suddenly be in love with me. If it had…

“Oh, no.”

He frowned. “What’s wrong?”

The dream. The attraction. What I wanted.

It felt like the tipping of the scales over what I could bear. To be teased with whatwasmy deepest desire only for it to not be real? That was the worst kind of cruelty.

Tears flooded my eyes, and I looked away. The arousal I’d felt was gone now, and those big golden eyes, searching for what hurt me, were too pure and too genuine. “It’s okay,” I said. “It’s not your fault. The magic is messing with you. Because it gives people what they really want?”

Ban tilted his head. “For those not born or created here, yes.”

“Created?” The word threw me off. “What does that mean?”

He didn’t answer, instead leaning into me again and breathing me in. Something about the raw nature of that attention made me crave it even more. Which only amplified the hurt.

Ban’s head snapped up. “He is coming.”

“Go,” I said. “I don’t want him to hurt you again.”

“He did not hurt me much. It was worth it to try.”

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