Page 48 of Dark Elf's Good Girl

At the risk of getting struck, I dare another question. My hands are trembling at the idea of being locked in this room with no promises or what he is planning right now. And he seems so distracted that Calix might actually tell me what he intends to do with me.

Not that it’s really ever been a secret.

“I think it’s time that we get away from the house, hmm?” I blink slowly, not able to register the information. “I have a little cabin up north that I think would be good for us.” The slow smile spreading across his face makes me feel sick. “I’ll come back for you later.”

Before I even answer him, he turns on his heel and struts back out the door.

I should feel relieved now that I’m alone. Instead, all I feel is panicked. My knees tremble and I think they’re gonna give out beneath me. I consider sinking to the floor but there’s too much anxious energy flooding my body.

I start picking a path from my bed to my window walking back-and-forth as I try to untangle the thoughts in my mind. A cabin alone with Calix? Will I survive that?

The shiver that racks me is my answer.

I pause next to my window, trying not for the first time to see if it will open. Even if it did, I don’t know how I’d scale the side of the house. But there has to be a way out. I can’t wait until they all go to sleep again.

Bile teases the back of my throat as I consider what it would be like to be alone with him truly alone, I think I’d rather end it here before he gets a chance.

I’m contemplating it when I hear the knock on my door, and I spin around, my heart beating out of my chest as I consider my options, of which I have few. Why would Calix be back already?

I fear there’s no good answer for that.

What’s worse is when I see the door knob start to twist on its own. I press both palms to my mouth to silence the yelp that escapes me. I have a feeling it will only excite him.

But then I see the elf that slips through my door has black hair swinging around his shoulders instead of pulled back in a bun and the relief hits me.

“Aiken?” I hiss, unconsciously crossing the room to meet him in the middle.

He sighs softly as he takes me in, and his fingers twitch like he wants to reach out to me. My skin tingles in anticipation, the memories from the night before flashing through my mind. Even the rejection at the end isn’t enough to keep me from wanting him.

He’s the only one I’ve ever craved to hold me.

Maybe I should care more, but in this moment, I need his comfort. I don’t give him the option to push away, closing the rest of the gap between us and wrapping my arms around his middle.

I bury my face into his chest and try to block out the rest of the world. Tentatively, Aiken’s arms come up around my shoulders before the tension finally starts to seep out of his body. One hand comes around to cup the back of my head and while the other smooths down my back.

“What happened?”

His voice is like a balm, soothing all the sores that my fears have ripped open. I squeeze my arms tighter around him, not wanting to say it out loud. A small part of me is still hoping that I’m overreacting even though I know that is not the case.

“Isla?” My heart feels like it’s going to burst with the tender way he says my name. “Please.” He takes a step back too fast for me to follow and crouches down so that we are eye to eye. Thankfully, his palm comes up to cup my jaw so I’m not left without any contact. “Talk to me.”

For some reason, this moment feels more charged than our kiss. I guess because there’s more of a vulnerability to it. He wants me to give him my fears, and I want to let him. I want to give him everything, to make room for him so that I can steal a piece of his soul and tuck it in alongside mine.

I want to be so consumed by this man that there is no room for fear outside of when he will hold me again.

The emotions hit me so hard, so suddenly, that I gasp. I wasn’t prepared for the need for him to flay me open like that.

Aiken’s gaze darkens as my lips part on the sharp inhale. Slowly, his hand slides up and drags his thumb harshly over my bottom lip. It stings and heat flushes my cheeks.

Why do I want him to do it again?

“Isla, tell me what happened.”

His voice has dropped, darkening to match his eyes, and I realize what must be going through his mind. Calix dragged me here alone…

It’s jealousy that’s lining his face. It makes heat pool low in my stomach. Normally the danger that rolls off a dark elf would send me running, but with Aiken, it excites me. I want to see what he would do to me to stake his claim.

It almost makes me forget what happened before he came in here.

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