Page 65 of Princess of Thorns and Ruin

I pick up his wrist gently and graze his pulse point. “Let it just be a bite, nothing more. I’m tired of hurting you.”

“I’m—I’m not ready.”

A sigh wheezes out of my lungs, but I nod and sink my teeth into him without taking away his pain.

I cannot help but imagine the alternative—if his eyes were set on me instead of glued to the corner of the room, his whole body ablaze with pleasure instead of pain—and let him go to bed with a pulse of anger and unquenched desire.

After switching off the light, I slip under the covers. The cool silk gown hugs my body, my nipples as hard as can be, the threads of the front corset rough to the touch. Leo’s blood is still sweet in my mouth as I snake my hand down, curious to test the moves he taught me, but before it slips under the lace, a commotion echoes from the hallway.

The mindless giggles of King Pereira’s drugged blood slaves scatter ice across my shoulders, and I grip the duvet. I hear them on the other side of my bedroom door, probably hanging from his arms as they did earlier, forced to suffer his every whim, and hold my breath.

“Step aside, boy. I need to see my bride,” the old king slurs.

Alec’s voice booms through the door, calm and perfectly collected. “The princess has already retired for the night, your grace.”

“Let me in, you stupid fool. I’m marrying her tomorrow, and if you don’t let me through, I’ll make sure you visit the dungeons before you go.”

I hide my face in my palms, my heart aching like it’s being pricked by a thousand, icy needles.

“I can visit them tomorrow, after the wedding,” Alec insists, like he’s talking about something trivial like the weather. “Tonight, she’s not to be disturbed, and my king would agree with me.”

I scurry out of bed and wrap a thick robe around my frame, ready to flee if Pereira pushes his way through, but the nervous giggles of the blood slaves grow faint. Panting hard, I count to a hundred in my head, until all I can hear is the sound of my own agony, and press my forehead to the wooden door. What’s one night of reprieve compared to a lifetime of misery? I should never have come here.

The doorknob is cold and heavy in my hand as I crack open the door and conjure a confidence I didn’t even know I had, staring right into Alec’s eyes. “He will punish you for that.”

“He’ll try.” His lopsided grin reveals a dimple before he sobers up, his voice suddenly low and heavy. “It was worth it, though.”

“Thank you,” I croak.

Tomorrow will be wretched, but tonight, I’m still free.

Maybe one day makes all the difference. Maybe tomorrow, I’ll have the strength to face it. It kills me that I’ve saved myself for a depraved, old man. I safeguarded my virginity for marriage like I was instructed to and will be condemned instead of rewarded for it.

I wonder if Lucas is a virgin, not sure I even know him at all.

Alec isn’t.

I bet he’s been with tons of women.

My gaze glides down his body, and my mind drifts.

He saved my life even though he hates me. He’s loyal. Discreet. And he wants me.

I arch a decided brow. “What about you? Are you an idiot?”

“Am I a—” His throat bobs as the true meaning of my words passes between us.

“Once again, Mr. Beaumont… Are you an idiot?”

No arrogant smirk twists his handsome face. No witty comeback fills his breath—just an intense and grave look. “No.”

I open the door wider, and he slips inside with feline grace. The current of energy between us changes, and my mouth dries up. Out there, I’m his princess. In here, who knows who’s in charge?

His lips find mine, soft and warm, but tame, like he’s wondering the same thing. Alec buries his knuckles deep in my thick mane and combs through the dark locks slowly, reverently, as though he always wondered how they would feel.

“Why did you accept?” I ask against his lips, breathless.

“Are you kidding? You’re the ultimate forbidden fruit, princess.” Honey and champagne fill my mouth as Alec holds the back of my neck and ravages me with his kiss, his tongue blunt and unapologetic. “And you deserve more than to marry this dreadful man,” he says softly as he comes up for air.

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