Page 58 of Knot Forever

“Fuck, Nova,” he groans. “Tell me you’re alright, little one.”

Twisting, I glance at him over my shoulder. He’s ripped his mask off, and his face is pure satisfaction as he takes in the sight of me impaled on him.

“You caught me,” I murmur, wriggling for emphasis. His answering smile is pure wickedness.

“I did. And I’m not letting you go, Nova King.”

My heart clenches. “I’m not a King yet.”

His hand traces a circle on my shoulder. “You will be, when I take you during your heat and bury my teeth in you. Right here, where nobody can see it but us.”

“Possessive,” I grumble, shifting to try to get comfortable. Asher twists us until he’s on the ground and I’m on top of him, and I snuggle into his chest with a sigh. This ismuchmore comfortable.

“I will always be possessive over you, Nova,” he murmurs, playing with my hair as I trace patterns into his chest. “That’s just a fact of life now.”

“Can we tattoo ‘property of Nova King’ on you?” I tease lightly.

He hums. “We can. As long as you have ‘property of the King pack’ tattooed onyou. Right here.”

I shake with laughter when he cups my ass. “You know I’m not actually averse to that - as long as it goes both ways.”

He holds me closer. “Little one,” he says softly. “It does.”

Chapter twenty-five – Marcus

“Marcus.”

“Nova.” I glance down at her. She’s sitting cross-legged, smiling as the wind blows her hair around through the open car window. “Please sit properly. That’s really not safe.”

She laughs, but she untucks her legs. “You’re right. Will you tell me where we’re going now?”

I take a right turn, taking us deeper into the city. “Not yet.”

Today is the next step on my list.

Take Nova on a date.

And I want to show her something real. Something part of me that I don’t share with even my brothers.

My heartbeat feels loud in my chest as I pull into an underground car park and slide into a space.

“This is all very mysterious,” Nova murmurs, but she’s still smiling when I open the car door and hold out my hand. I keep our fingers entwined as I lead her out into the warm sunlight of an autumn day.

We walk for a few minutes, until I pause in front of the place we’re going to. “We’re here.”

Nova squints, her hand over her eyes to shade them from the sun as she glances up. “A music store?”

I nod, pulling the door open and beckoning her inside. Marlene is there as always, and her smile is bright as she stands from the seat of the Fibonacci.

“Marcus!” she says, approaching us. “You’re early.”

I check my watch, and she’s right. “I’m sorry, Marlene. I was eager to get here. Would you like us to come back?”

She waves her hands, curious eyes sliding to Nova. “Not at all! You know you’re welcome here any time. Who is your friend?”

“This is my Nova.” I gently pull her forward from where she’s examining the guitars displayed across the wall. “Nova, this is Marlene. A friend of mine.”

Nova extends her hand and they shake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Marlene. Marcus has been very quiet about why we’re here, so I’m curious.”

---