Page 129 of His Darkest Desire

She withdrew her hand and resumed skimming the books. It’d been a little over month since Vex claimed her, since they’d professed their love to one another. That time had been the happiest of her life. She’d seen the change in Vex too. His mood was lighter, his eyes were brighter, and his smile came easier. And when he laughed? God, Kinsley loved the deep, rolling sound of his laugh.

In some ways, she couldn’t believe those weeks had already passed. She and Vex had done so much together that part of her insisted they couldn’t possibly have experienced all of it in so short a time.

Vex had brought her into his lab and demonstrated a bottomless well of patience in answering Kinsley’s endless questions as she’d examined everything. She’d been down there while he’d recovered from his wounds, but she hadn’t explored any of it. Her focus had always been on him. Nothing else had mattered.

But being down there again, without a life-threatening emergency to command her attention, was a whole new experience. There was magic in every corner—even in the many mundane ingredients he’d stockpiled down there. It was nothing like the mad scientist’s laboratory she’d initially envisioned. It was a wizard’s workshop, where potions were brewed, magic was crafted, and ancient artifacts were stored, the most powerful of which lay behind an enchanted vault door.

In response to her interest and enthusiasm, Vex had begun teaching her some of his craft. She’d mixed a few bath oils, helped make a few bars of soap, and even brewed her first potion, which Vex said would help with upset stomachs. Then he’d shown her some real magic. Drawing from sources both physical and arcane, they’d created what he called an everglow.

They’d used a simple glass jar, covered by a waxed cloth seal marked in magical symbols. And inside the jar, they’d created a tiny, constantly shifting aurora. The shimmering colors within changed from green to blue, blue to purple, then to red and yellow before circling back again. It was like having the northern lights bottled up.

But they hadn’t spent all their time in the lab, not by any means. He’d been a teacher in the kitchen, too, helping her adapt to the old-fashioned equipment on hand. With his guidance, she hadn’t burned a single scone in weeks, and she’d practically become an expert at baking several varieties of bread.

Her sister Maddy would’ve been proud.

Conjured food was a wonderful luxury, but it couldn’t match the satisfaction of prepping and cooking with one’s own hands. Especially when the cooking was done with a partner.

With a mate.

Their cooking time had of course led to a few cooking-adjacent activities… More than once, she’d found herself locked in flour fights with Vex that had turned the kitchen and themselves into a powdery mess. Those battles often resulted in spontaneous bouts of lovemaking with the food all but forgotten.

The aftermath always necessitated shared baths.

And shared baths always led to more sex.

Not that Kinsley would complain. Not one bit.

Gardening and foraging in the forest had often brought the same results. Whether tending to his neat patch of vegetables or gathering mushrooms from the surrounding woods, Kinsley and Vex always wound up dirty, heated, and unable to keep their hands off each other. It was like some untamed, carnal creature had been awoken within her, revealing a part of Kinsley she’d never known existed.

And she loved it most when Vex let himself go. When he was unrestrained, wild, bestial. When he held nothing back.

There was no one around to spy on them, no one to judge. This realm was theirs.

Desire unfurled in her core. She squeezed and rubbed her thighs together, but it didn’t alleviate the hollow ache blooming inside her.

Books, Kinsley. Think of the books!

“I’ll have to get Vex to teach me how to read these.” Kinsley pulled out another tome and flipped through the pages. “It’d be nice to know what they’re about without having to ask.”

“And if such knowledge is forbidden?” Vex asked from behind her.

Kinsley gasped as her heart leapt into her throat. In her startlement, she lost her hold on the book. It snapped shut and fell, and she fumbled to catch it, succeeding only in disrupting her own balance. Her foot slipped on the rung, and her hands were in no position to grab hold of the ladder before she tipped backward.

Rather than the hard, unforgiving floor, her fall was broken by Vex’s strong arms, one behind her shoulders and the other under her thighs. They barely gave beneath her weight, moving just enough to gently halt her. She reflexively clutched at him, grasping his bare shoulder.

Of course he was shirtless.

Vex held Kinsley against his chest, his eyes blazing down at her.

“You really need to stop doing that,” she said breathlessly.

One corner of his mouth quirked. “I can hardly take the blame when you keep throwing yourself into my arms.”

Kinsley chuckled. “I’m not throwing myself at you.”

“And yet here you are, my moonlight.” He spun away from the ladder, twirling across the room, faster and faster, making the blue skirt of her dress flare and flutter.

Laughter spilled from her as he danced and swayed. His crimson eyes were alight, the only constants as the world swirled around her with delightful, dizzying speed. His gaze was her tether, her balance, her anchor. Her solace and her joy.

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