At his direct line of questioning, everything within me stills.Again, he twists the steering wheel in hand as if wanting me to deny his question for the bit of comfort it would offer.He drives when the lights turn green, though he still looks very uncomfortable."Yes."I utter, and the car sways a little before a mutter escapes him."Good God..."He says nothing more for the next few minutes until I notice the mutters that escape him."So then his leading your search when you left the palace, and then at the ball when he left after our dance and came back disgruntled. Christ, and when he left his work to visit Chelsea, my coat on the floor…he was the one that threw it and the way he held your hand-"I say nothing to his mutters, merely letting him stew in his suspicions until one of his hands leaves the steering wheel to reach his mouth."Good God, Priestess, he is the king; he is your stepbrother! Oh, crap, Maggy!"He must mean Magnolia.He has so many reasons to oppose this."Why
This... This isn't the position I had in mind, not that I considered my coming to his room would lead to sex. Hah... whom am I kidding: I hoped it would. Still, having his hardness pressed to my face and my core exposed to his while I lay atop him on the bed is too much. "Marko, I don't thi-...at least turn off the lights.” I plead because the urge to cover my nakedness is so overwhelming that it trembles my voice. Is this how people have sex with one whose opinion they hold above their own; they expose their most precious secrets in such a brash manner? ** Marko Turn off the lights? He played with the thought again, and while he loved the tremble of her voice so much that he considered it, he wanted to see her. To examine the pink flush of her towering core more keenly as it darkened with his attention to it. His hand parted her inner lips to give room for his tongue against her; her shudder was all he needed to bury his face deeper in her salty core. "Marko..." Her voi
The blood flowing from my nose ceases when Sharon uses her regeneration abilities on me."I think reducing the dosage three days before today's ceremony was not enough.""It's just a nosebleed."I dismiss; if I say otherwise, she might discontinue the dosages before I can use the calm to set matters straight with the Lycan, judging from how she insists I miss today’s dosage."On someone whose body should be healing itself. This is not a good sign, priestess, you...are pushing too hard."My eyes roll; I wish to tell her, ‘not hard enough,’ for if I pushed myself to resist the pull hard enough, I would not be here, but I say nothing."I needed to purify what I could, the area is huge, and there is apparently a multitude coming; who wants to collapse on the news?”"You wouldn't need to work this hard if-""I said it’s fine. If anything, I feel more like myself than before."The look in her gaze tells me she does not believe me; hell, I do not believe my words.Kaisa stirs; I feel her pre
Marko N"Leave, Sharon."Alba's words were instant after his question.While the room smelled heavily of her, the scent did not excite him like before, and rather than be appreciative of it, he found himself searching for his body’s reactions.Still, since when could she defy him when he was this close to her?Did the fact that she did not affect him mean that he could no longer, in turn, affect her?"Stay."He commanded Sharon, who seemed to make herself smaller in his presence."Tell me who in the hell you serve under that you would-"He began, but Alba interrupted him."Christ, Marko, I broke into her office and consumed wolfsbane; she decided to make tablets for me because I wouldn't quit.""What?"Her words angered him so much that he wanted to pin her to the wall and yell sanity into her, yet if he took things too far and held her when he could no longer blame his lust, then what did that mean for him?It was fear that made him hesitate."She was weaning me off it.""Why?"His q
"I think my arm is broken." The emo girl said with a curse, and though I do understand she was in pain, better her hand than her foot. Thank the goddess I followed her. Being fifteen, my mother advised stopping the wolfsbane I had been taking so I could claim to shift with the rest when I turned sixteen, and while I no longer saw her death, I saw Violet’s instead. Dreams are just dreams, I uttered to myself before following the emo girl home, only to witness her getting chased by bullies, just like in my dream. Her death would have occurred if they had pushed her down the stairs, but I broke her fall, maybe sprained something, or it is that I did not stretch before running to her and pulled a muscle; either way, my dream happened. So, did that mean the dreams of my mother’s death would also occur? "I called the prince; he’ll be here soon." I say through panted breaths, still exhausted from the bullies we escaped, who chased us down for some reason as if they were committed to
Marko’s gaze raked the room before falling on mine.Like in the dream, I correct my posture, but this time not because of his effect on me but because I will die before I let him witness me flustered.“Good evening”He begins, and like in the dream, his gaze leaves mine the instant we hold each other’s, but not before his pupils shift between Ace’s and his; not many can notice, but the shades of silver differ.He begins his introduction with an anecdote before peppering in a few jokes about going easy on the liquor.How he can do that when anxiety fills me to the point of no conversational interest is beyond me; then again, he has been good at holding in his emotions since youth; either that, or I assume I matter more than I do to him. Finally, he ends his introduction with a soft gaze at the woman beside him, Magnolia Grace.After this, he throws empty honours to me, mentioning how proud he was of me as his stepsister before turning to face Magnolia again.I do not know why I count
"I'm pregnant! Alba, you'll have a little brother or sister. Aren't you happy?"The sink of my stomach was too visceral to ignore.How was she overjoyed when I felt close enough to throw up my heart?"But...you aren't allowed to have children with the King?"I asked with a shaky smile on my face.Her heightened sensitivity terrified me. So, I grew accustomed to making my gestures as friendly as possible; otherwise, she would overread them and take offence from them.How could she utter such news as if it were good?The only reason they permitted her to be his second wife was on the basis that she wouldn't disturb the succession by having a child with the king.A child between his majesty and his mate might create a division in the council, and worse, what if Marko refuses to associate with me? Then...what of our promise?"His majesty said he'd handle it. He was happy about it; you know.”She said as she placed my brush with strands of her hair on my vanity table.She behaved as if we
"You...came? You came! "Beatrice's hand flew to her mouth in joyful shock as we exited the vehicle we came in; it was as if I had saved her from something.The cars out front and her expensive-looking peach bouffant gown hinted at a party—a party we were not invited to.The alpha and I remained dressed in travel sweats, at this rate is it not safe to assume I was preferred underdressed?“Are we interrupting something?”Alpha Rhett asks, taking the words from my mouth.A shadow of guilt crosses her face before she looks away.“I- am sorry. Can I explain later?”The alpha turns to me, and I shrug, giving him the right to the final decision.We cannot go back; rather, I do not wish to go back, so the other alternative would be getting a hotel room where we risk media attention; in other words, we are stuck here.The alpha nods in understanding and then takes my hand as if I am a child, this warrants a look from Beatrice, but she says nothing.“Let me guide you to the event.”She offers