6. Naomi

Slapping him was a stupid move. Finn pushes buttons I didn’t even know I had.

All that talk about wolves and feelings, yet I had my hand on his dick! If I’d listened to my wolf, those books would have been untranslatable for future generations.

That’s what I wanted. In that insanely heated moment in the dark, anyway. Then he opened his mouth and ruined it.

Anyway, it's all proof we're not a good match.

/What about if he'd kissed you?/ Impes asks. I turn and toss in my small bed, plagued by my wolf.

There is zero chance of sleep, I might as well be translating. Damn it, Finn Penkov.

I growl internally, only to roll over again.

Impes nudges me for an answer. A kiss? Well, I guess I’ll just have to ask Diane Jackson next time I’m at Cragstone.

/Jealousy. That’s a new one/ Impes snickers. I roll over, press a cushion to the top of my head, and pray for sleep.

I was showered and dressed well before dawn. Habit of having tiny Rami. Clad in tight black sportswear, forgetting my favourite sweatshirt means I’m down to a crop top, but nobody will see me anyway.

Focusing on my breathing, I work through a series of martial arts drills. I need to take back control. It’s strange doing this routine in silence. Normally, Rami screeches along.

Finn’s grey eyes haunt my thoughts. I can’t be weak again. Over and over, I lunge, kick, and carve the wind with my hands. I can do this.

If Leona wants to leave, she can. I’m not her keeper. We can do things differently. We’re not joined at the hip.

Not anymore.

/Deep breath. It will be fine/ Impes soothes, but my mind races.

Adrian called me sweetie. I think he called Leona darling.

Finn calls me Kharkov. Like I'm the only one. What the hell. Why does that send a thrill through me?

/Your moves are shot to hell. A newbie could take you out today/ Impes points out.

My arms are sloppy, my squats only halfway down. My brain isn’t engaged. I need to see Finn. Apologise for the slap. Tell him to let me focus on this translation job.

I’m ahead of the dawn even with my crappy training attempt. Forced to listen at his white wooden door for any movement. With his huge, admittedly gorgeous body, I should be able to hear something.

A door creaks. Footsteps. My adrenalin jumps.. He’s awake. Inhaling I steel myself. /What are we going to do? What’s the plan?/ Impes questions, but I have no answer.

I stare down at the royal blue carpet. Everything is freshly painted, ready for a new start.

/What are we not going to do then?/ Impes adds cautiously.

Linger. Let him talk. Look at his body. Or his eyes. Or his lips. Just…be dead inside.

Killing assassins is so much easier than this.

I thought his eyes were stunning before. Watching them flare into shards of gold left me lightheaded. Then the sparks that set my skin on fire..

/Focus/ Impes softly scolds.

Right. I steeple my hands in a silent, one-second prayer before rapping on the door. Just a man. It's just an annoying, idiotic, hopeless man.

“Yes?” A deep voice answers, but my hand is already on the handle, I’m heading in. Only to see Finn stood tall and shining, fresh from the shower with a navy blue towel slung around his hips.

He definitely needs a bigger towel.

/Lies/ Impes growls appreciatively.

I need new eyeballs and a tongue that hasn’t lolled down out of my mouth. Without any logical reason, I take a step inside and shut the door.

“About last night-” Finn starts, but this isn’t his show.

“Sit down. Now,” I bark, pointing at the bed whilst walking over to him. I don’t want him looming over me for this. Using his size to render speechless.

He raises both eyebrows but sits on the edge of the bed. I try not to stare at what that does to his towel situation.

Shit his thighs are massive. I quickly look away.

Except the damn size of him means even looking over at his bathroom door. I just see huge shoulders and rippling abs in my peripheral vision. A set of grey eyes that wield more drama than any sky I’ve ever seen.

“I’ve just come to apologise for hitting you."

“Okay. Apology accepted,” Finn answers softly. I look insane. Hands on my hips, staring anywhere else.

“I need…I need to focus. Finding out who was protecting Gustav. Fix everything.”

“Can I apologise, too? Finn adds. It forces me to look at him. Not only is his body immaculate, but his face is just full of kindness. That bizarre, beaming sense of hope is oozing out of every pore.

I can’t deal with that kind of optimism.

“What are you sorry for?”

“This,” he snaps quickly, his arm shooting out, reaching my waist. I’m too quick for him. My hand darts in between his and deflects him.

He tuts with annoyance as his play fails, a wry grin of acceptance, his other hand gripping at the towel in an attempt to preserve some modesty. “I guess I fucked that up…”

“You should be sorry, that was weak, Head Beta Penkov.” His face creases with concern. The once bright feeling of hope, dims.

I don't want that. I don't want to make my mate sad. I want the sun on my face.

Stepping forward between his thick, still-damp thighs, I rest my hands along his solid jawline and place my lips to his. I’m not entirely sure why, but I’m sick of fighting the force that pulls me to him.

We freeze. It’s breathtaking. This time, when Finn roughly yanks me closer, I don't resist. I let his huge bare arms wrap around my body, his hand stroking through my hair.

I should ask Impes for advice, but she is beyond useless right now. Instead, I am forced to listen to my heart. The thudding, pounding response to Finn’s lips on mine. My legs are squeezed against his inner thighs, his face tilted upwards as I rain affection down.

I want him. It's not just the fact he's gorgeous and built like he's been carved out of marble. It's that warm sunshine glow he fills me with. A shield against all the other noise in my head.

Diane Jackson can get fucked. Finn is mine. The urge to scream that aloud is so real it's unsettling.

But this isn’t what I came for. I’m still holding his face but I slowly pull away.

“Just…I…okay…”

“You need some space, Kharkov?” Finn checks, like his towel hasn’t completely failed him and left him naked. “How about I fix my quad today and stay away from the library?”

I look up to the ceiling, his dark burning tang of a scent still fresh on my lips. “This was such a stupid thing to do.”

“Maybe. But it has chased that cloud away. Maybe one day you’ll even tell me about it.”

“Don’t, please don’t ask that of me.”

If he doesn’t come into the castle all day I’ll miss him. He’s already snuck that deep into my life.

This is exactly why I ran away in the first place. Mate bonds. That pull can make you forget your duty and vows with terrifying ease.

“Okay. Stubborn thing,” he huffs, and I break into a smile, shaking my head at the lunacy of this morning. “Whenever you’re ready. I’ll listen. I’m just glad you decided to come in.”

“Hang on…you knew before I knocked?”

“Why do you think I picked such a useless towel?” and this time he didn't miss.

I let out a groan of frustration as he grabbed me to him. “I got played!” I exclaim, my hands on his shoulders, half-fighting to get out of his solid grip. Sparks dance, and there is no way out.

My eyes keep glancing at his hard cock, towel on the floor as I writhed between his thighs.

“Fiesty little Kharkov, there is nothing wrong with looking at what’s yours.”

“Shut up,” I growl, fighting my blushes.

“What? I can’t help looking at you. You're stunning,” he murmurs appreciatively. My nipples have hardened through the flimsy stretched crop top, catching against his chin, and he groans. “I love the fight in you…the way you react to my voice, it’s sending my wolf insane,”

All those little snippets of praise are churning up warm, swirling pleasure.

Fuck there is just no defence against this man.

/Are you escaping or touching him up?/ Impes checks as every wriggling move sees me pressed closed to him, his face rammed into my cleavage, his huge thighs keeping me confined.

“Kiss me again, and I’ll let you go,” he whispers as in less than a second his huge hands grab my thighs, parting and lifting them onto his lap. I’m straddling him, my arms laced around his neck, my wolf raring for me to claim this solid force of nature for my own.

His huge cock presses against my lower stomach.

With his golden eyes beaming he murmurs, “Gorgeous, beautiful. My warrior. my girl,.” Every sweet phrase melts me into goo.

“What if I don’t want to kiss you?” I whisper, purposely adjusting to the pulse of his huge cock against me.

“Then you’re lying again, Kharkov.”

“You don’t know me Finn,” but when he tilts his face towards mine I jump at the chance to press my lips to his once more and shut him up.

Fiery sparks leave me reeling but I’m planted to my mate, touching as much of that bare flesh as I can. His tongue finds mine and I don’t care how hard I’m pressing into him. I just need contact with him. Chasing sparks.

I can feel his smile against my lips. “Do I let go?"

"No," flies out of me before I can process a clear thought. I don't regret it.

"Naomi," escapes him in a filthy groan when my hand wraps around his cock, our bond pulsing with energy. Bright, vivid, burning desire is racing back and forth between our hearts.

When his kisses rake down my neck, I let out a gasp that’s a combination of equal parts, pleasure, and fear. Outside of this castle I’ve got a life, serious responsibilities that Finn isn’t part of.

On top of that, Gustav has been murdered. Bad things are coming, and the longer I switch off from it, the closer we all dance with danger.

His hands grow bolder, gripping my ass, raking up the side of my ribs, only to return down, stroking my bare stomach. The warm hope turns to feral, roaring heat. /Yes, yes, yes/ Impes whimpers with a need that’s bordering on desperate.

When he uses a hand to roughly part my straddled legs even wider, I am seconds away from giving in completely.

Until I hear a loud, urgent knock. We both freeze as Leona swings open the white door, just as I did, with zero mercy for privacy.

Except she’s caught me, red-faced, straddling my naked mate. Guess I’m no better than Diane after all.

Leona doesn’t even step over the threshold.

“I’m leaving. Today. Get me a truck,” she snaps, her dark eyes flitting between the pair of us.

I don’t even know how to feel. Dressed all in black, blade fastened at her hip, she’s a remote, miserable iceberg to me right now.

I’m still clinging to Finn, the only thing that makes me feel like I have a chance of escaping the darkness.