He carried me like I weighed nothing, back into his quarters and through the door to his bedroom.
He kissed my neck, then placed me gently onto the center of his immense, soft bed, its dark sheets mussed. My heart raced, blood pounding in my ears as I wiggled further back until my head was resting on the soft pillows that smelled strongly of his rich, masculine musk. My wolf nearly purred with delight, safe and aroused and desiring so strongly.
The king stood at the foot of the bed, gazing at me with his brown eyes flashing gold. There was a flush high on his cheeks, and his mouth was red from the kissing—I wanted those lips on mine again, immediately. I reached for him, a wordless sound of desire falling out of my mouth. He immediately crawled onto the bed, knee-walking up until his knees were astride my thighs. Then he lowered down, weight on one forearm, and kissed me deeply. He skated his other hand over my shoulder and upper arm, then over the swell of my breast, his thumb catching on my nipple.
I gasped into the kiss and arched up slightly toward the touch. I was sensitive there—sensitive in ways I didn’t know. It shocked me with the pleasure of it. He hummed, pleased, his lips curving into a smile against mine. Then he did it again, swiping his thumb over my nipple through the silk again and again. I moaned into the kiss, my hips shifting restlessly on the bed.
“So responsive, little wolf,” the king hummed, pleased.
He slid his hand lower, over my belly, then lower across my hip. I wound my arms around his neck and clung close, overwhelmed, but not wanting him to stop, either. His fingertips dipped lower, in between my legs, and rubbed up and down over my pussy. Even with the silk of my dress and my undergarments in between us, his touch blazed hot, and something in the cradle of my hips tightened. “Oh,” I gasped into the kiss. “Please, I—” “You like that?” he growled.
“Yes,” I moaned, the syllable one long sigh of pleasure. I tried to spread my legs wider for his tongue, only to be stopped by his legs astride mine. He smiled, pleased, then dragged hungry kisses over my jawline and neck.
“You’ll let me touch you?” he asked into the curve of my neck.
“Please, Your highness,” I begged. “Please, touch me.”
He sat up. My arms fell back to the mattress, then I immediately reached to set my palms on his strong thighs. Desperate for contact. There was a strange look in his eyes as he gazed down at me—I was sure I looked a mess, with my face hot with desire and hair splayed out on his dark pillow.
“Elias,” he said. He smoothed his hand over my thigh. “Right now, call me Elias.”
I parted my lips. He was so handsome like this, with sweat beading on his temples and his shirt undone at the top, revealing a tantalizing hint of tan skin and dark hair. For this moment, not the King of Frasia.
“Okay,” I said. “Elias.”
He bared his teeth, in a display of possessiveness that made me arch up toward him. Then he curled his fingers hard in the silk of my dress and pulled it up over my hips, so it was bunched up around my waist. He traced his fingertip over the hem of my undergarment, the delicate touch raising goosebumps in its wake.
His eyes met mine, as if in a question. I nodded, and then he hooked his fingertips under the hem and tugged my panties down.
My cheeks burned, and I fought the urge to snap my legs shut out of the sudden embarrassment and exposure, but that feeling dissipated as Elias growled low, then dropped his mouth open like he wanted to eat me. I’d never seen him look this animal, this desiring—not even when he was shifted. It made me burn hot all over. It made me want to touch and be touched. It made me want to give him everything.
“Gorgeous,” he rumbled low in his chest.
He shifted down on the bed, then maneuvered us so he was kneeling on the mattress between my knees—so my legs were spread wide. I was blushing so hard I could barely stand it. He ran his hand up my thigh, squeezing and massaging, then over my hip, then over my mons. So close to where I wanted him and yet he kept his touch just out of reach. I grasped his wrist desperately, and he glanced up, eyes gleaming playfully.
“Yes?” he teased.
“Please,” I said, uncaring of how needy I sounded. I’d never been so wound up—never been so wet in my life. “Please, touch me.”
That seemed to be what he wanted to hear. He pressed his palm firmly over my pussy, with heat and pressure, and I gasped at the sudden pleasure of it. Being held like that—it made me feel safe, and cherished, and I immediately needed more. He didn’t make me wait anymore. With his free hand, he pressed my hip down into the mattress, then dragged two fingers up my pussy, slow and luxurious, gathering the slickness there.
“Yes,” I sighed.
He set his teeth into his lower lip as he stroked me like that again, and again, running his fingers over my lips, the inner folds, but carefully avoiding my clit. Each touch made me shiver and shake, squirming on the mattress because I needed more, but I didn’t know what more was. He pressed his fingertip to my entrance, barely dipping inside, and my whole body clenched. Of course I’d touched myself, worked fingers deep inside and made myself come, but this already felt different.
Overwhelming.
“No one’s touched you like this before,” Elias growled.
“Just me,” I sighed. “Please—”
“Next time,” he said, and it sounded like a promise.
I whined, low in my throat. I wanted him inside me, even if it was just one finger—wanted it so bad I couldn’t help but rock my hips down as if I could encourage him to change his mind. He just laughed, low in his chest. “Suddenly so eager, my wolf.” His. His. I swallowed down my moan of pleasure.He withdrew his hands, and I was about to complain again—but then he slid down the bed. Until he was flat on his belly with his hands on my thighs. His face between my legs.“Oh, gods,” I gasped, and threw one arm over my eyes. I couldn’t stand to look at him. I was already close, teetering on the brink just from being touched. And now he was going to do—that?“Pretty thing,” he growled. His breath washed over my cunt and I swore it throbbed with desire. I became impossibly wetter, wet enough that I had to be dripping onto his fine sheets. He gripped my thighs and spread them wider. “Been dreaming of this.”I flexed my thighs under his hands, just to feel how easily he pinned me in place. He
Then he stepped away and into the ensuite. I sprawled out onto the mattress with a sigh, stretching out my limbs across his fine sheets. Even with my dress still rucked up around my waist, I felt comfortable, sated. My wolf did, too. I could easily fall asleep here, in the warmth of his quiet quarters, with the fire burning low in the hearth and the sound of water running and idle puttering coming from the bathroom. Sleep was already beginning to tug at the edges of my consciousness when Elias stepped back into the room. He’d removed his shirt, revealing all that muscle and dark hair and soft skin, and interest curled hot inside me even though I’d just had the most powerful orgasm of my life. He seemed to notice the effect he had and smiled as he approached the bed. He had a washcloth in hand, and the promising hard curve in his pants was gone as well.I reached for the washcloth, but he just shook his head and crawled back onto the bed. Tenderly, he cleaned up the mess of my inner th
His eyes flashed gold as he loomed over me, his wolf close to the surface. This time it was from anger, though, not arousal. My wolf was conflicted internally, still wanting to be close to him, wanting to soothe away this rage, while my own fear of the king’s anger cut through me like a knife.“Little wolf.” Elias placed his hand by my head, caging me in against the wall. “Have you a betrothed in Daybreak?” “No,” I said immediately.He bared his teeth.I tipped my head back against the stone wall, baring my throat in a subconscious sign of submission. “No, I mean—it’s nothing official.” “Then what is it?” he demanded.“He’s—he’s my boyfriend, in Daybreak,” I said. The words felt childish even as I said them. “He has been for years. We never thought—the Choice was not supposed to happen in our lifetimes.” “And you came into my bed without telling me this?” he said. “That you belong to another?” “I don’t belong—”The animal growl that sounded from Elias’ throat silenced my protests as i
The side door opening caught Griffin’s ear. His eyes widened. “Reyna!”Instinctively, he surged forward, as if to run to me, only to be stopped by the Nightfall guards lowering their weapons like a gate in front of him. He burned with desperation, so much I saw his eyes flash clay-red as his wolf surged to the surface.I clenched my hands into fists again to keep from running toward him. I’d been so angry he’d done this, but now, seeing him, I could see the desperation and the despair in his expression—and I missed him. I missed the ease and comfort of our relationship. I wanted to embrace him. I wanted all of this to be over, to go home to Daybreak, where I knew who I was and what I wanted.“So tell us why you’ve come here, Griffin of Daybreak,” the king said from his throne. He sounded bored. “You’ve interrupted my Choice enough as it is.”“I’ve come to free Reyna from this farce,” Griffin said. “Daybreak wolves are not to be traded and tested like livestock.”“Is that what you thin
This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be how the Choice was ending. Not like this—not with Griffin here. Everything was going wrong, everything, all at once. I pulled out of his grip and ran through the side door, leaving the king alone in the throne room behind me. I didn’t want anything to do with him; I didn’t want to see him, didn’t want to hear his voice or feel his touch. I ran through the halls alone, avoiding the curious looks of the servants and guards as I tried to keep my face impassive despite the hot prickle of tears threatening behind my eyes.I made it to my quarters, thankfully not pursued by the king or any of his guards. Amity and Rue met me in the hallway and guided me into my room, wearing matched expressions of concern as they ushered me inside.As soon as the door closed behind me, I leaned back against it and buried my face in my hands again.“Oh, milady,” Amity said gently.Of course, they knew what had happened—the arrival of the Daybreak soldiers in Efra
I blinked hard, fighting back tears again. How could Griffin be so stupid? After a long moment, I said, “Just don’t go through with it. Call off the challenge, and I’ll be your queen.”“I can’t do that,” he said, with something in his voice that almost sounded like regret.“Why not?” I demanded. “You’re king!”“And the rules of a king are different than the rules of a mate,” he said. “A king cannot back out of a challenge. To do so is to display weakness. What else would I do—punish your Griffin unfairly? Put him in the stocks? I can’t send him back to Daybreak when he’s so audaciously brought soldiers to my doorstep. Word would travel.”“What do you care about words?” I asked. “Is your reputation more important than a wolf’s life?”“It’s not my reputation I’m concerned about. If other wolves hear they can issue a challenge without consequence, they’ll circle like vultures. I will not put my subjects at risk of invasion because your little boyfriend thought he could challenge me.” He
“This is unbelievable,” Adora snapped. “Why was there a final trial if it wasn’t a trial at all? Had the king already made up his mind? We all know his attention has been focused on Reyna since the beginning. How farcical!” She sniffed, then smoothed one hand over fine blonde hair. “How could you accept this?” she asked me.“Accept this? Adora, you know this isn’t—I never—” I glanced toward Lady Glennis, who was watching us both with mild interest. “You know this isn’t how I wanted this to happen. We both know you would be a fine queen.”Her expression softened as she heard the unspoken part of my statement. That this isn’t what I wanted. That she deserved it, not me. If I could, I’d switch places with her immediately, regardless of whatever feelings I felt for the king. Anger and desire and—and something else, something I wasn’t sure what to call.“I know I would,” Adora said. “That’s the worst part.” She cleared her throat, then nodded at the table and Lady Glennis. “Thank you, mila
Focus. I pulled a few maps from the shelves. Something here would point me in the right direction. As I smoothed out the first map, I found I couldn’t focus on the delicate lines of ink illustrating the cities and packs of Frasia. There was so much of the country we hadn’t seen. All the places we’d meant to visit together—the small towns, the tall mountain ranges, the deep forests, the sea between Frasia and Askon.Griffin couldn’t die. Not like this. Not in the arena at the end of the king’s blade. He was my safe place for so long, my only friend in Daybreak, and the only one who listened to me when I spun out my dreams of a different, bigger life. Even now, with this stupid decision, he’d done it for me. He’d wanted that life together, too.I put the large map of Frasia aside and unfurled a different one. This was a current map, of Efra as it was built today, with its crowded streets and its bustling industry. I sighed as I traced the paths of the city I’d visited. The beautiful wal