LOGINThe carriage suddenly lurched.Then stopped.Hard.Tara's head snapped toward the door.Vinn was already moving.He grabbed the nearest piece of clothing and hurriedly pulled it on, his eyes fixed on the entrance."What happened?" Tara whispered."I don't know."The horses were breathing heavily outside.Then—BANG!The carriage door flew open.Tara screamed.Vinn spun around.Kaito stood outside.For one second, the Alpha King simply stared at them.Then his enormous mouth opened.He laughed.A deep, booming laugh that made Tara's face burn with humiliation."HAHAHAHA!""Kaito!" Vinn snarled.Kaito wiped at the corner of his eye."You should see your faces!"His gaze dropped deliberately to their disheveled appearance."Did I interrupt something?"Tara grabbed the front of her dress."Get out!"Kaito laughed again."Relax. If you two wanted privacy, you should have remembered where you are."Vinn's expression hardened."Why did you stop us?"Kaito's amusement slowly faded."To teach
The carriage continued to roll through the darkness, but neither of them seemed eager to return to their seats. Tara shifted carefully, and Vinn glanced toward the carriage door.“We shouldn't indulge.”“I know.”“They'll wonder why we're taking so long.”“I know.”But stilll, neither moved. Then Tara smiled, cheekily and whispered.“Five minutes.”Vinn sighed and smiled softly. “Five minutes.”They settled together on the carriage floor, tucked into the safest corner they could find. Tara rested against his chest while Vinn wrapped an arm around her, keeping her close whenever the carriage swayed.“This is reckless,” he murmured.“Very reckless.”“But you're smiling.”“So are you.”He couldn't deny it. For a while, they simply stayed there. Vinn looked down at her. Her green eyes caught what little moonlight slipped through the curtains. Her white-blonde hair had fallen loose around her shoulders, and her rosy lips were slightly swollen from their kisses.He stared and Tara noticed.
When his chest was bare, she pressed her palm flat over his heart. It hammered under her hand."You feel that?" she whispered. "That's how much you want this.""No, Tara. It's how much I want you."She took his hair gently in her hand and tipped his head back. Then, she kissed the hollow of his throat. He shuddered, head falling back against the cushion. She traced her mouth down his chest, tasting salt and warm skin, and his breathing went ragged."Uuurgh. Tara....""Shh." Her lips brushed his stomach. "Let me."His hands found the shoulders of her dress, clumsy and with admiration. When the fabric slipped down her arms, the night air raised goosebumps across her skin. Her skin smelled of soap, flowers and rain. He looked at her, bare and glowing in the dim light, and his throat worked."You're so beautiful," he whispered, simple and earnest."You have to say that.""I don't." His thumb temptingly traced the curve of her breast. "I'm saying it because it's true."She guided his hand
The carriage rolled steadily through the darkness, its wheels whispering over the road. Vinn sat beside the window, watching the shadows of trees pass across the glass. Tara sat opposite him, their knees touching. For several minutes, neither spoke. Then she moved closer and Vinn glanced at her. "Tara." "Hmm?" "Someone might hear us." Her expression softened. "You've said that three times." "Because it's true." She reached for his hand. He let her take it, though his fingers remained tense around hers. "You aren't afraid for yourself," she murmured. Vinn nodded and looked at her. "I'm afraid for you." He whispered quietly and that silenced her. His gaze dropped to their joined hands and he continued. "If Kaito finds out you've become important to me...." He didn't finish. But Tara understood. She leaned closer until their shoulders touched. "Then don't make me important." His eyes lifted and she smiled faintly. "Too late?" A reluctant smile touched his mouth. "Too l
Aramisius remained careful over her, his weight braced on one forearm so she could breathe. Her dress was carefully pulled and folded to her waist, his trousers came open. The teasing had burned it all away. He kissed her throat, then her collarbone, then lower, and each press of his mouth sent dizzying waves of heat unspooling down her belly. She arched into him, her fingers fisting in his shirt. "You're still wearing too much," she breathed. "So are you." He growled and then dragged his mouth up to her ear. "But I mean to fix that." She laughed, breathless, and the sound dissolved into a gasp as his hand slid up the inside of her thigh. The carriage lurched over a stone, and his fingers stilled against her skin. For one heartbeat he went rigid above her, every muscle braced against the sway. Aeryl blinked up at him, dazed. He searched her face, her eyes, the rise and fall of her chest again. His gaze traveled over her body — her hip where the boards pressed, the way she
When they pulled back from each other, Aramisius eyes remained glued to the soft pout of Aeryl's lips. "Stop looking at me like that," she whispered teasingly, not wanting him to stop. Aramisius didn't stop staring at her, piercingly. "Looking like what?" He asked. "Like you're deciding where to put your hands." "I already know where." His voice sat low in his chest. "I'm deciding how long I can keep them to myself." The carriage bumped over a rut and Aeryl caught herself on his arm, and her fingers stayed, warm through his sleeve. "You've been deciding to touch me since Elyria, Lycan." she said. "No. Even before that." Aeryl froze in surprise and blinked. Then, she laughed, quiet, and the sound pulled something loose in him. The matebond hummed in her chest, a bright taut string, plucked. "Then stop deciding to touch me," she said. He didn' succumb t. Not yet. He reached up and traced the line of her jaw, slowly, the way a man tested a locked door to a dangerous route. He
"Rot in hell, cursed mongrel! My king's fire will scorch your cursed hide to ash!" The dark stone room was a warground and a shotgun was raised to head of the kneeling man. The prince didn't flinch. Instead, his eyes turned darker. "From the other side, whisper to your king. Tell him traitors may
Meanwhile, Aeryl was being held out of the tub that was filled with roses and warm milk when it hit her.A very strong pull. Her breath caught sharply as pain slammed deep in her chest. The calm the roses had given her shattered all at once. She gasped and pushed herself upright.The room felt wron
Not angrily but with alert.“Describe him.” Aramisius said.She shook her head, tears gathering again. “Don’t tell me you didn't see him.""Well....""You caused this!"Silence followed.Finally, Aramisius spoke, voice lower now.“If you see him again....” He said. “....you come to me. Immediately.
Aeryl gasped, her breath scattering. His grip pinned her there, firmly, every beat of her pulse hammering beneath his palm."Careful. You don't know what you're walking into, hybrid," Aramisius hissed, his lips grazing her ear. "You should know your enemies. I am one of them.""What... do you want







