Draco Ushering the tiny goddess over to my closet, I grabbed a t-shirt and made quick work slipping it over her shoulders. It fell to her knees, easily concealing the mark I’d left on her soft thigh. She released a sound of protest when I pulled the towel from her body, tossing it to the floor without a care. Another sound, this one pained, tumbled past her lips when I dropped my own towel and grabbed a pair of sweats. The heat that leaked from her eyes soaked into my flesh, causing my cock to stir. I looked down at her, unashamed at the erection hanging between my legs. Resisting her had been futile, something I quickly realized as I watched her and Azrael grow closer over the course of weeks. Whether she knew it or not, she owned him. His obsession with her had long surpassed the point of no return. He’d never let her go. He’d do anything to keep her. I wasn’t sure I could fault him for it anymore. There was a deep blush on her cheeks, darkening as she panted softly. My beast r

Blakely One Hour Later “Ugh, why do you have to be so fucking heavy?” I snarled under my breath, wincing when I clipped the wall. Orion’s arm remained slung over my shoulder, a heavy weight I couldn’t wait to rid myself of. It had taken me half an hour to traverse the maze-like halls, following his slurred instructions. The mansion hadn’t bothered to help. Apparently, it didn’t approve of my actions. Azrael had offered me a hand, but I declined. I didn’t want this falling back on him or Draco. Just because I planned on staying didn’t mean I was okay with causing a rift between the three of them. No, they’d stay out of this, and I’d happily suffer the consequences. “Why do you have to be so short and bossy?” Orion griped, his voice husky and heavily slurred. Gritting my teeth, I shifted his weight to my hip and wrenched his bedroom door open. The scent of leatherbound books and smoke covered every surface from the dark lacquered furniture to the four postered bed with its obsidian

Blakely Like the coward I was, I didn’t show my face for the rest of the day. Instead, I wandered my way back to my bedroom and took a long, cold shower. Once I had slipped into something comfortable, I begged and pleaded with the mansion until it once again revealed Lunette’s hidden library. With nothing better to do, I grabbed the book I’d started last night and made my way to the cushy little window nook. The garden below was teeming with life. Bright bushels of flowers dotted the ever-changing maze. Butterflies, some glowing softly, flitted about on their own personal missions. From afar, the surrounding forest looked like an iridescent rainbow. One that melted into the pale blue of the sky. If I had any sort of artistic ability, I would’ve wanted to paint it. I read slowly, stumbling over every other word. After a few hours, boredom began to set in. If only I were one of those people who could lose themselves within the pages of a book. Every now and then a strange sensatio

Orion Over the centuries, I’d lost count of the things I’d done. While they still lived within my memory, I had become skilled at pushing them aside. At focusing on the present to ignore the horrors of the past. Countless wars I’d fought, slaughtering in both human and beast form, and yet nothing in all those years gave me such a visceral reaction as witnessing poison’s darkest nightmare. My own stomach turned as I watched her spew her dinner onto the floor. Disgust for myself and for my people had my skin crawling. I wanted to peel it from my body and take to the forest, running until the residue of her pain was smothered by blundering exhaustion. Seeing the horrors through her eyes, feeling the blade carving into her flesh as though it were my own—I’d never experienced anything so harrowing. I’d freed prisoners of war, witnessed torture and its aftereffects. I’d even been maimed a time or two on the battlefield, but never had I felt the unrelenting agony that was dark magic weav

Blakely “You have ten seconds to undress and bathe. I won’t be traveling with you while you smell like burnt flesh,” he drawled, “Not that your natural scent is any better.” Hah, now he was blatantly lying. I’d seen the way he reacted to my arousal. I’d felt the hard length of his cock pressing into my leg when he pinned me to the library’s floor. Gritting my teeth, I spun around and faced him. He cocked his head, arms stretched out along the rocky edge of the pool. Not giving myself time to chicken out, I dropped the oily sheet I held to my chest and let it tumble to the floor. Rather than look away, I met his stare and held it. Taking the challenge, Orion dragged his eyes down my face, lingering on my throat before plunging even lower. I could feel his stare on every part of my body. Sliding over my nipples, between my legs and through my lips. Down his gaze went, all the way to the tops of my feet. When he raised his eyes once more, they were several shades darker, his pupils