The first thing Valerie noticed wasn't the pain. It was the scent.Her lungs, usually filled with the damp, mildewed air of the Blackwood cellars, were suddenly flooded with the deep, intoxicating aroma of cedarwood, aged leather, and a raw, underlying current of predatory power. It was thick, masculine, and overwhelming. She felt the softness of high thread count sheets beneath her palms, a stark, terrifying contrast to the cold steel table of the compound's medical bay.She shifted, and a sharp, white hot line of agony flared across her back.Don't move, a low, gravelly baritone commanded. You'll break the seal of the salve.Valerie's eyes snapped open. She wasn't in a dungeon. She was in a massive, dimly lit bedroom with stone walls and heavy timber beams. She was lying on her stomach, her tattered tunic removed, her skin exposed to the cool air.And then she felt it. A large, warm hand was pressing a thick, cooling ointment into the jagged silver whip scars on her back.Who are yo
Last Updated : 2026-07-10 Read more