Behind me, Immy makes retching noises, and I turn to roll my eyes at her.
“We shouldn’t linger,” she reminds me. “We don’t know who could be watching. You can see each other later.”
I know she’s right, but still…
“We can spare a few more minutes,” I argue, breathing in the scent of him. “It was a large nest. They won’t expect us back for some time.”
The ghouls have been terrorising Frost’s village at the base of the mountain for months, hiding in the dense forest that covers our land and only emerging to hunt. A year ago, I wouldn’t have cared about the troubles of some tiny mortal settlement in the valley. The humans fear us, and we tolerate them. If they succumbed to the ghouls, another group would’ve taken their place.
Then a chance meeting with Frost shifted my perspective. The huntsman charmed me, let me feed from him, and changed my attitude towards humanity with his easy laugh and quick wit. When he accepted my offer of becoming my thrall, marking his blood as mine and mine alone, I realised I had to do something about the ghouls attacking his home.
Only, I couldn’t do anything without tipping off Cain. My sire definitely won’t approve of my bonding with anyone without his permission—especially a human—and my sudden charitable urge to rid the forest around the village of ghouls would’ve made him suspicious.
It took weeks of luring the ghouls toward our supply wagons with corpses until Cain finally ordered me to deal with the problem.
“I have a surprise for you tonight,” Frost murmurs, ignoring my sister entirely. “A thank you for all you’ve done.”
I stare up into his grey eyes, smiling. “Am I going to like this surprise?”
“Maybe,” he replies coyly, pressing closer to me and stealing another kiss.
My heart stutters and I wonder if this is it. Is he finally ready for me to turn him? To make him immortal and give him a true thrall bond.
“Have you drugged the guards?” he asks, and I turn to Immy in question.
My sister may disapprove of deceiving our sire, but she helps to facilitate my meet ups with my thrall, regardless. Immy is the one person in my life who is happy because I am happy, and I appreciate her more than I can ever express.
She huffs, scraping an escaped curl away from her face before she answers. “Of course I have. It’ll dull their senses enough that you can sneak over the wall.”
“Everyone else will be busy in Court,” I reassure him when he doesn’t look convinced.
“And your sire?”
“Won’t be anywhere near us.” Cain loves lording over his Court and watching the younger vampires scramble over each other to please him. “It will be just us.” My voice turns husky, and I press a kiss to his neck this time, smiling as his pulse speeds up.
“I’m going to get the horses,” Immy mumbles, backing away.
I say a silent thank you for the privacy just as Frost spins us around and presses me against a tree.
“I’m covered in ghoul blood,” I protest weakly.
“Don’t care,” he mutters, hands running up and down my arms as he bends his head to take my lips again. “God, Eve, I missed you.”
Eve, not Evie. He’s the only one who ever calls me that, and it makes me grin stupidly every time I hear the pet name.
“I missed you too,” I whisper, before he cuts me off.
Our tongues slide against each other, and his hands clench on my arms, keeping me in place as he devours me. The dominance behind the move makes my core clench, and I pant as he pulls away. I lean forward, wordlessly demanding more. Frost doesn’t disappoint. This time he only pulls back when my lips are bruised and my head feels light from lack of air.
Suddenly my armour is too tight. Every breath pushes my breasts against the fabric of my undershirt until my nipples can’t stand the torment anymore.
The quiet snicker of a horse approaching shatters the moment, but we don’t break apart. Frost drops his forehead to mine, wordlessly holding me close.
When he finally releases me, I don’t want to go. It gets harder and harder each time, and I silently curse his mortality for the obstacle it represents. Only the knowledge that we’ll see each other in a few hours gives me the strength to step away, pick up my sword, and rejoin Immy.
“Don’t be late,” I say, swinging up into the saddle.
“Wouldn’t dream of it, your ladyship,” he replies, giving me his trademark cocky grin.
