Then I turn back to Draven and glare daggers at his handsome face.
He smiles. That lazy, indulgent smile that always makes me want to kiss him silly — just not this time. He takes a step toward me.
I raise a hand to stop him but he doesn’t. Not until my palm presses to the hard wall of his chest. I grip his shirt and yank, forcing him closer.
“I’m very unhappy, mate,” I say quietly, teeth clenched.
His smile drops. A low growl rumbles from his chest, vibrating straight into my bones.
“What happened? Who do I kill?” His voice is deeper now, raw. Draxis is bleeding through.
Neris sighs in my mind.“Normally, I would be all for seeing Draxis in action, but you are way too dramatic right now, Kass.”
“Shut up, Neris. This is a crisis,”I hiss.
I tilt my chin up and glare harder.
“Why the hell am I not allowed in my own library?” I demand. “I had a meeting with Aly this morning, and a guard stopped me at the door. Said it was on your orders!”
Draven blinks, surprised. Then he grins and his eyes light up. “That’s why you’re mad?”
“It’s not funny!” I snap, tightening my grip on his shirt. “The guard said to come talk to you!’”
He chuckles and pulls me against him, wrapping his arms around my waist. Like I’m not a threat. Like I’m not seconds away from committing regicide.
“I didn’t think you’d be up this early,” he murmurs, brushing a kiss to the tip of my nose. “You were up late last night. I figured you’d sleep in. The library’s closed because I’m having something prepared for you. It’ll be ready in an hour.”
Excitement flares in my chest, cutting through the outrage. “Really?” I ask, brows lifting. “What kind of surprise?”
“You’ll see soon, my beautiful mate,” he says, smug as hell. “Now — did you eat?”
“Yes,” I huff. “Oh, and the cook told me to tell you that we have enough deer meat to feed the entire kingdom for the next five years. Draxis can relax now. I won’t be starving anytime soon.”
Draven’s eyes darken with heat. “We’ll find something else to hunt for you,” he rumbles, low and dangerous.
A shiver races down my spine.
He grins like he felt it himself and he backs me up until my spine hits the door I just kicked in. I hear the click of the lock behind me, and my breath stutters.
“What are you doing, Draven?” I whisper, throat dry, voice thick.
He leans in, crowding me, his lips hovering just over mine.
“You’re irresistible when you’re angry,” he murmurs, and his mouth claims mine with a desperate hunger.
I moan into the kiss, arms winding around his neck, body molding to the hard lines of him. My skirt tangles around my hips as he hikes me up, pinning me between the door and the heat of his body.
His hands are everywhere — palming my ass, sliding up my thighs, kneading the muscle with rough, possessive force. His claws drag along my bare skin, just enough to sting. I gasp, arching into him. He loves it. I can feel his need spark through our bond, stoking mine even higher.
The world outside the door dissolves. There is only this — his teeth at my throat, the scrape of fangs at my jaw, me grinding against him until I’m shaking and desperate.
“You could have just told me about the library,” I pant, biting his lower lip when he tries to speak.
He rumbles deep in his chest, the vibration making my toes curl. “But then I wouldn’t get to see you like this. Wild and furious. My favorite version of you.”
He grabs my wrists, pins them above my head with one hand, and yanks my shirt open with the other. I shiver as the cooler air hits my skin, nipples pebbling under his gaze. His tongue traces the edge of my mark, and I can’t help the whine that escapes me.
“Mine,” he growls, and sinks his teeth in gently — just enough to remind me of the truth written over my skin.
