Prologue
Sully
Four Years Ago
Ouronlyexcusewasthat we’d been drinking, otherwise none of us would have gone anywhere near the west woods. That’s what I told myself, excusing our bad behavior. We knew they were out of bounds for a reason, and sober, we’d never have broken the rules. At least, that’s what I thought. I was sheltered, young, and so very stupid for trusting my “friends” that night.
“C’mon Sully! Dare you to go in!” one of the football team yelled. I couldn’t tell which one in the poor light. Was everything fuzzy at the edges? Clearly the alcohol was affecting me more than I’d thought.
The crowd of us, me, and some of the popular kids who made up our graduating class, were loitering in a cluster of trees not too far fromthe entrance to the west woods. I clutched the bottle of beer I’d been drinking in clammy hands. The buzz of the alcohol in my system made my reactions slower than normal.
My eyes about bugged out of my head when I realized where they meant. There was an old, partially overgrown track where a shed and mailbox sat not too far from where we were crowded.
Rumors said there was a house deeper inside, long forgotten and empty. No one knew if it was true because nobody went in there. I’d heard kids were arrested for just going inside the woods, not even all that far in!
“No way!”
There were boos and jeers. Cress, the fae star quarterback, slung an arm around my shoulders, pressing us close until we were cheek to cheek. The heat of his skin burned through the fog hindering my mind, lighting arousal instead.
“Sully, show us your wild side.” He ran his nose along my cheek, his lips stopping at the corner of my mouth. “If you can be brave, there’s a reward waiting right here for you.”
I didn’t dare move. Cress was everything I wanted in an alpha, not that I’d be allowed todate him. Mom would pitch a fit! Cress filled my dreams every night. If there was anyone out there hotter than Cress, then I hadn’t seen them. All I wanted was to be his. When it came, I wanted to give him my first heat.
There was laughter around the circle. Someone had lit a fire with their magic, chasing away the dark and filling the clearing with warmth. A few were roasting marshmallows on sticks while they swigged from beer bottles. I hoped they thought to place a silencing ward, otherwise we were going to get caught.
Cress squeezed me closer, his hand dangerously close to the curve of my ass as I sat on the log next to him.
My face heated. Cress was near enough we were sharing air! His proximity was overwhelming. I tried to take steady breaths and will my growing erection away. Did he really mean what he said? A reward? Did he mean a kiss?
I’d do just about anything for a kiss from Cress.
“Yeah?” I sighed. My hands were shaking. All I wanted to do was turn my head just a tiny bit and lock lipswith Cress.
“A kiss for a flower from inside the woods. The prettiest one you can find.” There was a teasing quality to his voice I missed, too caught up in my longing for him.
More cheering and laughs. There was a new edge to the air. A secret I wasn’t a part of.
Later, I would realize they were playing with me. I was only there for their entertainment. A kiss from Cress was easy to come by and meant nothing to him. He told lies, whispered secrets, and stole love from willing saps like me to make himself feel good. Cress didn’t give a damn about me.
“Alright.” With difficulty, I got up on shaky legs.
Everyone followed me to the edge of the road. As a group we ventured deeper in, the trees and bushes rising up alongside us, obscuring us from view.
The rest paused at the beaten up mailbox. They ignored the shed in favor of watching me.
Cress stopped directly in front of me, making my heart stutter in my chest. He leaned in closer, cupping my cheek, his warm hand a brand on my skin. Closer and closer he came until once more we were touching, his mouthbrushed my throat. All this teasing just to whisper in my ear.
“Pick me the prettiest flower you can find, one that makes you think of me, and I’ll make your dreams come true.”
I shuddered and had to lock my knees to stop me from fainting on the spot.
“Okay,” I whispered.
“Good luck.” Cress moved out of the way to let me walk by him. His eyes gleamed with mischief.
The others closed in around him when I looked back nervously, Cress in the center, all of them watching me go. My footsteps were hesitant on the dirt path, but I walked slowly into the growing gloom.
Even though I knew it was wrong, that I was trespassing where I had no business being, I kept moving, desperate for a taste of Cress. I could still feel his hands on me, the touch lingering. Maybe it was just my foolishness.
