Page 100 of Sorrow & Strangers

I moan softly.

“When I sank my teeth into you,” he growls, nipping my neck again. It’s a mockery of the bite he gave me in Hell, but my body remembers and reacts.

“Stranger . . .” I pant, though I have no idea what to say or what to do.

“Yes, princess?” he asks, using my new nickname.

“I—”

He moans and opens his mouth wide. I brace for the pain of his bite, but then he lays his lips against my neck and sucks hard. My eyes roll in pleasure, and my back arches, pressing my breasts against his chest. The pain sends a direct jolt of pleasure to my core. My moan is so loud that it pulls me from whatever spell he has me under. My moan morphs into a cry as I shove him off me and clamber from the bed. I stumble a little, still weak from whatever the fuck happened in the forest.

The stranger snarls, kneeling on the bed. His eyes are solid black and focused sharply on me. They are the eyes of a predator, and I am his prey. The willing, stupid, horny prey.

“I want to go home. Now,” I say, happy with how strong my voice is. I need to leave. He has me in his house, and I have no idea where that is. It might even be in another fucking realm.

He lunges for me and slams me against the wall, his body pinning me in place. He rocks against me, fitting his hips between my thighs so I can feel every hard inch of him against my aching core. “You mean you want to run?” he growls, staring down at me.

This was stupid. I am stupid. He is dangerous. I don’t even know who he is.

“I want to leave.”

“Run,” he snarls. “Might as well tell me the truth, even if you refuse to believe it.”

“You don’t know me,” I growl back, hating that he’s throwing words at me that resonate.

He scoffs. “Lies, lies, and more lies. Doesn’t it exhaust you?”

I growl, “If I’m such a liar, I’m surprised you want to be around me. Unless you are also a liar.”

“My lies are for everyone else. All my truths are yours and yours alone.” He stares at me, and there is not a hint of trickery or deception in his expression. Damn him! Why is he doing this to me?

I look away, the truth sitting too heavy between us. “I want to leave.”

He stares at me for a moment, and then the portal opens at my back. If he weren’t holding me, I’d have fallen back through it. He holds me securely against him and walks me back until I hit my bed. He stands between my legs, looking down at me.

I stare at him, and he reaches out, stroking my cheek with the back of his fingers. “Be more careful next time, princess,” he says, his voice gentle and filled with care.

I glare at him, but he just bends and presses a soft kiss to my fluttering pulse, and then he is gone.

Chapter Fifty

Summer

Icollapse back on the bed. My bones and joints ache, and so does my magic. I can still feel his power entwined with mine. It’s strong, willful, dangerous, and so deliciously sexy. It wraps around mine like two air currents curling around each other in a delicate dance.

Rolling onto my side, I curl into a ball. My body is still thrumming with the hunger his touch elicited and the echo of his words, but I can feel the guilt encroaching. As it invades my mind, it’s like a bucket of ice water dousing the residual warmth of the desire he’d stoked in me.

Fuck, why did I let it go that far? Why did I touch him? Why did I react as I did?

“Sum?” Alice’s voice is quiet, and I am beginning to hate that careful note in her tone. “You good?” she asks, knocking softly before peeking her head around the door. Her pixie-like face is pinched with worry as she searches my expression. My guilt deepens. The pain and suffering I’ve caused her over the past few months are so apparent. It’s in her eyes as she watches me, the shadows and worry in them never fully receding.

“Can I have a hug?” I ask. It’s not something I would have ever asked for before. I have never allowed myself to need it, but at the moment, I long for the comfort of my best friend. The comfort of someone who I know would never judge me, no matter what I do.

Alice lifts a brow in surprise, but wordlessly steps inside and closes the door. She pads silently across the room and climbs into bed. I feel better the moment she wraps her arms around me and snuggles in close. I bury my face against her and inhale her familiar scent of copper and freesias.

Alice sniffs the top of my head and then makes a gagging sound. “You smell like shifter . . .”

I sigh. “Yeah . . .”