Page 84 of Plug and Claim

“Your father murdered my mother and pulled this ring from her finger. How dare you present it to me now? It is not a bargaining chip. It is mine.”

It was one of the few times he’d seen Gloria lose her cool. She’d been so upset that she’d refused the ring in its entirety, even though he knew deep down that she wanted it.

For the time being, he would safeguard the ring. Although he’d been content to let Kira hold onto it. He’d felt a sharp pang when she’d given it back.

The morning finally came and Kira still hadn’t returned.

Nathaniel frowned. I was sure that she would.

He was wrong, and that did not happen often. The disappointment he felt at her absence cut him more than it should have. He glanced at the fire. It had grown low, and there was a chill in the room. He sighed and closed the lid of the jewellery box containing the plug. It was times like these he wished he had someone to curl up with by the fireside—and not just any someone. He closed his eyes and fantasised about the soft warmth of a female wolf curled up against him.

The faint sound of scuffling caught his attention, and his gaze snapped to the door a second before it banged open.

His heart leapt. Kira was back.

He gazed in wonderment as she stood in the doorway, glaring at him with blazing eyes. Her dark brown hair crashed around her shoulders as if it was angry with him as well.

As much as he’d liked her elegant party clothes, she’d changed into her school uniform, and he liked that even more. Especially given that it was a Saturday morning. There was something so incredibly alluring knowing she’d changed just for him, and he soaked in every detail.

Her navy blazer was impeccable and form-fitting, her white blouse crisp, the bow at her neck adorable, the short skirt delicious.

And the socks—he let out a low breath.

His arousal went from zero to a hundred almost immediately at the sight of them, and he resisted the urge to adjust his cock as it strained uncomfortably against his pants. The long red socks hugged her shapely calves and emphasised her full thighs. It pleased him to no end to realise that she wore those because of him—because she was his.

His lips curled. Red suited her more than she knew.

Chapter 30

The Plug

Kira

Kira had stormed out of Nathaniel’s room, but the plug wasn’t the reason she’d left. Yes, his sick request was revolting, but it wasn’t at the forefront of her mind as she bolted up the stairs, leaving the vampires’ dorm behind.

Instead, her racing thoughts honed in on one tiny detail from her interaction with Nathaniel: the harsh way he’d reacted when he’d spoken of his father. As if he was trying to push her away from some truth by hurling barbed words at her. For the briefest of moments, a flash of contempt had crossed his features. She’d somehow known that it was not directed at her, but at his father.

There was another reason she’d left: the scent in Nathaniel’s room was not at all what she’d expected. It was still dark, masculine, and musky, and it smelt good…and that was the problem. Instead of feeling repelled, like she should have, she’d wanted to move closer to him, to breathe in deeply.

Something about his room had felt right.

It was so unlike the smell of death in his office, and she suddenly couldn’t reconcile the vampire who had slain her kin with the one standing before her. In fact, she couldn’t make sense of him at all. At times, he was domineering and twisted, and at others, she caught glimpses of a gentleman. And she couldn’t forget the gentleness with which he’d brushed her mind when he’d fed from her. It was such a contrast from the cruel way he’d bitten her.

Her head was spinning. She hated him, but a treacherous part of her felt safe when he was near. It frightened her that she wanted to return to his bedroom more than she wanted to find something to use against him.

The memory of the way he’d stroked her hair eased into her mind. She wanted him to pet her like that again, lovingly, but she also wanted him to grip her hair, hold her down, and—

She slammed down on her thoughts, extinguishing the image that had appeared of him standing behind her naked, his towel fallen to the floor…

No. She did not want him. Could not.

And it suddenly occurred to her that she was running from herself more than from him.

Once in the foyer, Kira took the grand staircase up to his office. The academy was dark and deserted, and there was no one to stop her as she entered the forbidden corridor. She needed to investigate his office properly and find something that would help her renegotiate their deal. Wearing a plug was not what she considered ‘favourable terms’.

She really didn’t want the bastard putting anything in her ass.

She also needed to find out who, exactly, Gloria was, especially since she’d promised to play matchmaker.