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Her hands fist the bedsheets, claws ripping the fabric, and I rub her clit with my nose, while my thick tongue wriggles inside her. Deeper. Deeper. Glancing up her body, I see that she has her eyes closed, chest sticking out, nipples rock hard.

She shakes uncontrollably, her breaths erratic. Quickly, she grabs a pillow and shoves it over her face, then she screams wildly.

Her pussy trembles, and her body bucks wildly. “Oh Gods!” Her words are muffled.

I grunt happily, going back to lapping up everything, feeding on her.

When she finally collapses, tossing the pillow aside, she laughs, and I lift my head from between her thighs.

“That good, hey?”

“Oh, you have no idea. I was doing something wrong on my own, because you almost made me pass out.”

I crawl over her body and kiss her, wanting her to discover how fucking incredible she tastes. Her hands slide over my chest, her legs curling around my hips. The temptation to fuck her spears through me, and I’m fighting a losing battle. My cock aches for her.

She traces my tusks with her fingers. “You’re so huge as a monster, and green. And are these pointy things for scaring people?”

“They’re used in battle. When you’re facing the enemy, they come in real handy.”

“Oh,” she gasps.

A loud knocking comes from the front door of the house, and we both freeze. I hear one of the guards yelling that it’s time to leave.

“I’m not ready to leave this room with you, but we need to go.” Hell!

She beams a smile. “I like it here, as nothing worries me. And I think my monster form has changed me because I’ve never felt so confident in my life. Or this turned on. I can see why you three are so strong and cocky.”

I laugh. “First, it’s your uncontrollable lust for me.” With a wink, I continue, “Your transformation might have a bit to do with it too. But the majority of it is due to the golden fruit you were never supposed to fucking eat. It’s an aphrodisiac, but poisonous, Dawn.”

“All right, that explains a lot about how I’m feeling and how much I enjoyed sucking your cock, when I’ve never done it before.” She pauses, looking sheepishly at me. “Hmm. How do I change into my human form again?”

“A single thought of changing is all you need,” I say, and before my mouth closes, she quickly shifts beneath me. Gone is her golden glow and the lines.

She laughs. “I did it. You know what, Kazak?” She pulls herself up to a sitting position, hugging her knees, smiling more than she normally does.

“What’s that, beautiful?”

“There are so many things for me to be scared of, to fear and be angry with, but right now, I can’t seem to make myself care or even think about a single one.” She raises an eyebrow. “Is this something I should be worried about?”

I suck in a quiet breath, because I adore this smiling, clingy side of her. “Give it time.” I take her hand and help her off the bed. “Once the high from the fruit and my healing wears off, they’ll all come crashing back.” I grin, not wanting to terrify her. “But this, between us… I hope you remember how happy you were in my arms, and that you mean the world to me.”

She says nothing, and part of me wonders how much of what just happened in her room she’ll even remember.

Chapter

Nine

DAWN

“Ce doriți să vă iau?” A woman’s voice draws me out of my thoughts, my attention having been locked on the sweeping forests outside the train window.

She appears similar in age to Nilly, maybe in her fifties, and instantly, I’m back at the village where I had only minutes to say goodbye to her and Pell. I clung to both of them so tightly it hurt, and all three of us cried because we had no idea if we’d see each other again. The last thing I saw as the Viscount rushed us all out of the village was them standing, huddled together, waving until I lost sight of them. Even now, my chest still aches, tears flooding my eyes.

I blink them away and lift my attention to the food-cart attendant who stops in front of me. Black apron over a white dress, creases at her eyes, her smile short.

She stares at me, having asked me in Romanian what she could get me. Some in the village still speak the old language, and I picked up enough from my parents to follow.

I scan the two-tiered metal cart, admiring familiar treats, including crescent pastries drowning in powdered sugar, braided bread filled with walnuts and cocoa, flaky shortcrust crammed with cheese and mushrooms, savory cheese pastry sticks, and even some stuffed with cabbage. They remind me of the village fare and when Nelly would bake for special occasions. I love her meals and am going to miss them.