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“Root vegetable soup.” He sat on a seat next to me. “It’s packed with herbs and I was thinking once Dagen woke up, it would helphim.”
I stared at the meal, its steam curling upward and the smell enticing my gut to growl with hunger. But my mind stayed on Nero’s words and how in caring he made a soup for his friend. I didn’t know a single guy back home who knew how to cook. Despite his flirtatious attitude, Nero had a huge heart. Would that mean he wouldn’t harm me? He didn’t seem like a murderer, but then again, I’d never encountered onebefore.
“There’s no poison or anything in there,” he continued. “If I wanted to take you out, I’d use my teeth.” He winked and while his words should have scared me, his sexy gesture had my gaze dipping to his luscious lips, the dip in his throat and down to his barechest.
Part of me screamed to push the bowl away and climb over the table… but my gut ached and food sounded amazing. I lifted the bowl to my lips and took a sip. Savory, tangy, and appetizing. Not too hot either, so I gulped down several mouthfuls, chewing on what tasted like spinach. I wiped my mouth and glanced up at Nero, who studied me with a look of curiosity. Had he never seen anyone enjoy their foodbefore?
“Delicious?” heasked.
“Divine, and the lemon is subtle but lingers on my tongue.” I swallowed another mouthful, the heat racing through me. “Maybe not as good as my recipe, but close.” I smirked, and Nero laughed, the sound joyful andloud.
“If I had access to garlic and a chicken, you’d be on your third bowl by now.” The corner of his mouth lifted with a confidentgrin.
I leaned closer. “I roast my garlic first for extrayumminess.”
He nodded. “I like that you know your food. Too many people don’t experiment with flavorsenough.”
Finishing my dish, I pushed it away. “So how come you, an alpha, are intocooking?”
Nero was on his feet and collected my empty bowl. “My mother brought me up on her own and when she fell ill, I had two younger, fussy brothers who refused to eat anything, so I had no choice but get creative. And it turns out, I enjoyed making meals. Now I hold regular classes with my pack.” His eyes brightened, and he revealed perfectly aligned teeth, his smile a ray of sunshine. It did something to me. It drove away my earlier worries, and for those few moments, I felt as if I were chatting withBee.
Nero warmed his hands near the fire, watching me, and just having his eyes lingering on me sent a tingle up my thighs. I lowered my gaze before I crawled toward him like acat.
“How’s Dagen doing?” he asked. “When will hewake?”
“I’ve never healed a shifter… I mean a hunter. I’m trying what I would do to an afflictedperson.”
He spoke with his back to me. “So what were you doing in the Den? How did you gethere?”
“Funny story.” I broke into a quick rendition, including why I’d collected the wolfsbane, the priestess’ threat, and how I’d almost drowned. “It was an accident. I’d been running for mylife.”
“I’ve heard rumors your leader has ordered the slaughter of any wolves her guards cross paths with. I don’t order my pack to kill innocents.” He closed the distance between us and crashed into his seat. “Why don’t you overthrow her? Someone should challenge her and take thespot.”
I twisted to face him. “It doesn’t work that way in Terra. She’s part royalty, so she inherited the role. The only person to take over would be another member of her family. Her younger sister maybe.” Ishrugged.
“Makes little sense to keep someone like that inpower.”
We sat there, and instead of awkwardness, a calm settled into my muscles, a newfound confidence fueling my question. “Am I yourprisoner?”
He tilted his head to the side. “Would that make you feel morecomfortable?”
I slouched in my seat. “That doesn’t even makesense.”
“Well, by believing you’re in danger, then your focus is simple: escaping at any cost.” He ran a hand across his mouth, drawing my attention to his parted lips, making me remember their softness against my skin. “But what if you wanted to stay of your ownvolition?”
I folded my arms. “Seemsunlikely.”
Nero moved toward me so fast, I stiffened. His piercing gray wolf eyes locked on to me with hunger. “Don’t you feelit?”
Urgency poured through me, the kind that saidget out of there. I slid out of my chair and backed up against a wall. A strange sensation engulfed me, trepidation blended with excitement. I couldn’t understand my emotions. I craved Nero, and that terrified me more than being stuck in the house with threewolves.
He advanced and pinned me between him and the wall, a hand pressed above my shoulder. “Little lamb.” He trailed his fingers down my arm, and a spark of energy zapped betweenus.
I shivered from his feathery touch, unable to find my voice. I ought to have pushed him away, reminded him if I wasn’t a prisoner, why didn’t they show me the way out? Except the back of my mind spawned doubts as I imagined myself with him. Was it wrong ofme?
“When I carried you into the house to keep you protected, my wolf responded to you, craved you. Even now, he’s demanding I take you, claim you foreternity.”
“B-But I’m not a wolf.” I should have laughed at my response, yet I hung on to his words. To have someone as gorgeous and dangerous as Nero claim he wanted me did things to my libido against my rational thinking. Maybe I had to get out and date more, except what he’d said earlier about feeling a connection hammered through me. In his presence, I lost all logical thoughts, and his touches gave me physical jolts. I should have screamed and run in the oppositedirection.
“I can’t explain it, either. Everything about you draws me to you,” he whispered in my ear. “Your scent, your voice, your response to my demands all rile up mywolf.”
A moan escaped from my throat. Confusion, heated emotions, and decisions whirled on my mind. Despite everything, being this close to Nero had the doubts cascade into the background. “I feel it too,” I mumbled. “I can’t think when I’m around you. But I can’t stay here. My home is in danger, as is my assistant at my herbal store. And wolves will kill me if I remain in theDen.”
A low growl rumbled deep through Nero’s chest, and his hands clasped my wrists, lifting my arms above my head, tight beneath his grip. “No one will ever harmyou.”
I took shaky, shallow breaths, unable to move. Something was happening between us… something dark, terrifying, and exciting. And too fast because I never fell for anyone this quick. Thoughts fluttered out of my mind, replaced with pure adrenaline and desire. A niggling fear swirled in my chest that I’d made a mistake playing with thedevil.
“Beautiful.” He leaned closer, the hardness of his body against mine driving me wild, and he kissed me. Tingles exploded from where our lips touched, spreading through the rest of my body. The intoxicating scent of his muskiness engulfed me. His tongue pressed the seam of my mouth, and my world fell away as I parted my lips. Smoldering heat burned deep inside. A surge of power bubbled beneath the surface, ready toexplode.
I broke away for a fraction of a moment and faced the hunger in his eyes, his burning desire. Nothing made sense except the uncontrollable urge to be near Nero. “Take me,” I breathed against his mouth, answering his unspokenquestion.
