Page 85 of The Prince's Curse

At that, she let out a laugh that reminded him of those first days before everything went wrong. “You’re awake,” she said.

“Am I?”

She nodded. “For better or for worse.”

“But you’re here,” he said.

Her expression faltered, and she nodded. “I am. You came to save me from her. The least I could do was keep an eye on you.”

If nothing else, that convinced him he was awake. If he was dreaming, she’d have told him she was desperately in love and couldn’t bear to be apart for a moment.

Somehow, this was better. This was real. The taste of her on his lips, the whisper of her hair across his skin…they were real. She had chosen to be here.

He sat up and immediately regretted it. His head pounded, and he looked down to see his bare chest covered in twisting black lines that bulged like swollen veins across his skin. “What the hell?” he muttered. He remembered nothing but the feeling of being struck by lightning and staked through the heart at the same time. Then his memory was a blank.

“Armina’s protective magic,” Scarlett said apologetically. “Shoshanna and Misha worked on you for a while, and they think it’ll fade in a few more days.”

“A few more… How long have I been out?”

“Two days,” she said.

He swore and swung his legs over the bed, then realized too late that the cool air was touching all of him. As he loomed over Scarlett, her eyes went wide. “Where are my clothes?”

“I don’t know!” she squeaked. “I’ll find some!”

She stumbled, nearly ran into the doorframe, then scurried out of the small room as he stood bare-assed naked in the middle of the room. When he looked around, he saw the familiar, austere barracks that they’d kept for years. Like many of the Shroud, he’d claimed a condo in 21 East, their sun and sound-proofed building just a few blocks away. But he spent countless nights here, working until the sun was creeping over the horizon, when he could fall into exhaustion rather than going home to the empty apartment that was so full of negative space, infected wounds where she should have been.

But there was something new here. In one corner of the room was a cozy armchair, one he recognized from Olivia Pierce’s old office. A blanket was laid across the arm, with a paperback book atop it. He crept closer and was bathed in her smell. Emotion nearly overwhelmed him. After everything, she’d still wanted to watch over him.

Back in those sweet few years before Armina took her from him, Brigitte hadn’t needed to care for him often. That was his job, he reminded her. Vampires didn’t get sick, and as he’d often teased her, if she tried to brew him a pot of soup as a remedy, it might have made things worse.

But even then, he’d often woken from his daytime slumber to find her already awake, gently stroking his hair. Rather than jolting awake like he had in the times of strife with the Shieldsmen, he was gently lifted into consciousness and into her presence.It was better than waking up to the first rays of sun, and he’d thought he would never have it again.

He was about to bring the blanket to his nose when the door creaked open. Her eyes drifted down, then snapped up as she shoved a stack of folded clothes at him. “Here,” she squeaked. “I called Paris and told him you’re awake. He’ll be here in an hour.”

When she backed away, he caught her wrist lightly and pulled her closer. Before he could stop himself, he bent to kiss her soft, full lips. She made a little noise of surprise, but instead of pulling back, she leaned into him. His tongue teased at her lips, which parted for him in a warm rushing sigh.

Then it was his turn for a surprise when she pushed him against the wall, breaking away for only a moment to gaze up at him with a familiar hunger in her eyes. “Thank you for coming to rescue me,” she breathed.

“Thank you for watching over me,” he said, his voice rough. Then she was on him, hands kneading into his aching chest hard enough to make his muscles protest, but he didn’t stop her. She overwhelmed him with her desire, and for a moment, he doubted his sanity. Surely this was a dream. Her lips broke from his, and she made an adorable sound of frustration when she rose on her toes again, trying to reach him.

Then she gasped as he grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up, pressing her back to the wall. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and his cock ached with need.

He kissed her neck, felt that thrumming pulse beneath her skin, then followed to the loose sleeve of her top. Beneath her soft skin, he felt the warm, pulsing life in her veins. Her hips writhed against him, and he took the cue to return to her lips. He teased at her, and she followed when he pulled back. “When I open that door, I have to deal with everything that’s waiting,” he said roughly. “But you’re in here. Do you want to be here?”

She nodded, teeth tugging at her lower lip. “Yes.”

“And what do you want with me, Scarlett?” he said, holding her jaw lightly, stroking across her lip with his thumb. “Do you want me to let you go and put my clothes on like a proper Elder?”

Her lips curved in a smile. “No.”

At that, he grinned, and he lowered his head to kiss the base of her throat. Every kiss was a silent question, a test, and he gently kissed her lean arm, down to her fingertips. She lingered there against the door, little gasps punctuating her quiet breaths. When he bent, gently lifting her shirt, she didn’t protest, and he brushed kisses across her flat stomach, at that lovely curve that led to her hip.

“I dreamed about doing this with you,” she blurted. “Before we ever met.”

“Did you, now? And what did I do to you?” he asked.

Her head tilted toward him, and then she glanced pointedly down to her legs. “I, uh…I’ve never done any of those things for real. Just dreams,” she said.Her cheeks were berry-pink, and she clearly couldn’t bring herself to say the words.

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