Page 38 of Ruthless Monsters

His hands press into the curve of my back, pulling me harder against him, and my knees slide further in, tucking into the sides of the chair. Reaching forward, my hands dive into his long hair, his silky strands sliding past my fingers as my nails run down his scalp. He lets out a tortured sound and breaks the kiss.

“What’s the matter, assassin?” I tease, breathless. “Surprised that you don’t want to kill me anymore?”

Like my words have broken whatever spell was over him, he growls and stands, intending to make me slide off, but I instinctively wrap my legs around his waist. My lips find hisneck, and he groans, the rumbling sound vibrating between my legs. Stepping to the side, he pivots, one hand sliding under my ass as he slams my back against the nearby wall and presses up against me, showing me just how badly he wants me. My lips part, and I look over to see Shade and the others are still sleeping.

“Enchantress,” Alaric hisses through gritted teeth, and my heart races at the mixture of hate and affection in his tone. “Why is it that when you’re around, you are the only thing I can think about.” His nostrils flare. “But when you’re not around…” He trails off, and his expression darkens as his whole body starts to shake with anger. His words are so deathly calm, I stop breathing for a second.

“When I’m not around?” I squeeze out, not sure why my throat is so tight.

“When you’re not around,” he rumbles, “it makes me want to destroy everyone and everything until you are.”

The lump that forms in my throat is so sore I can’t speak, and then his lips are on mine again, hot and sweet with the taste of chocolate and mint. His tongue sweeps over mine, and I moan, grinding against him, desperate for more. More from my mate. My giant.

“Birds are snacks that can fly into your mouth!”

Birds?I jolt, my head jerking to the side in a panic. It’s only when I see Shade is still sleeping soundly perched on the back of a chair that my chest eases.

“Bony, but fuckin’ delicious,” Nate mumbles in his sleep, and rolls over, draping his arm over Dante in the process. I gape at him and make a mental note not to freak Shade out by telling her what I’ve heard.Also, I’m going to have to keep an eye on Nate when she’s around.I’m still feeling a little unsettled when I turn my attention back to Alaric. His eyes are hooded, his cheeksflushed, but the moment is broken and before I can protest, he sets me back on my feet.

“Wake me if anyone enters,” he mutters, and he’s rigid as he walks away, settling next to Prince Callan on the bed.

What. The. Fuck?I fume as I stare after him, and it takes a good moment before I can breathe evenly again. Even if he can feel me staring, the asshole doesn’t say anything more, and soon his breathing grows steady like the others.Either he’s asleep or he’s a pro at pretending.I curse internally.Great, so it’s only me with a current bout of insomnia.

Settling in the armchair, I glare at the door feeling even more agitated than when I rose from the bed. Rationally, I know I would have stopped things with Alaric anyway, but I’m still annoyed. I sit like that for what feels like an hour before I decide I can’t stay there any longer. Standing, I peer at my sleeping mates before creeping toward the door.

“Where are you going?”Shade’s drowsy voice fills my head, and I turn back to see her staring at me with beady eyes.

“I need to get out of here for a little while. Just to clear my head.”I know it’s probably a bad idea to venture out on my own, but right now I can’t seem to care.

“What you need is sleeping on those beds over there. Just squeeze in there and take what’s yours,”Shade counters.

I shake my head.“It’s not that easy.”

“Isn’t it? You didn’t see how stressed they were when they were in the prison without you. Even if you don’t bond, you could have some fun. They’re your mates, Blake, no matter how reluctant some of them are.”

“I can’t. Not until I know they’re not going to end up like Kai,”I tell her.“It’s too risky. Besides, they seem fine now.”

She sighs heavily in my mind.“At some point, you’re just going to have to trust Lady Fate.”She spreads her wings as if she’s about to fly over to me, but I hold up a hand to stop her.“You stay here and let me know if they wake up. The last thing I need is my mates making enemies with the rebels because they think I’ve been taken.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“You know I am,”I reply, opening the door.

“You’d better not get into trouble.”

“I’ll be back before you know it,”I reassure her, and walk through, closing the door behind me.

Waylen and another guard are waiting outside the room, and they stand straighter when I step between them.

“So, who’s coming exploring with me?” I ask before either of them can speak.

Waylen’s brow scrunches with confusion. “Exploring?”

I smile. “Yes. I’m either going with one of you or I’ll be going on my own. So, what’ll it be?”

The guards share a look.

“You’re meant to remain here,” Waylen starts, but I don’t wait for him to finish the rest. Striding forward, I start down the tunnel.

---