Page 13 of Faerie Marked

A growl rumbled deep in his throat. “I can’t wait until you’re mine to do what I want with.” Apparently, all attempts to sweetly woo me were gone.

I wasn’t fast enough to move, wasn’t fast enough to duck away before his mouth was on my neck, the sharp sting of his canines scraping along my skin. And the hand on my arm shifted to grab my breast and squeezed painfully.

No, no!

“Get off of me!” I tried to push him away and failed.

“Don’t you feel it?” he repeated.

I lifted a knee to nail him in the groin. He realized the movement and jerked his hips to the side to avoid it. Fast, he was too fast for me. The cage of his arms shrank around me.

“You’ll go whenIsay you can go.”

My wolf recognized the demand in his voice, the power commanding the rest of his pack to do his bidding. Cold fear drenched my spine and his grip tightened on my breast. I had no words, no strength to escape.

A throat cleared and when I looked up, Cook stood in the hallway, her salt-and-pepper brows drawn down in a deep V. “Is there anything I can get for you, Master Grimaldi?” she asked in her old Irish croak.

He took a step back, and though it was little in terms of distance it meant everything to me, his hold broken enough I could breathe again.

“If I need anything, I’ll call for you,” he snapped at Cook.

But it was an out. It was enough of a distraction. I swept his arm aside and step away.

I made my apologies to my uncle, claiming a stomachache, and before Kendrick had a chance to refute the claim—he was a few steps behind me—I escaped upstairs to the relative safety and comfort of my room. Then locked the door behind me.

But the lock on my door felt like a joke after experiencing Kendrick firsthand.

It wasn’t a lie. My stomach did hurt, with piercing pains, and I swore I still felt the searing imprint from Kendrick groping me, his teeth and fingers on my skin like a brand. My breast still ached where he’d grabbed me, treated me like I was insignificant beyond what physical pleasure I could bring to him. Like the lowly female I was.

I shouldn’t feel this way with myfated mate. I knew in my bones there was something wrong. With him, with me, it didn’t matter. Everything about our connection felt out of place, like I’d been forced to squeeze into a shirt two sizes too small for me and made of briars. Tonight’s encounter had been an abomination.

I leaned forward on a sob, eyes stinging but no tears coming out. In my bathroom, I scrubbed off the makeup and chucked the dress in the corner. Making sure the door remained locked, I curled up on my bed. I could hear the echoes of barking laughter followed by a sharp growl or two. Whatever the men were discussing, I didn’t want to know.

My phone provided a good distraction from my thoughts. Dawn had sent me a funny note, and sometime during dinner Jason had texted. Nothing more than a few confusing emojis but enough to let me know he’d been thinking about me. Perhaps wishing for sweet kisses before my engagement was made official.

Somehow, the idea no longer held appeal.

Then I checked my email. And saw I had a new message.

The Fae Academy for Halflings had invited me to orientation next Tuesday.

5

I’d been accepted.I’d been accepted!The academy hadn’t forgotten about me, and my answers on the enrollment questionnaire had apparently been enough to secure me a place at orientation.

I slept fitfully, kept awake by dreams of being chased. Chased by someone…to somewhere…I didn’t know. None of it made sense and seemed more like nightmares.

Wide awake before dawn, I stared at the ceiling for the longest time, trying to compose myself and failing. I buried my face in my pillow and pulled the blankets higher. I’d need to enjoy every moment I had with my bed. Because soon enough I’d be out of here for good.

My body vibrated. Excitement filled me at the change in the game I had only hoped would come.

After last night, I knew there would be no persuading my uncle to find some loophole in the whole fated mate agreement, to dissolve whatever magical bond people thought had formed between me and Kendrick. To spare me. I didn’t even bother telling him about my reservations, or any misgivings I had based on Kendrick’s behavior. Uncle Will would think me a liar. He’d think it just another trick to get out of the engagement.

It left the Fae Academy as my only choice. Tuesday couldn’t get here soon enough.

Later, after spending my day interning at the law firm, I dashed through the park, heart racing, with the moon high overhead. With no one around to question me, I let my wolf shine through. Let her sniff the air and inhale the night. My eyes glowed a deep amber and I ran. I ran through the underbrush and the shadows and became part of them without changing entirely.

It might be my last time showing this part of myself so freely.

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