Page 114 of The Night Prince

“You. I want you.”

A low, guttural growl vibrates in his chest. In a sudden movement, he slides up, grips my thighs, and hoists me up as he stands. Water cascades off both of us as he steps out of the bath. He crouches down to lay me atop the sheepskin rug between the fire and the copper tub. He hovers over me, his knees between my thighs, and his hands on either side of my waist. My breathsare shaky as he crawls over me, and brings his mouth close to mine.

“I want... I want...” I can’t express in words what I want, what I need. For once, I want him to stop holding back. “I want you to consume me,” I breathe. “I want you to unleash. I want you to break me so I forget everything other than you. I want you to take me in the way that you want to.”

He offers me a sad smile as he brushes a strand of wet hair from my cheek. “I will worship you.” He brushes his lips against my throat. “Cherish you.” He kisses me. “Honor you.” He nips my earlobe with his teeth, and I squirm. “Tease you.” His mouth hovers over mine. “But break you? No. You cannot ask that of me. If I’m to take you the way I want, I will have you gently, and deeply, and slowly.” He brushes his lips against mine. “Can you accept that?”

And because I would rather have part of him than none at all, I nod.

“Good. Because there’s no loch in the Northlands cold enough to dowse the fire in my blood right now.”

He slides my underwear down my legs. Then he reaches between us, and guides himself to my entrance. My back arches as he pushes, slowly, inside me. We both groan. He fills me completely. Both of our pulses thunder in my ears. His scent overwhelms me.

He takes my face in his hands. “Your eyes,” he whispers, and I know they must have changed.

Softly, he kisses me. He thrusts his hips in deep, languid movements, as though he’s savoring every moment. It feels so good;hefeels so good. I rock against him, and my fingers find his shoulder muscles and dig in. I curl my ankles around hisback, and he shifts me so my hips are tilted up and he can hit deeper.

Something builds, hot and hungry, between us. I can practically sense his wolf, close to the surface, pressing at his skin. Mine answers, teeth bared, claws sharp. He groans and quickens his pace. My core slams against his abdomen, building sweet friction between us that makes me moan. His pulse thunders in my ears, frantic and unsteady, and I feel his control start to slip.

“It’s okay,” I mumble against his mouth. “Let go.”

He takes two shuddering breaths. For once, he submits to my will, though he makes no question of who is in charge. He thrusts his hips, hard. I cry out. He grabs my wrists and pins them above my head, as he moves against me. His mouth moves to my neck. I rock against him, meeting his thrusts, desperate for more. He mumbles against me, words in a language I don’t understand.

I writhe against him and dig my nails into his skin. He brings his lips to my throat. “Fuck,” he murmurs against my ear. “Fuck.”

His expression is strained, his cheeks flushed. His whole body tenses, and a rough cry escapes from his lips as he lets go. It pushes me over the edge. For a moment, that wildness bursts from its confines, and I’m free. I’m weightless. The scream that has been building inside me comes out in a series of cries as he holds me together, and I melt in his arms.

He mumbles against my neck as I come back to myself. Finally, he brings his gaze to mine. He’s as breathless as I am. He looks utterly undone—face flushed, eyes bright, lips swollen. I don’t know what to say. I don’t think he does, either. He seems familiar, yet strange at the same time.

He huffs a soft laugh, slightly sheepish. I return it.

He slides out of me, and rolls onto the rug. We face one another, and I stroke his hot cheek. He smiles, but there’s sadness in it. “What do you want now, Princess?” The question is weighted, heavy, because he isn’t asking about tonight, he’s asking about the future. Our future.

I swallow. “You cannot make peace with it, can you?”

He places his hand on the small of my back and brings me close. “I tried to make peace with it. I tried to let you go. I tried to pretend it wasn’t real, and that it was all in my head. I failed.” He shakes his head. “TheAnam-Cridech, it’s sacred. If anyone found out what we have just done. . .if they knew what I had just done with another wolf’s—” He clears his throat. “It’s not done in our kingdom.”

“You want to end things between us, don’t you?” I should feel hurt, yet a strange calmness settles over me.

“It's the last thing in this world that Iwant. You’re bound to him, regardless of my desire.” Tears glisten in his eyes as he strokes my cheek. “If things were different. . .”

I incline my head as my decision solidifies. “The moon’s power can break the bond, Callum. I’m going to find the Heart of the Moon. I’ll use it to break the bond, then I’ll bring it back to you.” A soft smile graces his lips, though there is a glimmer of disbelief in his eyes. “You don’t believe me?”

“I don’t believe the bond can be broken, Princess.”

My jaw hardens. “I have to try.”

He pushes his forehead against mine. “Fearsome creature.”

“Wolf.”

Chapter Fifty-Two

Iwake sometime in the morning.

The fire has died, and there is only ash in the hearth. Darkness stains the floorboards, and the rain patters against the window. Still, I’m not cold.

Callum lies on his front. His heat sears me, and his scent is overpowering. I think I must be finally accepting that wolf part of myself, because I smell him all over me. Mountains and the dawn light, a hint of woodsmoke. His hand is inches from mine on the mattress, as if he reached for me in his sleep but fell short.

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