Page 20 of The Night Prince

The corner of his mouth lifts. Slowly, he dips his face to my throat and drags his nose over the sensitive skin there. He inhales deeply, and I breathe in sharply. “Are you... smelling me?”

“Mmhm,” he mumbles.

I curl my arms around his neck. “For any particular reason?” He opens his mouth, and his breath brushes my ear. “And don’t say it’s a wolf thing.”

He brings his face back to mine and grins. His green eyes gleam in the firelight. “Itisa wolf thing.” He slides his big hands up my back, then nips my earlobe with his teeth. Heat coils low in my stomach. “It’s been too long since I’ve been inside you. I want to check that you still smell like me.”

I huff out a laugh. “Oh. It really is a wolf thing.” He drags his tongue up the column of my throat, and I arch my back as a gasp escapes my lips. These Wolves are strange creatures.

“I want Lochlan to know exactly who he’ll be dealing with, if he tries anything.” His voice is low and rough, and something stirs within me.

“And? What do I smell like?”

“Mm. You smell like fresh snow, and moonlight, and honey. You smell delicious.” He nips my skin with his teeth and a soft whimper escapes me. “But not enough like me for my liking.”

He curls his arms around me and pulls. My face falls to his shoulder, and my chest is flush with his. His scent, and the heat of him, it overpowers me—mountains and dawn and Callum. My peaked nipples rub against his skin through the fabric of my dress as he rubs his arms up and down my back. I kiss his collarbone, and his muscles tighten.

“What are you going to do about that?” I ask.

He nuzzles my neck. “I’m doing it now.”

“You can do better than that, can’t you?”

He looks up slowly, and the wolf is in his eyes. I lower my lips to his. He leans forward and claims them. His kiss is hot and deep, and he slides his tongue against mine. A rough sound escapes him. It trembles through me, and I’m suddenly on fire.

I want him. I need him. From his erection that presses against my core through his kilt, I know he feels the same. I move, tentatively, against him.

He groans, and his hands find my hips. “I forgot how good your body felt against mine,” he mumbles.

He moves me against him, his rhythm tortuously slow. Delicious friction builds as my arousal pools between my legs. It’s like there’s something coiling inside me, something that needs release. I capture his lip with my teeth and the sound he makes is feral.

“Now you smell even better,” he groans.

“Because I smell like you?”

“Because you smell like you want me.”

I do. I want his fingers. I want his mouth. I want everything. I want him to bury himself so deeply that all I know is him. I move faster against him, and he dips his lips to my throat and sucks on the skin. His teeth press into me, his canines sharp. I whimper. He groans against me, then suddenly jerks back. Ice floods me as his head hits the back of the chair. The wolf blazes behind his eyes for a split second before he shuts them, and they crease in the corners. “Fuck.”

“Callum?” I breathe. “What’s the matter?”

His cheeks are flushed, lips swollen, and his chest moves deeply. His hands hold me firmly in place. He looks like he’s in pain. “My wolf.” He grits his teeth. “I almost bit you. I don’t... I don’t have control.”

I’m breathless, my pulse pounding. “Open your eyes.” He obeys, and my breath catches at the beauty in those wolf irises. I brush my fingertips down the side of his face. “You don’t scare me.”

“I scare myself when I’m with you. The leash I keep myself on always feels frayed. I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to push you into a fever for days, again.”

“I trust you.”

“You wouldn’t—not if you knew how loudly my blood howled every time you were near.”

“So, you’re never going to touch me again?”

The corner of his mouth lifts, and there’s a wicked glint in his eyes. “I didn’t say that.” He sucks in a deep breath, tempering his emotions. Then he nods, resolute, as if he has made a decision. “I want to wait until after the full moon. I’m going to wait until you’ve shifted the first time, and I know you can handle me.” He slides a hand onto my cheek, and his expression darkens. “I’m going to wait until your senses are heightened—touch, scent, taste...” He runs his thumb over my bottom lip, and my breath hitches. “Then I’m going to take my time exploring every inch of you.” He dips his mouth to my ear. “And I’m going to let the wolf side of me off the leash.”

I breathe in sharply. Desire coils inside me and throbs between my thighs. I turn my head and lean toward him, wanting to kiss him. His hands keep me in place, halt me. He holds me for a moment, as if showing me who is in charge, then he presses a soft, chaste kiss on my lips.

The sound of chatter and footsteps outside our chambers breaks the tension. Callum blinks, and the wolf disappears. “Sounds like people are gathering,” he says. “Come on. Lochlan and his clan will be here soon. We should go.”

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