Page 24 of Daughter of the Ninth Line: Part One

Quarry squawked pitifully, opening his little mouth like he was a baby bird, and I popped some of the meat into his beak. He had a wooden box filled with the softest fabrics the healers would let me have, and was positioned in a prime spot in front of the fire in my dorm room. My stolt Epsy was curled around him, looking at him lovingly.

Lucio had left his war cat with me, just in case someone else got murderous thoughts toward me before Hayle returned. Honestly, I thought Eugene might have been an anomaly. With both Hayle and Vox away for the time being, the buzz around me had died off.

Well, until Eugene had tried to chop my head off, and then it picked back up again.

“I swear, I just wanted to get through these two years without drama. What the heck happened?” I said to Leviat, the war cat, who looked at me like I was stupid. I didn’t know how she managed to convey her thoughts so clearly, but I knew she was here begrudgingly, that she thought I was as useless as a cub, and she only remained in case there was a chance to eat someone.

Epsy had remained by Quarry’s side, perhaps a little because the war cat still looked at him like she wanted to eat him. Lucio had promised me she wouldn’t, but there was some serious longing in the predator’s eyes.

Suddenly, the war cat was on her feet, ears pricked as she looked at the door to the dorm. I stood too, palming the knife I’d been using to cut up Quarry’s food. The bird seemed unperturbed, but maybe he was just full and sleepy?

Blink.The door to my dorm slammed open, and Hayle was there, his hounds on his heels.

Blink.He was in front of me, picking me up in his arms and holding me in a hug so tight, I couldn’t take a deep breath in.

“Hayle!” He nuzzled his face into my neck, inhaling me into his lungs. Well, at least one of us could inhale. “You're suffocating me.”

He finally loosened his arms and dropped me to my feet, but didn’t release me entirely. He looked down at my face, and when he saw the slight cut on my throat, his eyes turned murderous. “I’m going to destroy him.”

He spun, but I grabbed his hands just in time to halt him. “Hayle, stop. It’s fine. Calm down.”

“Calm down? Calm down?!” He was definitely losing it. “Eugene almostkilledyou.”

I dragged him to the couch, my free hand dropping down to reassure the hounds that were snuffling at my palm. I scratched their coarse fur, and they licked my fingers. They were filthy, with a twig even caught in Braxus’s coat. “You guys look rough.”

Leviat licked her paw, like even being in the room with the hounds was making her dirty, and then slunk out of the room, her need to watch over me done now that Hayle and the hounds were back. “Thank you, Leviat!” I called after her, and she swished her tail in my direction.

Hayle watched the cat go. “Lucio has a lot of explaining to do. How he let anyone get close enough to—” He cut off, like the idea of me getting injured actually physically hurt him too. He sat down on the couch, but pulled me onto his lap. I hadn’t realized we’d progressed this far in our friendship, but it was obvious that Hayle needed this, and there were worse places to be than snuggled into the chest of a very hot man.

I held his neck as he stroked his cheek against mine, marking me in an animalistic display of possession. “It wasn’t Lucio’s fault. Who could have predicted Eugene becoming a fucking lunatic? Besides, Quarry was there to protect me.”

The raven cooed happily, drawing Hayle’s attention. He was silent for a time, and I wondered if perhaps they were conversing. Finally, he drew his eyes back to mine. “I owe Quarry a life debt.”

Braxus huffed and laid down at my feet, his head knocking against my ankles. Alucius laid by the door, rolling onto her back, sticking all four feet in the air and falling asleep immediately.

Hayle chuckled low in his chest. “They’re exhausted. We ran.”

I gaped at him. “From Hamor?” He nodded, and I blinked at him. “Why? Lucio said you wouldn’t be back until the weekend.”

Instead of answering my question, he kissed me. No, it wasn’t a kiss. That seemed too mild for the way his lips devoured me, his tongue pushing into my mouth, stroking mine like he was tongue fucking me, like he couldn’t get enough of the taste of my lips. I kissed him back, becauseholy shit,and his hands slid to my hips, pulling me tight against his body and the hard ridge of his cock.

“You’re mine, Avalon Halhed. Mine to protect.” He squeezed my hips. “Mine to kiss. Mine to pleasure.”

Uh, yes please.I slipped my legs either side of his thighs, and then his cock was there, rubbing on the rough fabric of my conscript uniform, barely anything between us. We let our bodies speak for us as he ground up into my core, making me moan.

He dragged his mouth from mine, panting hard. “Avalon, please,” he begged.

He wanted to fuck. I had enough clarity of mind to know that. And I also knew that I wanted him to do it. I wanted him to be my first. The connection between us was almost undeniable as his fingers stroked fire over my skin.

When he shifted my shirt upward, feeling the lack of breast bindings, he groaned like he was in physical pain. “Let me taste these glorious tits.”

In answer, I dragged my shirt over my head and threw it across the room. Hayle stared at my breasts like he was moonstruck, his eyes glued to them like they were a target. Then he stood, still holding me to his chest as he walked me into my room, shutting the door with his foot.

“Don’t need a four-legged audience for what I want to do to you,” he rumbled, then took my nipple in his mouth, sucking hard.

Holy shit.

I arched toward him, my fingers threading through his hair, holding him tightly to my chest. Given the moans that were vibrating my nipple, I didn’t think he was going anywhere, but just in case. He pulled off and moved to the other nipple, not before breathing, “Gorgeous,” at my boobs like they were artwork.

---