All I could do was stare at him; my jaw slackened.
Is he really incensed that I called him bat boy?
The corners of my lips twitched. Somehow, I couldn’t help but find that thought highly amusing.
“I don’t know,” I said sarcastically with a roll of my eyes. My gaze caught on his pointed ears. “I guess the whole dark aura thing you’ve got going on and your ears lent me the idea for the nickname.”
Before Drake could reply, I reached out a hand and grazed my fingers across the shell of his ear. His eyes widened in surprise. The breath softly fled from my lungs.
His ears aren’t sharp like I thought they’d be…But then again, I’ve never gotten close to a shadow fae before. I’ve only heard about their physical attributes due to tales of battle passed down by our werewolf warriors.
Drake’s hand shot out, as quick as a viper, latching onto my wrist though his grip didn’t hurt me. He pulled my hand away from his ear.
His eyes flashed. “Will you stop?” He tossed my arm back to my side. “Don’t,” he bit out, “touch me!”
I glared at him darkly. “Sheesh. I was just feeling to see if they were sharp. Don’t get your panties all in a wad.”
Drake’s eyes widened. My heartbeats slammed against my chest as I noted the slight color that tinged his cheeks.
Is he…blushing?! But why the hell would he blush? I just insulted him, for stars’ sake.
I thought back to my choice of words. My mind hung on the word panties.
Oh…
I eyed his face closely. His nostrils flared, his eyes breezily flicking to my pants, or my sex, to be more precise. My lips thinned as I felt my own cheeks heat up. I fought down the urge to hide my sex from his eyes, knowing that would merely draw more attention to it. My thighs rubbed together as I squirmed.
Drake blinked and shook his head as if he were fighting for control. Then the rosy hue vanished, his skin's deep caramel appearing again.
He growled low in his throat, his incisors lengthening. “Let’s just go.”
He whirled around and stalked down the wide corridor. Shaking my head to dispel my shock and the growing seed of arousal, I hurried after him. Drake led me down the corridor till we stopped at a large oak door. Grabbing the gold door handle ring, he opened the door and stepped aside to allow me to peer into the room. I looked into the gloom, my night vision picking up an assortment of furniture.
Drake then switched a light on at the side of the wall—a gasp pealed from my lungs. A large four-poster queen canopy bed with a cream-colored downy comforter was positioned in the middle of the room. A plush oval velvet rug spanned the floor beneath the bed. The bed curtains were sheer as if they were made of gossamer wings, falling to drape the covers. To the left of the bed was a window seat offset by the three bay windows— beyond which the setting sun cast brilliant beams of amber across the sky. I stepped inside and spun in a small circle, taking it all in. Adjacent to the bedroom spanned a large bathroom with a floating vanity and a free-standing porcelain tub with golden legs.
“It’s…it’s…,” I breathed, turning to gape at Drake.
The male shadow fae leaned against the threshold, his ankles hooked, one knee bent. His arms folded across his solid chest. He raised a brow, his eyes half-lidded.
“What?’ He asked.
“It’s so beautiful,” I replied. My chest swelled with bittersweet joy. “The decor of the room is similar to the color scheme of the palace rooms in the werewolf kingdom. These colors are what werewolves prefer. I prefer.” Drake shrugged a shoulder as if he’d known that already. I slowly glancedaround again before a gnawing suspicion burrowed inside me. “Did you…did you pick this out?”
Drake's shoulders stiffened. He pushed off the wall and stepped beyond the threshold back into the corridor.
“Wait!” I called out, sensing he was about to leave.
He paused. “What is it?” Drake bit out.
I approached, pausing before him, close enough to feel his warm breath on my face.
I offered him a small smile. “Thank you.”
A muscle feathered along his jawline as he stared down at me. I squirmed under the intense perusal of his gaze. My tongue flicked out to wet my lips, and I caught his eyes snagging on my movements. His pupils blew wide, the dark pools nearly blotting out the lavender rings.
Tingles swept over my skin. My pulse quickened, pounding at the hollow of my throat. I felt a delicious pool of desire sink low in my belly.
I felt the claws rake across my insides. I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek against the pain. My inner wolf wanted Drake. I could tell in the way my body burned up inside with a fever so powerful that I feared only Drake could quench it. Drake took a slight step forward till our chests just brushed against each other. His breathing grew labored, his nostrils flaring as he picked up on my arousal.