Page 23 of Hot Monster Summer

“Forest magic,” he says, as if that explains everything. Maybe it does. “For you. Special.”

I’m caught off guard by how touched I am. When was the last time someone did something so thoughtful for me? My ex’s idea of romance was remembering to pick up his dirty socks on the floor.

“Thank you,” I say. “No one’s ever… grown me a flower carpet before.”

He reaches out one massive hand, hesitating for permission. When I nod, he gently touches my cheek with fingers that could crush boulders, yet feel as light as butterfly wings against my skin.

“Have more to show,” he says, his eyes holding mine. “Special place. Tonight.”

“Special place?” I echo, my heart skipping. “Like… a date?”

His head tilts, considering the word. “Yes. Date. Forest heart. Sacred.”

The radiance of his smile has my heart doing a little flip while his voice sends a shiver through me. Whatever he wants to show me, it’s clearly important to him.

Before I can respond, a snarl rips through the morning quiet. Kaelen stalks toward us, his wolf form shifting with each step until he’s more man than beast by the time he reaches us, though still covered in gray fur, his features more angular, his teeth still sharp.

“Enough,” he growls, positioning himself between me and Oren. “The troll has had his turn. The water-dweller too.”

Oren doesn’t back down, but he doesn’t escalate, either. He simply stands there, solid as a tree, waiting.

Kaelen turns to me, those amber eyes burning with something that makes my insides liquify. “It’s my turn now.”

“Your turn?” I repeat, trying to sound indignant rather than intrigued. “I’m not a carnival ride.”

“No,” he agrees, his voice dropping lower. “You’re more. Much more.”

The scent hit me like a musky, wild, overwhelming wave. My knees weaken, and I have to lock them to keep from swaying.

“What is happening?” I gasp, feeling heat flood my core, my nipples tightening against my thin sleep shirt.

Kaelen’s nostrils flare, scenting my response. A satisfied growl rumbles from his chest. “Nothing you don’t want.”

“Monster pheromones,” Oren explains, looking concerned. “Wolf stronger. More direct.”

“That’s cheating,” I manage, though the accusation sounds weak even to my ears. My body responds to Kaelen’s scent like it’s been hard-wired to do so, every nerve ending suddenly hyper-aware and desperate for contact.

“It’s hardly cheating,” Kaelen rumbles, moving closer until I can feel the heat radiating from his massive form. “It’s perfectly natural. Primal, even. If you weren’t compatible, you wouldn’t be so undeniably affected.”

His hand—larger than human but smaller than Oren’s—reaches for me, clawed fingers surprisingly gentle as they trace the line of my jaw. “I’ve been patient. I’ve watched you with them. Now, it’s my turn for you to be mine.”

The possessiveness should piss me off. Instead, it sends another pulse of heat between my thighs.

“I haven’t agreed to anything,” I remind him, though my breathy voice betrays me.

“Your body agrees with me,” he murmurs, inhaling deeply at my neck. “Your scent is all the proof I need.”

Oren shifts behind Kaelen, obviously unhappy but still controlled. “Her choice,” he reminds the wolf. “Always her choice.”

“And she will choose,” Kaelen says, eyes never leaving mine. “After she’s experienced what I have to offer.”

A splash from the lake draws our attention. Caspian stands waist-deep in the shallows, tentacles writhing behind him like angry snakes.

“Resorting to chemical warfare, wolf?” he calls, voice deceptively light despite the tension in his stance. “How predictable.”

Kaelen bares his teeth in what might be a smile or a threat. “Jealous, water-dweller?”

“Careful,” I cut in, finding my voice despite the fog of arousal clouding my brain. “The last guy who got possessive of me nursed a broken nose.”

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