Page 5 of Dukes Are Forever
The memories were eating away at her.
"There was an incident between us," she suddenly blurted. "At the Ivory Tower four months ago, when the queen was nearly assassinated."
"What sort of incident?"
"Someone had shot Malloryn—not that I blame them. Entirely. He has that effect. But he was bleeding so much. And I.... It's not the first time I've given blood to a blue blood. I just thought.... I couldn't just leave him there."
"You gave blood to an injured blue blood?" Lena's eyes widened. "Adele!"
"I know." She slammed the ring back on her finger. "It's the first thing we're warned against as debutantes. An injured blue blood is at the mercy of his craving. They're no longer entirely in control of themselves."
"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Bronze flashed in Lena's eyes as her own passion roused. To be verwulfen meant being subject to your emotions, and if she thought Malloryn had harmed Adele, it was quite possible she'd go after him.
Adele looked down into her lap, her cheeks heating. "No. It wasn't... like that."
At all.
She could still feel the press of Malloryn's lips to her throat. And the caress of his tongue. His hand on her breast, thumb rasping over her hardened nipple as he ground his hips between her thighs—
"It wasn't just the bloodlust that roused," she blurted.
Silence fell.
Lena's pretty rosebud mouth had dropped open. "Did he—?"
"No!He came back to his senses in time."
"But it was clearly a passionate interlude."
Adele squeezed her eyes shut. "He's never touched me like that before. He told me he never would. And I never wanted him to before that moment. But now, I cannot quite seem to forget it."
"Oh, dear."
"And then he disappeared for nearly a month, with a letter telling me not to worry. Nothing to bother myself over. But when he returned... it was as though nothing had ever happened between us. He avoids me. I avoid him." She curled her fingers into fists. "But I wish to God he'd never touched me. Because now I know he is not merely made of ice. I was content with our agreement before then. I would have remained content. But now Iknow. And it is torture."
"Aha."
"Aha, what?"
"That's why I catch him looking at you so often with that indecipherable look on his face." Lena eased onto the sofa before her, placing her hand over the top of Adele's. "So what are you going to do about it?"
"Going to do? Why, nothing. Malloryn despises me."
"That is not the Adele I know. She would be taking no prisoners. You should seduce him."
"The Adele you know would prefer not to have her husband laugh in her face."
"Did he seem disgusted when he realized what had occurred?"
"Well, no. He seemed slightly horrified he may have hurt me. Then he lectured me about how dangerous it was. And then he realized the queen was under attack, and what happened may as well not have happened. I assure you, it hasn't costhima moment of sleep."
Lena frowned.
"I told you: The man feels nothing." Adele shook her head. "You're my dearest friend. I know you want only the best for me, but trust me... there is no hope my husband desires me."
"Was he aroused at the—?"
"Yes, but I assume that was a product of the circumstances. Most blue bloods do rouse when their bloodlust rises."
