Page 35 of Feral
“Ella,” he breathed, his eyes glazed with lust as he looked down at her. “Please. You don’t understand what you do to me.”
His plea for mercy erased the last traces of the pain and uncertainty that had come so close to consuming her. She wanted nothing more than to do the same for him. She reached into her pocket, pulling out the tiny piece of metal that no longer felt like a heavy stone.
“Take it,” she said, placing it in his palm, folding his hand around it as she met his gaze. “Please.”
She could see the war going on in his mind as he searched her face, as if he didn’t believe her. “Are you sure?” he finally asked, his voice full of vulnerability Ella had never imagined he was capable of.
She leaned in and kissed him once again. This time, he pulled her into a crushing embrace and returned it with passion that was at once overwhelming and intoxicating. He left her breathless with the taste of him lingering on her tongue as he finally pulled away, his gaze dark with familiar desire. “Not here,” he murmured. “It isn’t safe. I need to take you somewhere.”
“Okay,” Ella said hoarsely. “But...what about the trip? Won’t they notice you’re gone?”
He paused, taking out his phone to glance down at it. “I’ll contact one of the other chaperones. Say it’s an urgent matter with Felidae. They won’t question it.”
“Right,” Ella murmured. As he walked away from her, she found herself wondering if it had all been some sort of fever dream.
Could all that really have just happened?
Chapter 17
Ella
Everything that had been set in motion the moment Ella had given Sterling a ring seemed to be a blur. She’d gathered her things and left a note for Avery explaining that she wouldn’t be back that night, and when she’d gone outside, Sterling was already waiting. She wasn’t sure how he’d procured the sleek black car at the curb, but she slipped in and found herself too awkward to speak much on the drive over.
All her confidence seemed to have fled her now that they were actually alone and all the cards were on the table. She couldn’t help but glance at his hand. The sight of the silver ring sitting on it filled her with a mixture of pride and disbelief.
What if he was only doing this out of pity? Or the fact that it wasn’t safe for an unmated queen in heat to be around so many other males. There was also the possibility that he was going to lose any interest he might have in her when it was all said and done. As elegant and refined as he was, he was still a tom.
“Is something wrong?” he asked, glancing over at her.
Ella quickly shook her head. “Just thinking.”
He seemed to accept the answer as he turned down an even more remote road. They were about half an hour away from the lodge, and Ella realized she probably should have felt nervous for different reasons, but she didn’t.
Before long, a cabin came into view. While it was smaller than the lodge, it was entirely private and the windows were aglow with the same inviting warmth. How he had arranged this on such short notice, she didn’t know, and was almost afraid to ask.
When Sterling parked in front of the cabin and got out, Ella stopped herself from reaching for the door. It was hard to get used to being treated like a queen, but he was the last person she wanted to forget her manners around.
When he opened the door and she saw the gentle smile on his face as he offered a hand to help her out, her anxiety began to fade. His hand was so warm and strong, and his scent comforted her like nothing else.
She followed him into the cabin and realized it was much bigger than it looked from the outside. “This is beautiful,” she murmured, taking in the tasteful furnishings and the fireplace that served as the focal point for the great room.
There was a large canopy bed outfitted with deliciously soft-looking quilts and pillows, and Ella’s face grew warm at the thought of what its purpose was. As much as she longed to delve headfirst into the dizzying lust that claimed her whenever Sterling was near, she was even more keenly aware of her inexperience in his presence. There was still the wall of formality and station between them, and she couldn’t get his words out of her head.
You deserve better.
She had spent so long convinced he was impossibly out of her reach that the idea he might feel anything similar seemed utterly absurd. Kings would probably feel insecure in the man’s presence.
“I’m glad you like it,” he said, kneeling beside the fireplace. Ella watched as he placed a log in the hearth and struck a match to light it. The rich smell of woodsmoke filled her lungs, tantalizing in a different way.
“Who does it belong to?” she asked, exploring a bit more. There was a sizable kitchen and a loft above filled with bookshelves, as far as she could see.
“My family,” he answered. When he saw Ella’s look of surprise, he smiled. He’d done that more in the last few moments than he had the entire time she’d known him. He seemed more at ease in this place somehow, and she couldn’t help but relax as a result of it.
“We own several properties in the area,” he explained, standing to brush the log dust off his hands. “This happens to be one of them.”
“They sound important,” Ella said, leaning against the edge of the sofa. She wasn’t sure what to do now that they were alone.
Sterling wandered over to her, placing his hand over hers on the back of the couch. The simple touch made her heart skip and she found herself transfixed as she stared up at him. “We have our role,” he said, touching her cheek with his other hand. “But I’ll never be royalty.”
