Page 53 of Beyond the Faerie Gate

I glance down at Lore, stroking his cheekbones with my eyes. “Obviously I do. They’re gorgeous.”

They’re all perfect. Ridiculously so. Even Caed isn’t hard to look at, for all that he ordered me killed.

“It’s just… I’ve never even… I’m not even sure what to…”

Kitarni smiles. “I will advise you if you wish, but some of your males are hundreds of years old. They’re experienced enough for both of you.”

“Are you calling me a whore?”

Lore’s indignant voice makes me jump so hard that his head almost falls off of my lap.

“I was calling you old,” Kitarni mutters, but I ignore her.

“You were listening the whole time?” I screech-whisper.

His grin couldn’t get any wider if he tried, and it’s enough of an answer to make me shove him off me entirely. I bolt for the door, blindly hoping I can outrun my embarrassment.

Lore’s hands span my waist in the next second. He blinks us both across the room, lifting me and pressing me against one of the floor-to-ceiling bookcases. He’s holding me up with just his hips pinning mine in place, and I’m far enough off the ground that my feet don’t touch the floor. Our eyes are completely level, and my breasts brush against his chest with every breath. My head swims at the contact until I think I might pass out.

“Oh, pet, don’t be embarrassed.” His voice drops an octave, getting rougher until it’s basically a purr. “You have no idea how much of a turn on it is to know that we get to be the first males to taste you and fuck you. But Kitarni is wrong about one thing.”

I don’t want to ask, but my curiosity slips out, anyway. “What?”

“You won’t be able to hide in a temple. You won’t be able to hide anywhere. You can run if you want, but the chase will just make catching you even sweeter.” His head dips to my throat, his hot breath fanning over the spot just below my ear, until I shiver. “You’re going to beg for us, and you’re going to love every second of it.”

His burning lips press a kiss against my skin, leaving a spark of fire in their wake. I let slip an involuntary gasp, arching against him. Pleading with my body for more.

“Good girl,” he murmurs, grinding his length into me. “Just feel.”

Another kiss, higher this time, followed by the lightest scrape of teeth.

Goddess, the heat of him is branding my core through his trousers. Scalding me. I need more, almost as much as my next breath.

I’ve never felt empty before, but it’s the only word that can describe the ache settling low in my body.

“Get the fuck off her!”

Cold air is like a slap in the face, shattering the intimate bubble Lore has created. Jaro wrenches the redcap away from me, sending him flying across the room and me falling to the floor.

Lore lands perfectly, then blinks forward, reappearing directly in front of Jaro and landing a solid punch to the underside of the bigger male’s jaw.

I’m mute with shock as I stare at the brawl, which quickly breaks out. Jaro is dripping wet, his clothes clinging to every inch of him as he raises a glowing golden shield between himself and the redcap, then drops it to throw his own punch.

Drystan is leaning against the door, watching the chaos unfold. He’s just as sodden as Jaro, but he doesn’t seem interested in the fight that’s exploding through the library. If anything, he looks bored.

“Stop!” Kitarni shouts, cutting through the ruckus with a sharp bark that freezes Jaro and Lore in place. “If you’re going to fight, do it farther away from the Nicnevin. Preferably outside, or not at all!”

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