Authors: Savannah Stuart
His chin rested on top of her head as he stroked her hair and down her back. “Were
you ever going to tell me we’d bonded?”
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She was silent, not wanting to admit the truth.
He sighed against her. “It’s okay, I’d have found out anyway. The world is only so
big and I’d have found you wherever you went. I’m not letting you—
us
—go that easily,
sweetheart, so get used to having me in your life.”
She smiled against his chest, but didn’t respond.
“How…have you been since your mother’s death?”
Awful.
She shrugged instead of telling him the truth. “I haven’t had much time to
mourn. There’s been too much to do.” Political, mind-numbing stuff she had no interest
in. But duty required it.
As if he read her mind, he said, “Do you even
want
to be queen?”
Pulling back slightly, she looked at him and shook her head. “No.” Not even a little
bit. Being queen had never been her dream. She was an artist and that’s all she’d ever
wanted to be. Even that aspect of herself she’d hidden from most of her people.
“Then why don’t you step down?” His gravelly voice wrapped around her, sending
delicious shivers rolling through her.
“I don’t have a choice.”
“You
always
have a choice.” His heated statement made her head snap back.
“You don’t—”
“Understand? I’m stepping down as next in line to be Alpha of my pack, Nissa. I do
understand. Don’t force yourself into a life you don’t want. I’ll be happy anywhere I’m
with you, but will you be happy as queen?”
No. Actually, it was a big, fat no. She hadn’t even been able to judge her cousin.
That had been handled by her mother. The last order she’d given had been for the
statue of Venetia to be destroyed. Nissa knew her mother had wanted her to give the
order but sentencing someone to death—no matter how evil—wasn’t something she
wanted to live with.
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Nissa had hated every single day of the last two weeks and not because she’d been
separated from Thomas or because she’d been mourning her mother. Where her sister
took to politics like a fish to water, she felt wildly out of place in all the meetings and
dealing with the Gentry and their petty demands. She missed her quiet townhome in
Dublin, she missed painting, she missed her peaceful Sunday mornings, and more than
anything she missed Thomas.
“You make it sound so easy,” she whispered.
“It is easy.” He lowered his voice to a dark whisper at the same time he bent his
head.
His lips covered hers in a hungry fervor. As their tongues danced and intertwined,
a loud bang sounded on the door.
“Nissa? Are you okay?” It was Kassia.
“Go away!” Thomas shouted and she didn’t stop him.
It was the wrong time and totally inappropriate but she didn’t care. She’d never
thought of herself as animalistic but at that moment she embraced her most primal side.
She desperately needed to feel Thomas inside her. Needed to feel his hot, naked
skin against hers.
And she wanted him to mark her, to take her the way she’d fantasized about for
decades.
Arching her back against him, she scooted back on the table and spread her legs
wider before wrapping them around him.
Thomas’ breathing was erratic as he looked down at her. “Why didn’t the bonding
mark appear on my shoulder?”
“I have no idea,” she said truthfully. It could be because he was a shifter or it could
be because they hadn’t undergone the fae’s traditional bonding ceremony. Or more
likely, it could be because he hadn’t marked her. There was no science to this and it was
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a mystery that a full-blooded fae had bonded with a full-blooded werewolf in the first
place.
“Will it eventually?”
“Does it matter?” she whispered.
“I want it.” His voice was just as low as hers.
The admission surprised and touched her. She’d expected him to be adverse to the
marking. Before she could respond, he kissed her again. This time it was deeper and
there was nothing tender about it. This kiss was a soul-searching, primitive one that
took her breath away.
Clutching his shoulders, she used him to balance as she tightened her legs around
him even harder.
His hands slid under her silky sleeveless top and gently held her breasts. He pulled
the cups of her bra down and lightly rubbed her nipples in a teasing, erotic manner.
Feeling like an animal in heat, she arched and writhed harder against him. Her
inner walls clenched and heat built low in her belly with the need for him to fill her. She
wanted his cock to slide deep into her. Was dying to feel that thickness already.
When she felt her shoulder tingle and almost burn, she knew this time they’d
complete the bonding process.
Thomas jerked his head back abruptly, leaving her dazed.
“What?” Her gaze narrowed on him.
“I can feel my canines extending.”
“What’s the problem?”
“I’m ready to mount and mark you,” he muttered, sounding disgusted with
himself.
She blinked once. “Don’t you want…” She trailed off, not understanding.
“I want to mark you so much I ache, but I’m not going to take you on a conference
table with a dozen people waiting next door.”
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“I don’t care.”
“I do.”
Before she could respond the door swung open and Kassia stormed in. Her sister
faltered as she stared at the two of them. Whatever her sister thought about them, it was
obvious their embrace was mutual.
Nissa’s hands still dug into his shoulders and Thomas’ hands were shoved high up
her top.
“Shit,” Kassia muttered. Instead of leaving, she popped her head back out. “We’ll
just be a moment.” Then she shut it and leaned against it. Her green eyes were almost a
mirror of Nissa’s, just a little darker. Right now they were wide with shock. “I take it
you and Thomas are more than just ‘friends’?”
Nissa nodded and fought the heat creeping across her cheeks. She’d lied to her
sister about why she’d gone to Miami for his protection. “Yes.”
Her blonde eyebrows arched. “So is this who you bonded with?”
“Yes.”
Kassia shook her head, sending her long blonde hair swishing around her
shoulders. “Holy shit. I didn’t even think that was possible.”
“Well it is,” Thomas growled.
Kassia held up her hands in a gesture of mock surrender. “I don’t care who or what
you are as long as you treat my sister right. If that ever changes, I’ll kill you myself.”
At the deadly edge in her sister’s voice, Nissa glared. Kassia was definitely the
stronger of the two, at least physically. Her sister had trained with the fae warriors from
a young age. Since she was royalty she’d never been inducted into the private sect. And
Nissa didn’t like anyone threatening her mate, no matter how harmless. “Stop it, Kas.”
Ignoring her, Kassia sauntered over to the table and leaned against it. “Think you
two could untangle for a few minutes so we can talk?”
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Thomas actually looked uncomfortable for a moment as he glanced down at their
bodies. Withdrawing his hands, he smoothed her top down but didn’t move far out of
her embrace. Nissa tried to subtly adjust her bra but finally gave up the pretense and
pushed the cups back into place. Thomas threw an arm around her shoulder as they
turned to face Kassia.
“Everyone’s getting a little restless in the other room. Is this treaty still going to
happen?” Kassia looked back and forth between the two of them with raised eyebrows.
Nissa nodded as she melded tighter against Thomas. “Yes, but—”
“You don’t want to be queen?” Kassia finished.
Her shoulders relaxed. “Not even a little bit.”
“I know. I’ve known for a while.”
“Why didn’t you ever say anything?”
Her shoulders lifted slightly. “I’m the youngest. It’s not my place.”
“So…
you
want to be queen?”
Kassia nodded tightly. “Yes. So many changes need to be made right now and I
don’t want to miss an opportunity to bring true peace between our kinds. I think I could
implement…” She trailed off, suddenly looking unsure of herself. “I don’t mean to
speak out of place.”
Shrugging off Thomas’ embrace, Nissa stepped forward and grasped her sister’s
hands. “You’re not. I’ve always admired how well you stand up to the Gentry and
immerse yourself in our politics. Sometimes I feel guilty because all of it doesn’t mean
more to me.”
“Well you’ll be taking a big step toward bringing our races together by bonding
with him.” She nodded slightly back toward Thomas. “A member of the royalty
bonding with an alpha is the perfect alliance to solidify this treaty.”
A ghost of a smile touched Nissa’s lips. “Always the diplomat.”
Kassia smiled and blushed. “I can’t help it.”
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“What do you think the councilors will say?”
“I think they already have a pretty good idea what was going on in here between
you two and truthfully, I think the only thing anyone cares about is having this treaty
signed
today
.”
“Do you want to sign it?” Nissa asked.
Kassia jerked back slightly. “I have no right.”
Nissa slid off the ornate, platinum ring her mother had given her. The marquis-cut
emerald stone in the middle of it twinkled brightly under the fluorescent lights of the
room. There would be an official induction ceremony later—probably as soon as Kassia
returned to London—but all she truly needed was the ring. It signified her role as
leader and truthfully, she didn’t need the ring anyway. Nissa, the Gentry and Nissa’s
own councilors usually looked to Kassia for important matters. Just like their mother,
she had a gift for diplomacy and could make those impossible decisions without
questioning herself later. She was a lot harsher, more Draconian in her views of the
world than Nissa, but most of the fae were. Placing the ring in her sister’s palm, she
closed Kassia’s fingers over it. “You do now.”
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Thomas wiped sweaty palms on his pants as he ascended the stairs. He was almost
two hundred years old and he’d made love to this woman countless times. When he
closed his eyes at night, her naked body was what he dreamed about.
But this time was definitely going to be different. Shifters were very superstitious
and if the bonding didn’t go right, it could set the tone for their whole relationship.
On a logical level he knew it was bullshit, but his inner wolf was terrified he’d fuck
this up and Nissa would leave again.
It didn’t matter that she’d practically moved in with him. After the treaty signing
she’d opted to return with him instead of going home. She’d promised her sister she’d
return to London for the official induction ceremony and then she wanted to head to
Dublin to spend a couple weeks packing up her stuff—and he planned to be right by
her side the entire time. Partially to ensure her safety, but mainly because he loved her.
Until then, she was living under his—their—roof. Somehow he’d forced himself to
keep his hands off her since they’d gotten back from New York. It had only been a few
hours but it felt like an eternity.
Part of him still feared this was a dream. Until he marked her, he feared that feeling
wouldn’t go away.
When he pushed the door to his bedroom open, he froze at the sight before him.
Nissa sat up on her knees in the middle of his bed wearing nothing but a seductive
smile.
His heart actually stuttered as he drank in the sight of her. With her silky blonde
hair spilling over her breasts she looked like Aphrodite come to life. Only more
beautiful. Those perfect pink nipples were rock-hard and begging for him to touch and
kiss.
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As his gaze tracked down the flat planes of her abdomen to the soft patch of blonde
hair covering her pussy, he could feel his canines throb. His abdomen muscles pulled
taut and his arms tightened as he clenched his fists to keep steady. The instinctive need
to mark her was overwhelming.
Her long, lean arms rested gracefully against her sides. When she twisted her hands
nervously in front of her he realized he’d been staring too long.
Quickly he averted his eyes to hers. “You’re so fucking beautiful.” Immediately he
cringed. He’d wanted to be smoother, more charming and he wasn’t off to a great start.
When her lips pulled up into a smile some of his apprehension faded. “You don’t
look so bad yourself.”
For the past few hours he’d been dealing with unavoidable pack business but all
he’d been thinking about was getting back to Nissa. He hadn’t expected her to be
waiting for him like this. He’d known tonight was “the night”, but damn.
This was the best way to come home. “How long have you been waiting like this?”
“You’d like me to say hours, wouldn’t you?” Her nose crinkled as she laughed
lightly. “I heard you downstairs so…” She placed her hands on her hips and her green
eyes brightened as she looked him over. “You’re wearing too many clothes.” The