Page 64 of His Stolen Queen
He reached out and cupped my face. "I've waited an eternity for you. You already know what it's like when we make love. To receive my bite. I refuse to wait a moment longer."
"May-maybe we should talk first. There are still some things I need to—"
"Are you afraid of me?"
His eyes changed from black to blue and back again. My core ached with desire.
I shook my head, then nodded.
His hand tightened on my chin. "You are? But I can sense your arousal. Your desire."
I shook my head, licking my lips and causing his eyes to darken again. "I'm scared of how badly I need you. I'm scared of how overpowering my desire for you is. I'm scared that I'll disappoint you. In my memories, I was this wanton siren who knew exactly what to do. What if I disappoint you?"
I'd seen the type of people he attracted and who he slept with. Beautiful, perfect creatures who were his equal in more ways than one.
"I can feel your jealousy."
"Have you slept with Tatiana?"
"Yes."
I flinched. I mean, I knew he had, but it still hurt to hear it confirmed. "Are you still sleeping with her?"
His fingers stroked my cheek. "What kind of question is that? I have not slept with anyone since I discovered I had a mate."
Shocked and confused, I frowned up at him. "But-but according to Von, your heart started beating as soon as I was born."
"Yes."
"So you knew that you had a mate thirty-four years ago."
"Thirty-four years, six months, and fourteen days."
My eyes bugged. "You haven't slept withanyonein all that time?"
His eyes moved away from mine, and my heart sank. It was stupid of me to think he hadn't done anything sexual. After all, I'd been married.
"You know that I had visions of you, usually at important points in your life."
"Yes."
"The last vision I had of you was on your wedding day. I was so incensed that I had planned to fuck the nearest person."
I flinched, and he lifted my chin, not letting me turn away.
"Through my visions, I could feel your emotions. You were not happy for a lot of your life, no?"
I waited for my memories to stab me, as they usually did when I thought back on my childhood. The hurt lingered, yes, but not as strongly as before. "Yes. I-I felt like something was missingfrom my life. I didn't feel anchored anywhere. I had no family, except for Dav—"
"Donotsay his name in my presence."
I rolled my lips, a quiet thrill shooting down my spine at the thought of his jealousy. "Even before he was my—" Acheron's eyes darkened in anger again, so I cleared my throat. "Before he was anything, he was family. The only person I had."
"Until now," he arrogantly corrected. "But even before now, you had me. The day you married, I was very angry. I was determined to be done with you, so in a fit of rage, I summoned two women to service me."
"Two…" I choked out.
"But I couldn't get your image out of my mind," he said. "And that was when it hit me. Your emotions. I had such a visceral response to the image of you, the thought of you being forever lost to me, that I had suppressed your emotions."
