Page 101 of Wolfkissed
“That a common issue with the women you bedded?”
I’d meant it as flippant, teasing him right back, but he only gives a slight nod.
I’d never thought about his problems, being who and what he is. This prejudice I grew up with, with the added burden of a bad experience in my case, has to weigh on him.
I never cared about the problems faced by the dark fae, and even less by werewolves.
Valen makes everything that scared me relevant and interesting, worth considering and investigating. He makes... life relevant. Worth living.
Good Gods, I have to stop thinking like that.
So when he grabs the washcloth draped over the side of the tub, left there by the maids, and starts rubbing his chest with it, then down his stomach, why does my mouth go dry?
CHAPTER FORTY
VALERIAN
I said I won’t tease or push her anymore, and I’ll hold myself to that promise. So instead of staring at her breasts, her mouth, her collarbone, arms, shoulders, neck, eyes, every fucking part of her that’s been driving me crazy with lust, I grab the washcloth and focus on my own body.
My own aroused body that’s aching for hers.
The feel of the rough cloth over my chest is heavenly, and when I move it down my stomach toward my legs, I shiver because I’m so damn hard. My muscles quiver with anticipation, as if I’m about to jack myself off.
I would. I should. But that could be taken as teasing, and I should be able to keep my word for the duration of this bath at least, right? Show I’m dependable. Trustworthy. I don’t want to make her uncomfortable, not when she opened up to me and showed me her scars.
She should be rewarded, not punished, and I’d love to dive between her legs and reward her properly, only that’s way too soon.
Ornever, I remind myself.She doesn’t want that. She made it abundantly clear. So get your mind off your dick. You’re an animal, but you can control yourself. A man who can’t controlhimself might as well turn into a wolf permanently and run in the woods.
Soon, we’ll reach our destination, and she’ll lead the life she’s always wanted. As for me, I’ll return to my hunting grounds, my remaining family, my friends. My world. It will be as if our paths never met.
A lie. I’ll never forget her. Never get over her. But hopefully, over time, her memory will fade enough to let me breathe.
Fuck, I can’t believe how bleak that future looks.
Her hand on top of mine stops me. It stops my movement, stops my mind. I glance up, a question on the tip of my tongue, but it dies at the focused look in her eyes.
Her eyes, fixed on my chest.
“Princess,” I whisper.
“We should… we should talk about your family,” she says.
“We should?”
“Yes. Tell me about this temple your mother belonged to.”
She’s trying to distract herself, so I play along. “Among the werewolves, the temple holds the greatest power, directing the decisions of our kings and queens. Prophecies, rituals, initiations, acolytes… It’s a big thing. We worship many of the Sleeping Gods, but the Blue Star House has always worshipped Cassia, Goddess of Dreams, and Ares, God of War. I spent many years there, following in my mother’s footsteps, after her disappearance.”
“Her prophecy of a human girl,” she whispers.
“I heard they had selected a few girls, tested them, but none of them proved to be the chosen one.”
Her eyes are dark. “Girls taken from human settlements?”
“I suppose. Acolytes weren’t told much. We were... serving the God. It was like a military camp. Chores, training, recon missions through the woods. A lot of talk about the superiority of our race, about protecting ourselves against others, about ourmythical past. A lot of propaganda and brainwashing. I believed it all for a while. Obeyed. The rules were strict, the punishments for breaking them… creative. Anyway…” I wince, pull away from the memories. “Princess… What do you want?”
“I want… to touch your chest.”
