Lucus’s emerald and obsidian hair slid across his face as he turned to look at the bower he’d made. “She is my family, and I am hers.”
A smile stretched Hekla’s mouth, then, on tiptoe, she kissed Lucus’s cheek. “Thank you for making her happy.”
“Now you’re just torturing me, foxy,” Kaippa said, “laying a kiss on him before me.”
Hekla smacked him in the rock-hard stomach, trying her damndest to keep visions of Kaippa tied to a bed out of her imagination. “Quiet, vampire.”
Lucus’s gaze flitted from her to Kaippa, and it was obvious the fae lord was dying to warn her for the millionth time about how Kaippa was not to be trusted. Thankfully, he kept his advice to himself and instead kissed her wrist softly, drawing a sigh out of Hekla. “My bride waits. Thank you for agreeing to attend to her on this important day.”
“No problem.”
Hekla held the box carefully, then started toward the inner workings of the castle, Kaippa silently trailing her every step. In the dark of the corridor, the undeniable urge to tease and frustrate him overpowered her good manners.
She spun and handed the box to him. “It’s warm today considering it’s November.” With quick fingers, she took the ends of her loose tunic shirt and tied them high under her breasts. Kaippa’s gaze snapped to her bare stomach. His tongue slid over his red lips. Hekla fought a grin and pulled her hair into a knot on her head to show off her neck. “I’m going to change before I meet Coren. I have some things in my room.”
“Foxy. You are behaving badly.” A quiet growl came from Kaippa as they rounded the corner and came to the chamber where she’d slept while he’d kept guard outside the door.
Heart beating a chaotic rhythm, Hekla crossed the room and pointed to the dresser. “Can you put the box there? Thanks. That’ll be all.”
Kaippa lifted the box high, then dropped it to the floor, his eyes glittering dangerously. He stalked toward her, and she fought the urge to step back in alarm. “I am not your servant, foxy. Don’t toy with me. It’s bad for your health.”
Desire simmered inside her, the animal that was a part of her blood wanting to go wild. “Since day one, you’ve done nothing but toy with me. Perhaps it’s your turn to be played.”
And then he was standing beside her, one hand on her neck and the other brushing its way down her side and turning her flesh to fire. “Are you prepared for this game, little fox? Because I will have your blood rising to flush your skin and ringing in your ears. You’ll beg by the time I’m through.”
A hot pulse of want shot through her. “Enough swagger, vampire. Let’s see what you can do.” She pushed him onto the bed.
He laughed loud and suddenly she was under him, flipped to her stomach. His long fingers slid over her hip and dipped below the waistline of her jeans. She moaned as he breathed along the back of her exposed neck. His hand moved lower, and she pushed against him, her body raging with heat. Purring behind her, he tugged down her jeans. She started to sit up, but his hand gently urged her to stay where she was. And then he was on top of her, his skin hot under his clothes.
“What do you consider my greatest attribute to the fairer sex?” He nipped at her side and pressed against her.
She could hardly breathe, let alone answer.
He set his teeth on her neck, then whispered, “Answer me or I will stay here, so close, but not close enough. I can hold out for years, foxy. Years.”
Her body trembled with need as she swallowed. “Your lower back. The curve. Your ass.”
Kaippa snickered with self-satisfaction, then a cool breeze told her he had moved away. She spun and sat up to see him pulling his shirt off, his abs like a damn romance novel cover. He glared at her as he removed his trousers, then turned to walk to the other side of the bed, giving her a long look at that back of his.
“Satisfied?” he asked, standing there in all his glory.
“Not nearly.” She lay back on her elbows.
Roughly shoving her knees apart, he climbed over her. He brushed a lock of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear, the movement at odds with the rest of his behavior. The tip of his tongue slid down her neck as he rubbed his body against her.
“Could you wait years, foxy?” He stopped moving, the glint of pure evil in his eyes. “I bet I could make you wait.”
Delicious chills broke over her thighs. “Kaippa, please. I hate waiting. I’ve never had the patience for it.”
Grinning viciously, he drove into her and pulled a scream of pleasure from her throat. She grabbed his perfect, curved lower back and urged him to go faster, desire an ocean that drowned her. She had wanted this for far longer than she cared to admit, even to herself. And here he was, this delicious demon of a man with his broad shoulders brushing her cheek, his body filling her up, his thighs hot and slick against hers. The scent of him, exotic and dangerous, drove her to ecstasy, his body thrusting without an ounce of hesitation. She shrieked as bliss took her under and over and around that ocean of desire again. Kaippa gasped with his own pleasure and called her name, and Hekla knew her life would never ever be the same.
33 Coren
With shaking hands, I set the letter I’d written to Aunt Viv on Lucus’s bed. It was a simple thank you and I’ll visit you soon because I didn’t want to upset the old gal with tales of how horrifyingly real her stories had become for me.
There was a knock, so I opened the door, only to see a very flushed Hekla. Grabbing an
