‘Yeah. He seems like your type, tall, dark and bloodsucking.’
‘You have no idea what my type is!’ I snap the words out. How easily he rouses me to anger.
‘Funny. Because I thought it was me, for a while.’
‘You walked away, not me! I wanted you to come with me when I left.’
‘And here I am.’ He moves towards me, his arms wide. ‘So, is that it? Or do you have anything else you want to share?’
‘You’re impossible!’ I take in a breath and blow it out, because if I don’t, I’ll scream. ‘I’m trying my best to make this work.’
‘Make what work? I want you, E, and I’m not giving up so easily.’ He comes closer, looming over me.
‘You can’t. We can’t.’ My voice is a whisper.
‘Why? He’s not here, is he? But you are. Alone, during the day, when no one can see you. Interesting choice, that.’ He tucks a lock of hair behind my ear. Oh darkness. I’d forgotten the heat of him, up close.
‘You’re an ass.’ But my words lack bite.
‘After all I’ve done for you.’ His hand comes to my chin, tipping my face up to his.
‘I should go.’ A last breath of defiance.
‘You know where the door is.’
I start to move. At least, I think that’s what I do. Yet somehow, I end up in his arms, his mouth on mine. Oh God. He’s sowarm. Our tongues tangle, things deepening, until it seems the room is full of sparks. His hard length presses into me as his hands explore, my fingers tangled in his hair.
I shouldnotbe doing this.
I might want Michael, but Joaquin is who Ineed, for the good of my realm. And kissing my lieutenant, though it might run in the family, is not part of my plan. I manage to get my hands between us, pushing until he lets go.
‘E, wait?—’
I don’t look back, wiping away tears as I run from the gatehouse. Cool air blows the heat from my face, the scent of him from my hair, my clothes. What in darkness was I thinking? I race up stone stairs, not caring about cobwebs or anything except getting back to the safety of my room. Once there, I close the panel, leaning against the carved fireplace. A sob bursts out, despite my best efforts, my chest heaving.
I tear off my coat, pull my gown over my head, rough as though to punish myself for how stupid I am. I run the shower hot, scrub my skin until it’s pink, wanting every trace of his touch gone from me, no matter how I might crave more.
I need to be so careful. Joaquin has declared for me. It doesn’t mean I have to accept, but I’d be a fool not to. With Michael, I feel like an equal. I’ve always felt safe with him, from the first time we met. Always felt drawn to his warmth, to the feeling that he is home. Joaquin, on the other hand, feels like … possibility. Complicated, yet exciting. And someone who chose me, in front of all the assembled Raven families. The fact that Michael’s touch sets me aflame needs to be set aside. Which would be manageable, if I hadn’t chosen him as my lieutenant.
I bang my fist against the tiles, my head hanging as water sluices over me. Eventually, I get out and dress, drying my hair and spritzing myself with anti-feed just to be sure. I wish I could go to bed, but it’s Joaquin’s first night in my home. And I want to spend time with him too.
I grab a portable candle lamp and leave my room, thegolden glow lighting the hallways, glimmering from the sweeping gold banister as I descend to the foyer. It’s deserted, apart from two guards either side of the main door. I wonder where Joaquin is.
He emerges from behind the golden curve of stairs, almost as though he heard me thinking of him. ‘Emelia, my dove. Where have you been?’ He prowls towards me, taking the candle lamp and switching it off.
‘What—’
‘You don’t need it,’ he purrs, one hand lifting my hair away from my neck. ‘Let me be your eyes in the dark.’ A graze of teeth against my throat, a flicker of tongue. My body responds, my back arching. Darkness. ‘I’ve been waiting for you.’
‘I’m sorry. I slept late.’
He huffs out a laugh, his hand at my waist. ‘You are fascinating.’ He draws out the last word, like a lingering caress. ‘The way you sleep. The delicious way you smell.’ He brushes his lips against mine. His other hand tangles in my hair, pulling so my head tilts, as he sniffs along the line of my jaw. Oh God.
‘I find that hard to believe.’
‘That you’re fascinating? Oh, my dearest, you have no idea. I wish to know you, Emelia Raven.’ He’s all coiled strength, aviolet-scented predator, his voice a rumble. ‘In every way a person can know another.’
Darkness enfolds us like a cloak. I feel myself responding to it, to him, something awakening in me. I relax in his arms and he growls, a soft purr against my throat. My vision adjusts and I realise I can see more of him, the dangling jade earring, the angle of his jaw as he leans in for a kiss. He presses against me, his hands sliding down the curve of my hips, his mouth on my neck. I gasp, blushing. I might not be able to see much, but there are guards in here who can. ‘We should find my parents. And your friends. Where are they?’
