Or, more likely, I’m under some sort of enchantment. A spell woven by the Strigoi King. A mating incantation, perhaps?
“Viviana.” Ciprian’s voice is deep, hypnotic, and powerful. It’s also extremely close, which has me blinking in confusion.
He’s kneeling in front of me, his hands on my face.
How long has he been like this?I wonder, searching his stoic expression.How long has he been saying my name?
“A few minutes,” he replies, clearly still able to read my mind.
Is it permanent?I swallow.Is this mental connection… a forever kind of thing?
“Yes, and it’ll only deepen if we finalize our mating,” he tells me, his thumb drawing along my lower lip. “You need to eat,regina mea.”
I blink again, those two foreign words repeating in my head.What does that mean?
“My queen.” He leans in to brush a kiss against my mouth. “Here.” He moves, then hands me a plate with the grilled cheese on it. “The soup is still too hot. When it’s ready, I’ll feed it to you.”
An image of him using his tail pops into my head, making me shiver. In an effort to ignore the mental depiction, I pick up the sandwich and shove it into my mouth.
However, he must have overheard my thoughts. Or… or maybe he saw it somehow? Because the appendage in questioncreeps up my leg as he softly questions, “You wish to burn my tail?”
I choke on the cheese and bread, causing him to grab my water and push it toward me. I take it from him and wince as I force the food down my throat.
He observes, his black irises flickering with crimson flares. But his lips are curled down in a frown, something I’ve gathered isn’t typical for him. Just like his smiles.
This male seems to be quite unfamiliar with emotions.
I’m not sure if it’s my connection to his mind telling me that, or instincts, or something else entirely. And I’m too exhausted to try to determine the source of my knowledge. I just know that he’s experiencing a lot of firsts right now.
Including his feelings toward me.
“Is your desire born of a need to punish me?” he goes on.
And if I were still eating, I would be choking again.
“Because my tail is quite sensitive. Dipping it into the soup would be… uncomfortable. But if it’s your wish?—”
I press my finger to his lips, needing him to stop. “My mind isn’t a reliable narrator right now, Your Highness.”
His brow furrows even more.
“What I mean is, my thoughts are compromised. I’m… I’m not feeling like myself. A lot has happened, and I’m struggling to comprehend it all. Which means my brain is a little frazzled and therefore… unreliable. So if you overhear something, don’t overthink it. I’m just processing. Sort of.”
Well, that was a mouthful of gibberish.
But his forehead is less crinkled now, so he seems to somewhat understand what I’ve said.
Just to ensure we’re on the same page, I add, “So, no, I don’t want to burn your tail. When you said you were going to feed me, I thought of how you fed me earlier.” My cheeks heat with the words, and I clear my throat. “I just… I just want a spoon. Please.Food. Eat. You know? Anyway.” I shake my head, aware that I sound like a lunatic. “Ignore me.”
“No.”
I startle. “What?”
“I refuse toignoreyou.” He nods at my plate. “Now eat.”
“It’s…” I trail off, deciding that explaining what I meant byignore meisn’t worth the energy. I’ll just… do what he demanded and enjoy my grilled cheese.
Because it’sreallygood. Like, easily the best one I’ve ever tasted. Whatever French cheeses his chef used are amazing.
