Rylo pressed his body into hers, trapping her under his weight as he began to kiss her neck. “It doesn’t change that I desired your body.”
Morgan suddenly felt very self conscious. She’d once been attractive, desirable to men, but how did Rylo find her attractive with the scars on her face and body?
As if he knew what she was thinking, his kisses worked their way up to her face. He kissed her scars, caressed the raised skin with his fingers, his lips, and tongue.
She tried to hold them back, but the sting of tears began streaking down her face. How many times had she avoided a mirror since being here? Tried to not touch her face or look at the damage that made her no longer feel like herself?
“Your scars make you more attractive to me, Morgan. They tell the story of your strength and resilience.” He pulled back, looking into her tear-stained eyes. With his thumb, he brushed the tears from her damaged cheeks.
His gaze was so intense that Morgan felt raw and exposed before him, like he could see all of her, all the ugly pieces and broken bits, but he didn’t back down from them. He was truly seeing her for who she was in a way that nobody had seen.
Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore and she looked down at her hands, still pressed against his chest.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“I am thinking about all the things I want to do to you; none of them are going to be appropriate with the Hylax family on the other side of these very thin walls.”
Morgan huffed out a sigh. “This is the second time you’ve cock blocked me.”
Rylo let out a dry laugh. “I plan to remedy that very soon. There’s just a lot about to happen. I’ll explain what I saw in Goldoth tomorrow after you’ve had time to recover.”
She felt the heat that was building in her wash away. “Can you at least hold me tonight? The last few days have been a lot.”
Rylo lifted her up, scooting the furs off her. He draped one on the floor and removed another from behind the worn couch. Morgan took the pillow that had been behind her head and brought it to the floor, letting the heavy wool dress she’d fled Goldoth in fall to the floor. Rylo’s eyes darkened as he looked at Morgan in her thin slip.
“Are you changing your mind about these thin walls?” Morgan asked, lying down on the fur Rylo had placed on the ground.
“Ah, I wish I were. But you’ve experienced burnout today, and I haven’t slept in almost two days. I can be a patient man. You are worth waiting so I do not fuck you for the first time on a dirt floor.”
He draped the other fur over her before he slid out of his pants and under the covers. The heat of him was intense, and she craved his warmth like a moth to the flame.
Morgan wriggled close enough to touch him, but she held back. This moment felt as fragile as an eggshell. She understood what he was saying, but to finally have him admit that he desired her was too much for her to resist the need to connect to him.
He draped an arm across her waist, tugging her close. His spicy sweet scent wrapped around her.
He said, “Thank you. For risking so much to get that relic. I should have said that to you sooner.” A whisper-soft kiss pressed against her forehead and she felt a heaviness enter his limbs as his breathing became rhythmic and steady with sleep.
Chapter 39
Savine
Guards had alerted Savine to the presence of a black-winged Nepheli woman seen landing near Hyacinth’s tower. When he heard the words his whole body seemed to react at once. He was running toward Hyacinth’s rooms, his heart hammering in his throat as he feared the worst, before the guards could utter another word.
Shecouldn’ttake Avery from him again. He’d tear her limb from limb before he let her leave with his mate. As he ran up the spiral, wooden staircase to Hyacinth’s rooms, his essence began writhing under his skin. Savine drew his sword at the top of thestairs, kicking the door open. The door splintered at its hinges from the impact and fell to the ground with a thud.
Avery screamed, and he was finally able to take a deeper breath. She was here, she hadn’t been taken from him again.
But Selene was there. The woman who’d tortured him, who’d convinced him that he could never experience the love between soulmates. She was standing close to Avery.Too close.
Savine unleashed a stream of vines, twisting and wrapping around Selene with speed that caught even her off guard. Her wings were bound tightly to her body, immobilizing her.
“What are you doing here?” Savine growled. His essence was whirring and he felt as though he couldn’t think straight, seeing Avery so close to the woman that he hated more than anyone else.
Selene gave him a searing look with her violet eyes, but she didn’t fight against her restraints. “I’ll admit my presence is unexpected here and you’re angry to see an old friend. It’s best to let Avery explain.”
Avery walked to Savine and pressed her hand against his chest, giving him a comforting smile that reminded him that she was safe and he was hers. “It’s okay, Savine. Selene is here to see Rue.”
For the first time since entering the room, Savine noticed the other women in the room. Hyacinth had been busy brewing a cup of tea, presumably, for Selene. Kyla sat on the couch, hand resting on her abdomen. On the table, Rue slept in her fox form.
