“Look at me, Aurora. Please.”
When I finally meet Ezra’s gaze, he greets me with an adoring lopsided smile that makes me feel weak.
“Although your jealousy makes me rock hard, darling, I don’t want to give you the wrong impression.
“Charlie was never a lover, merely someone I crossed paths with. I may have taken out two of her best security guards who tried to stop me from killing a high-profile meal. I explained the terror this human brought upon others, and although Charlie understood, she was not pleased.
“I didn’t stick around long enough for her to seek retribution. That was over a hundred years ago. Hopefully, that’s plenty of time to forgive and forget.”
After a few calming breaths, I feel a little better aboutCharlieand give Ezra a tight-lipped smile. Emme retreats to the back of my mind, pissed we didn’t get to maim and murder the tüskvarr.
The ancient Grim wraps his arms around my waist and runs his nose up my neck.
He nips at my ear and whispers, “I’ll use every ounce of my power to protect you … and I’ll teach you to command yours, so you’ll never need saving.”
A pulse shudders through his shadows. They tighten around my arms, curling up my back in a cool, dark embrace. Their presence lingers between us, thick with something unspoken. They’re waiting, ready to pull me closer if I don’t believe him.
Heat floods my veins when his hands trail down my back and settle firmly over my ass.
Ezra clocks the change in my breath and growls, “Louie, don’t you have somewhere to be, my dear?”
A few shadows twitch smugly in Louie’s direction. One even waves, clearly daring her to say something.
“Christ, don’t we have shit to do today? We still don’t know where you were or what you’ve been up to this past week,” Louie whines.
Despite her protests, she stomps up the stairs to her room, mumbling and cursing the entire way.
“Bunch of goddamn inkblot groupies. Clinging to her like they could actually protect her. Like, get a fucking hobby.”
My heart flutters, and my breathing becomes shallow now that I’m alone with Ezra again.
When did I become so insatiable?
Maybe I always was. Maybe it just took teeth and shadows to drag it out of me.
“Now, darling, where were we?” Ezra’s voice is all play, but his shadows betray him.
They slither up my spine as he lifts me onto the counter. One wayward tendril curls around my ankle, smug and already too pleased with itself.
When I spread my legs, he nestles between them, then plants soft kisses along my jaw.
“Do you trust me, Aurora? To keep you safe?” he asks while reaching a hand inside my robe. His thumb rolls over my aching nipple, and I let out a sound that’s not even close to polite. My body arches into him, desperate for more.
“I do, Ezra. And I trust that you’ll help me grow and master my power.”
I tilt my hips forward, grinding against the thick bulge in his pants.
My tongue drags up his throat, and I grab him through the fabric, just to hear what kind of noises he makes for me.
Ezra pins my arms behind my back with one hand, tearing open my robe with the other.
A heated blush runs through my body when Ezra’s fingers lightly graze my clit, making me squirm and pant in frustration.
“Mm, I love how your body responds to me, little flame. Your nipples peak. Your cunt drips. Your back arches, begging for me. It’s breathtaking. Now, tell me what you want, Aurora,” Ezra demands, sinking two fingers deep inside me.
Bold of him to assume I can form words when he’s knuckle-deep and talking like that. But I find them anyway. “I want you to take me from behind again,” I whisper. “I want you to be rough. I want to feel it tomorrow.”
My face flushes with embarrassment, but also with excitement.
