She ran from me.Me. And she’s right. I always get what I want. And I want her. But for some asinine reason, I want Aurora on her terms, not mine.
How the bloody hell did she waltz into my life and wreck everything in a matter of hours?
But I’m a patient monster. She’ll come back to me. And I’ll be waiting.
I just don’t understand why I fucking care what she thinks.
Because when she looked at me with hatred in her dark eyes, something shattered deep in my chest.
Every time I think I have things figured out, the cosmos winds up and kicks me square in the dick.
And yet, I can’t deny the thrill of a new challenge. Except this time? It feels more like a gift than a punishment.
Not sure I deserve it, but I won’t look a gift kelpie in the mouth.
The way she licked my lips before I claimed her made my shadows howl and the dark, primal thing inside me snarl. She ignites every goddamn nerve in my body.
Aurora likes a little pain with her pleasure, which pleases a side of me I’m not sure she’s ready for. The way she moaned when I buried my hand in her hair, when I kissed and licked my way down her throat, makes my cock throb back to life, thick with the memory of her growl vibrating against my teeth.
Christ, her skin tasted like late-summer honeysuckle nectar—so fucking sweet, so ripe I could lose myself in her.
I’m glad it’s autumn. The honeysuckle is dead. And getting hard in public? Turns out that’s frowned upon by most humans.
I could have fucked Aurora last night. Could have lied. Could have convinced her it was all a dream. Could have made her feel so unbelievably guilty for even thinking I was capable of such horrible deeds. She would have fallen to her knees and taken everything I gave her.
And yet.
I didn’t want to hurt her. I didn’t want to lie. And I didn’t want just one night. I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted more. I just don’t fucking understand why.
I call Thane the morning after my encounter with Aurora to tell him I’m under the weather and won’t be coming in for the rest of the week. He can handle things for a few days.
With the shop covered, I move on to my beautiful new puzzle.
What the hell is Aurora?
Being that close to her made me realize she isn’t human. Well, not entirely. Her body radiates a violent power that’s intoxicating.
Remembering what she whispered in my ear makes my body tremble in a soft, scorching shiver. She was sensual, commanding, and almost … regal.
And then something settles beneath my skin. A realization I can’t name yet, but it burns just the same.
My shadows stir around my ankles, feeding off the energy she left behind. I don’t stop them. I barely even notice.
I’ve come across whispers of this before, in ruined texts and forgotten tongues. Power like hers, tied to bloodlines that were supposed to be extinct. Stories I never believed.
But this doesn’t feel like fiction.
It feels like something old waking up inside me.
And I know exactly where to begin digging.
My feet move on instinct, guided by something heavier than thought.
The vault waits in silence, dark and heavy with books I never should’ve kept. The ones that speak in half-truths and riddles. The ones I’ve avoided … until now.
Entering the combination, I pull the door back and search for the book I know is lurking in here somewhere. I despise this hate-mongering, bigoted book. I kept a copy for reference, even though I’d rather shred it with my fucking teeth and set the scraps ablaze.
Finally, I find it—buried beneath a pile of manuscripts I “borrowed” from the library at Alexandria.
