“I’m willing to wait as long as you need, Princess.” Kole knelt between my thighs, his eyes darkening once more. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t pleasure you.”
He leaned down and began to kiss me right where I was throbbing, and my head tilted back, the urges rising inside me again, but I pushed them down as hard as they would go and forced myself to enjoy it even though all I wanted to do was weep.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Somehow, amazingly, I didn’t need to use my magic on Kole. The rest of the day passed without him questioning my temperature further or looking at me with sideways glances. Even though it’d nearly killed me not to bite him while we’d been pleasuring one another, I’d managed to refrain and hide that too.
And thankfully, even though Kole was my mate, he still had to follow the Imperial Council’s schedule. So, at nightfall, Kole left the palace.
But the fact that I was mentally exhausted by the end of the day, onlyone dayinto my new life, brought to light how impossible it would be to indefinitely maintain this farce. I had no idea how I was going to do it or for how long it was even possible.
Which meant I had to find a way to stop this.
Moonlight spilled into my chambers as I stood at the windows and tried to figure out a way to start researching a vampire affliction. The easiest option would be to study the history books while everyone else was sleeping. Nobody would even know what I was doing or why.
But to enter a library would require not only clearance but stealth. Mistphasing was my best bet, but that would work only ifmy guard never entered my chambers during the night to check on me. If they did and saw that I was gone, I would have some explaining to do.
The other option was to take my nighttime guard with me to the palace’s library and feign wanting to study something and not being able to sleep until I did so. But the palace’s libraries probably didn’t hold the wealth of information the Whiteolf Academic Library did.
Still, if I wanted to research at night, taking my guard with me would be the least suspicious option, but it also meant I couldn’t study until dawn. Suspicions would inevitably rise if night after night, I was fully awake in the library until the sun rose.
I bit my lip, mulling over the best way to tackle this, and then I debated if I should forget searching during the night and simply resume my daytime studies in the libraries with Ree and Kole. As far as they were concerned, there was no reason to stop our studies since we were still looking for answers. Carrying on that way meant no suspicions would arise at all as long as I didn’t make it entirely obvious that all I cared about now was ridding oneself of a vampire affliction.
My lips curved in a triumphant smile.Yes, that’s how I’ll tackle this. I’ll simply alter my research goals, something neither Ree nor Kole need to be aware of.
My thoughts shifted to Master Fistideeous. I still didn’t know if he’d found anything in the Isle of Song’s library, but if I could discreetly ask him to begin searching for information about vampires and how to banish the affliction to return one to fae, then he could also aid me in my search. But I would have to do so in such a way as not to alert his suspicions. Otherwise, I would be forced to use my forbidden magic on him.
I cocked my head, a realization coming to me. Master Fistideeous was a gargoyle. He wasn’t alive. Perhaps, he would be immune to my forbidden magic.
I shook myself. There was no way to know that for certain without testing it. And considering I was doing everything in my powernotto inflict my magic on anyone—gargoyle or fae—it was best not to push my luck. In other words, even with Master Fistideeous, I would have to be careful.
Plan in place, I endeavored to contact Ree in the morning to ask her if she wanted to continue looking for information about vampires and the God of Night, and of course, I knew Kole would be willing.
Feeling like all hope wasn’t lost, a smile curved my lips, and I took some comfort in the fact that despite my hardships with Kole today, the other warriors and Betsee still didn’t detect anything unusual about me.
However, that was mainly due to me avoiding them. When my lady’s attendant had stopped by to do her nightly duties, I’d been very careful not to let our skin touch. I knew sooner or later, I would likely mess up, and she, too, would comment on my cool temperature, but today that hadn’t happened.
Forcing myself to think positively, I tilted my chin toward the night sky so I could focus on the stars, but a sound reached my ears.
Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Lub-dub.
Across the courtyard, my nightly Imperial Warrior prowled the perimeter. I shifted my stance to hide behind the curtain to watch him. Even from here, his faint heartbeat was detectable.
His heart thumped steady and strong. I closed my eyes and listened to that sweet melody. Blood pounded through his veins. Sweet, fresh blood. Blood that I could taste, drink,consume.
Lust burned in me just as fast, and my core clenched. A hiss almost worked up my throat, but I swallowed the sound even though no one was around to hear it.
I opened my eyes, let them dilate, and watched the warrior’s purposeful movements. He was large, as all the Imperial Warriors were. Muscles clenched in his thighs, but my focus zeroed in on his exposed throat. Magic flared in me, both my Ironcrest ability and my new vampiric nature activating to allow me to see clearly. Fine hairs were visible on his neck. His pulse fluttered.
I could pounce on him, tear his clothes off, and sink my teeth into his neck while burying his cock inside me.
It would only take a second to reach him. In a flash, I could be on top of him.Yes. He’s mine to take. He’s an easy, unsuspecting meal and fuck.
I crouched, my muscles coiling.
Go.
My hand flew to the door. I turned the door handle, and it opened an inch.
