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“Or what?” My voice shakes.

He smiles, and I know then I shouldn’t have provoked him. “You will open your mouth for me or I will give you something else to fill it with.”

I gasp, and he uses the opportunity to feed me a mouthful of pasta. The second the flavour hits my tongue, I moan and snatch the fork from his hand.

He watches me with wide eyes while I attack the meal like an animal. But I don’t care. If he didn’t want me to eat like this, he shouldn’t have spent the last month feeding me sedative-laced soup.

He stops me before I finish the entire plate. “That’s enough for now.”

“Lux,” I growl. I’ve never been a violent person, but I swear I’ll turn this fork into a weapon if he doesn’t give me back my pasta right now.

“You’ll be sick.” He takes the fork away, as if reading my mind. “You haven’t eaten solid foods in a while. You need to take a break for a few minutes.”

“Please.” I don’t care if I’m begging.

“Hush.” He presses a finger to my lips. “There is something else we must discuss.”

My eyes narrow, but before I can ask him what could possibly be more important than the dish sent straight from the Stars, he kisses me.

I suck in a breath. Slowly, he slides the plate away and pushes me backwards against the soft bedding. “Lux, you can’t,” I moan, but the words are so breathy I don’t even think he hears me. His hand slides up my waist, towards my breasts. I whimper when his thumb grazes my nipple.

“I don’t like it when you think about my brother,” he murmurs against my lips.

“What?”

He kisses me deeper, then pulls away slightly. “Just now, when he was here, you said that he had his way with you in the ballroom.”

I scoff, “I never wanted him to⁠—”

“I don’t like that you think about him when you’re around me,” he cuts me off. “I don’t want you to think of his hands on your skin when I’m lying next to you.” He pinches my nipple, and my whole body feels like it’s on fire. I can’t think anymore. All I want is this.

“Lux, please,” I moan.

“I love you, Eden.” His kisses trail from my mouth down to my neck. “And I know you can’t say it back right now, but you will.” He takes my skin between his teeth, sucking hard enough to leave a mark. “You loved me once before, and you will love me again. I’ll make sure of it.”

His lips find mine while his hand slides lower, my skin tingling everywhere he’s touched. I don’t even realise my fingers have tangled in his hair until he growls and kisses me harder.

Arching my back, I feel his fingers dip between my thighs.

“Ah!” I bury my fists into his shirt.

“That’s it…” He strokes me with such gentleness, my toes curl. “When you next see Castor, I want you to think of this, my love.” Nuzzling against my neck, his thumb brushes against my clit.

I moan even though I know I shouldn’t. “Lux, I⁠—”

“Shh,” he cuts me off with another kiss. “Just relax. I’ve waited so long for this.”

His fingers drift from my sex, and I groan in protest. I’m seconds from using my own hand to finish what he started when something hard and velvety nudges my entrance.

My eyes widen. “Lux, you mustn’t.”

“Why?” he whispers, keeping his tip pressed against me.

It’s so hard to keep still. Everything inside me is screaming to give myself to him.

“You don’t need to worry about your reputation, we are mated.” His voice rumbles through me. “By faerie law, we’re as good as married, and I love you. And I know that soon you will love me again too.”

I suck in a desperate breath. “You can’t…”