I silently, stealthily moved forward until I was at the foot of the bed, concentrating on every inhale she made, watching the rise and fall of her chest as she was at her most vulnerable.
Her hair was a long fan of darkness across the white sheets, a stark contrast that was beautiful in every way. Her head was turned so it faced the lone window, and I stared at the column of her neck that was bare, my canines lengthening at the very thought of piercing her throat, of giving her my mark so that everyone would know she was mine.
So everyone knows if they touch her, I’ll kill them.
I didn’t have a plan in mind when I came here aside from making Evelyn mine in all ways. I’d only felt the need to go to her, to be with her. I told myself I’d figure out the rest when the time came. And that time was now.
But as I stood there, I was at a loss with what my next move was. It was the first time I’d experienced this in two and a half centuries.
I walked around the mattress, finding myself reaching out and trailing my fingers along her silky hair, the long locks like silk against my fingers, the scent of flowers slamming into my nose and tightening my body. I picked up a lock of her hair and started running it between my fingers. And then because I was a crazy bastard, I braced my hand on the wall above the bed, leaned forward, and brought those strands to my nose.
My eyes closed on their own as I took in the scent of her, as I inhaled the very essence of my female until she was ingrained in my body forever. There would never be a time when I couldn’t find her, where she’d be lost to me.
She was now a part of me. Forever.
And when I scented her wakefulness, watched the way her body relaxed further against the bed, her nipples tightening, I kept the locks to my nose and kept inhaling, unable to stop taking her scent into my body. And when I smelled her blossoming arousal, a low rumbled growl left me, my wolf arching in pleasure, pressing forward even more.
Take her right here, right now. Part her creamy thighs and drive deep into her, mark her neck, and bind us together.
I opened my eyes, and that’s when I saw she was fully awake, her eyes so big and blue, her expression one of shock and something else, something dark and potent that had me growling again.
It was one I recognized. Need.
She might be human, her mind kicking into fear, but her body… her body was so very ready for me.
Her body knew what I was to her, and was primed and willing… ready.
And now there was no going back.
13
Evelyn
I thought I was dreaming at first, this warmth settling over me, the feeling of being perfectly… perfect seeping into every single inch of my body.
I’d slowly woken up, as if I were at the very bottom of the ocean and floated to the top, a relaxing and gentle sensation until I broke the surface and inhaled that first lungful of oxygen.
The smell was rich and deep, dark yet spicy, and it surrounded me. It covered my tongue so I tasted it, filled my nose so it was all I smelled. I felt my body sink farther into the bed, my legs becoming weightless, the very female parts of me softening. I was wet, my nipples beading, my core hot. I felt so good.
A soft moan spilled from me, and I kept my eyes shut, reveling in the feeling of it all.
And then I heard a deep inhale by my head, a low growl rumbling out afterward. Consciousness settled in, and I blinked my eyes open, awareness slamming back into me like icy water in my face.
I stared at the massive man hovering over me, his eyes closed, his dark lashes half-moons along his cheeks. His short hair was a shade lighter than his lashes, his nose straight and strong, his jaw square and wholly masculine. His lips were full, appearing darker in the shadowy room, and all I could do was lie there as he inhaled against a lock of my hair.
My heart was thundering and fear should have been the only thing I felt, but I knew this man even if I’d only seen him once, an ocean separating us.
Cian.
He’d come for me. He’d found me.
I’d like to think I had put up a big chase, that I tried my hardest to run and hide. But as I lay there helpless and felt my traitorous body become even wetter, more aroused, I knew a part of me had held me back. I’d let myself believe this was all a stupid fairy tale, a fictitious story that had been conjured up and thrust into my life. I told myself no one was coming after me, and even if he was, he’d never find me.