How on earth can a girl refuse something like that?
ChapterThirty-Five
ALIENOR
The Boogie Man’s eyes meet mine with a gaze that penetrates my soul, and I forget about his four cockheads.
At least for a moment.
Our minds touch and all I feel is his desperate need. It’s overpowering, overwhelming, and hits me like a cyclone. I drop my hand to the mattress.
“You really want me,” I whisper.
“More than words could ever describe.” His voice trembles. “It’s not because I haven’t had a woman in centuries. You opened your heart to me, not because I was a king. I was your enemy, yet there was a part of you that still wanted me.”
Emotion surges from my chest, making my throat thicken and the backs of my eyes sting. Isn’t he aware of his beauty?
I exhale a long breath. There’s more to the Boogie Man than his physical appearance. Behind the supernatural facade is a man who adored a woman with all his heart and was prepared to go to war for love, only to realize it had all been a manipulation.
She even cursed him with chastity to force the relationship to continue.
King Henry could have executed his wife, but he imprisoned her because she was the mother of his children. His act of mercy backfired, and his wife murdered him to take his throne.
Somehow, he managed to overcome his thirst for revenge and show affection for the descendant of his killer.
I raise a hand and run it up his bicep. “That time we were in bed together, I saw a glimpse of your life. You were so devoted, so noble. I’ve always wanted that kind of love.”
His eyes sparkle. “You will have all that and more.”
I push myself up and place a kiss on the corner of his mouth.
The Boogie Man slides his fingers through my hair and holds the back of my head in place.
“Alienor,” he says, his voice hoarse. “I would tear apart the world and slice through every man, woman, or witch, just for a taste of your sweet lips.”
My heart pounds faster than raindrops in a summer storm. Hearing those words fills my heart with warmth.
He swallows, inhales a deep breath, and asks, “May I kiss you?”
“Please.”
He brings his lips to mine in a movement so slow that even the air between us stills. It’s stupid to feel so nervous after everything we’ve done together and amid all the filthy things we’re about to do, but this kiss means more since he came to my rescue.
Sparks crackle at the first touch of his lips, and my eyes flutter shut. The electricity between us is almost like magic. He makes me feel wanted, loved, and complete—like I’m a real witch, not a charity case or an outcast drained of borrowed power.
The Boogie Man’s fingers tighten in my hair with a sharpness that makes me gasp.
“Look at me.”
My eyes snap open, and I meet pupils so wide that all his irises are a tiny ring of green.
“If we do this, you will be mine,” he says in a voice of steel. “Forever.”
Blood roars between my ears, deafening his words to a muffle. I barely know what that means. “Until death do us part?”
“I mean we will share my immortality and magic.”
“How?” I say with a gasp.