The hound gives me a satisfied nod.
My eyes droop as I finish my mouthful, and I exhale a huge yawn. Everything is catching up on me, and I really need to sleep.
“I’m going to bed.” I set down my spoon. “Are you coming, too?”
He bolts across the living space and into the bedroom. As I pick up the spoon and bowl he pokes his head through the door and gives me a cheerful bark.
“Alright,” I say with a giggle and leave the bowl on the dining table.
Trudging across the warm, stone floor on limbs heavier than lead, I peel off my clothes and leave them where they drop.
When I step into the bedroom, I find the hound lying on his side, taking up half the mattress. He’s even turned down the bed.
“Good boy,” I say with a tired smile and crawl in beside him.
It takes a moment to arrange myself around the huge hound, but I end up lying in a tangle around his limbs. He’s surprisingly comfortable for a wiry-looking animal with patches of fur.
“Good night,” I murmur.
The hound yawns.
I close my eyes and fall into one of the most relaxing slumbers I’ve had since the Boogie Man started trashing my room, safe in the knowledge that my hound loves me enough to defend me from his claws.
Thankfully, the Boogie Man hasn’t worked out a way to breach the cottage’s wards.
My spirits tumble deeper into sleep until all the rogue thoughts in my mind evaporate into the ether. Every muscle on my bones melts against the hound’s larger body, and strong arms wrap around my waist, pulling me into a warm hug.
I keep falling until I reach the other side. Silver light streams through my eyelids, making them flutter open.
White curtains hang mere feet away from where I lie. I follow them up to the ivory frame of a four-poster bed.
Is this a dream?
I shift on the mattress, only for the arms around my waist to tighten. A hard chest brushes against my back and an even harder cock presses into my ass.
Wait. What?
“Good morning, my darling,” says a deep voice. “Did you sleep well?”
ChapterTwenty-Two
ALIENOR
I turn my head and gaze into the dark green eyes of a handsome young man I’ve never met. He looks a little familiar, although my mind can’t yet process how. He can’t be more than twenty and has messy red hair, alabaster skin, and a light covering of stubble.
His lips curl into a grin that makes his entire face light up. Then he lowers his lashes to gaze down at my bare breasts.
My heart skips. I suck in a breath and blurt, “What are you doing in my bed?”
The man loosens his hold and gazes down at me, his brows furrowed.
“What’s wrong, my darling? You look like you’ve seen the Barghest!”
Even I know the legend of the ghostly black dog that feeds on people’s terror. Seeing such a creature is nothing compared to finding myself naked in a four-poster bed with a strange man.
“Who are you?” I ask.
His frown deepens. “Alienor, are you alright?”