Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 74631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
For both of us.
I breathe through the nearly overwhelming urge to pin her and lick her and have her. To remind her that she is already claimed. Mine. She is mine. Possessiveness surges through me.
Elle leans forward, pressing her body closer to me.
Another sharp wave of lust steals my breath. It is not mine alone, but Elle’s, too. My mind fills with questions. Is it the power of the magic? Is it the forbidden?
Or is it something else?
THE PRINCE AND THE BEAST
It feels dangerous. The rush of adrenaline heats my entire being. This time, the beast does not go back to his resting state. Not with her so close, so obedient, and so fucking beautiful. The beast stretches himself out, his power filling my chest and making my lust more palpable by far. The light caresses her cheek and I find myself obsessed with this moment. For years I have wanted nothing as much as I want her right now.
The sight of the moon spurs me to action. Its pull is as undeniable as it was when I took Elle from her father’s house.
With clear sight of the moon and with everything I have done with Elle, from watching her take in the ballroom by moonlight to feeling the vibration of her moans around my fingers as I fed her, the beast has far more demands and I find myself more and more willing to allow the primal needs power over me.
And the scent of her is even stronger. Telling her I would require her obedience has made her heart thud and the slightest sheen of sweat appear on her skin. I did not know that one woman could be both salty and sweet and desirous and nervous all at the same time.
There are many things that affect how I feel about the woman who sits close enough for me to grasp her throat in my hand without leaning in to reach it. The moon has just begun to wane from the full, so its influence is still incredibly strong. The castle has been a magical place for many years, and the magic of the curse interacts with it. Include the moon, which tugs at my spirit, and all make the beast powerful and hungry.
But maybe it is just Elle.
Maybe it is just her that gives me this swelling sense of need and possession. Maybe I would have felt the same about her if I’d come across her at a ball with all the townspeople in attendance. Maybe I’d have felt the same if I rode through the village and met her eyes outside the bakery where she worked.
I reach for my goblet of wine and bring it to my lips. I serve Elle nothing but the finest wine and feed her nothing but the finest foods, and so the wine has a deep, rich flavor that bursts with sweetness and tannins on my tongue. The taste reminds me of long-ago glasses of wine in crowded dining rooms, the high energy of couples whirling across the dance floor saturating the space, and the air thick with laughter and flirtatious murmurs and greetings between friends. It warms me as it goes down.
The longing is nothing compared to my longing for her.
I take her chin in my hand the way I fantasized about only minutes ago and stroke her cheek with the pad of my thumb.
Elle opens her mouth with a sudden gasp, her lips and tongue glistening in the firelight. It may be my imagination, but a beam of moonlight falls across her mouth as well, bending my attention toward it. The same beam of moonlight winks on the goblet in my hand.
I raise it to her lips with meticulous care. Elle breathes shallowly as the goblet nears her lips as if she can sense it. Perhaps the scent or even the faintest of sound warns her.
I guide the goblet to her bottom lip. She closes her mouth over the rim, lifting her chin slightly but waiting for a word from me. My cock strains achingly against my breeches.
“Drink,” I order her in a low voice.
Elle drinks with tentative sips, but a droplet of wine slips out from between her lips and dribbles down her chin. She pulls back slightly from the goblet, offering me a view of her face. The drop of wine drips off the elegant point of her chin and lands on her chest, trailing into her cleavage.
With a roar that I manage to subdue into a growl when it tears through my throat, the beast lunges, pushing me out of his way in a frenzy of lust.
Eager to lick the wine from her chin and continue to devour her bit by bit.
To my surprise, a small moan escapes Elle. She leans closer to me, and I wrestle for space with the beast, both of us reaching for her.