I rested my teeth against his wrist.
I craved to bite…
Aquilo’s eyes narrowed in confusion. Then he swallowed, before pressing his wrist harder against my teeth like he could break his own skin in sacrifice.
“Savage, remember?” He met my gaze like it was a challenge. “Or do you wish to sever our engagement, as my mother claimed when she held me apart from you, but merely fear causing my death…?”
I bit through the blood bracelet like I could take away its control and instead, protect Aquilo and all my pack. I marked him to erase his mom’s hateful words that made him feel like nothing but unwanted property.
I wanted him, and he was mine.
I’d never thought myself a possessive dickhead before I’d returned to England, but becoming a Wolf Charmer and Wolf Witch turned you into one, who knew?
The tangy blood thrummed through me.
Hey, it looked like I did have a biting kink.
Aquilo howled and arched. His eyelashes fluttered, while his fingers straightened, before curling into fists. Then his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed as he came in his pants.
I blushed, and the Alphas cheered. Rubber Mage winked like I’d passed the initiation into their pack.
Why were there so many mages here with the Crescents? Had they all been thrown to the wolves? Yet they weren’t cowering in terror. Unless, you know, scoffing ice-cream, transforming cups by magic into dancing unicorns for kicks, and cuddling Alphas were signs of fear that I’d never been taught by my non-magical uncle.
The mages appeared to be more like lovers than prisoners or slaves.
I brushed the hair off Aquilo’s forehead; he’d always been a pretty, elitist asshole but now he was my pretty, elitist asshole. He was also a virgin. Vala had attempted to steal his first experiences, but I’d create new ones for him.
All I craved was my art gallery back in America, along with a honey lavender latte (like drinking summer), and a glazed donut. But failing that, I’d take a blissed out Aquilo. I sighed, chasing after the last taste of him on my tongue.
Brain, stop the naughty images about how that sounded.
Aquilo blinked awake. His pale blue eyes were unusually soft and fuzzy, as he stared up at me like I was the moon.
“Hey, Mr Just Had the Best Orgasm of His Life.” I stroked down his cheek.
“Hey, Miss Bighead…although not entirely inaccurate. Did you have to make me sticky?”
“Dude, ungrateful,” I pouted.
Aquilo raised his wrist, and I couldn’t find it in me to even wince at the imprints of my teeth marking the blood bracelet. When I turned my head and caught the bite with a gentle kiss, he gasped. “Perhaps, I should say: Miss Bitey.”
I snorted. “Mrs Bitey.” My heart thudded hard in my chest, as I leaned in to catch his lush lips with mine.
Then my stomach growled, and I pinked.
How could I be romantic when I hadn’t eaten since… How long had it been now?
Aquilo shot me a haughty grin. Then his stomach rumbled even louder than mine had. He cringed, and my shadows burst out at my snicker, tickling Aquilo’s ribs. He spluttered with laugher, wriggling away from me towards the edge of the alcove like a squirming kitten.
“Mrs Bitey,” he hissed between giggles, “I said savage, not tickle.”
“Aw, do you want me to kiss it better?” I dived over him, kissing down his neck, as my shadows wrapped around him in tickling waves.
I’d never seen Aquilo like this before: free and unreserved.
Was he like this with anyone else?
Aquilo and I had both been raised as magical kids, who’d had to hide who we truly were.
Had Aquilo been what I’d spent my life missing, as much as my Charms?
I squeaked, as Aquilo sent a ripple of wind in retaliation across my skin. I shivered. His magic caressed me, blowing my hair into the air behind me, which should’ve made me want to kick his ass for frizzing my curls, yet the touch was intimate and loving like he was sharing his true self and magic with me.
It was freaking beautiful.
Was this the first time that he’d ever dared play with his magic like this?
Aquilo’s smile was gentle, as his breeze curled around my shadows, hugging me closer.
“I’d say that I was sorry to interrupt your sexy times, but as the Prince of the Alphas, I hold to this quaint tradition of not lying.” Emperor leaned over the alcove, peering at Aquilo and me with an amused twitch of his lips.
I startled, gazing up at the third of my Charms, who rested with casual elegance scrutinizing me, as if he didn’t belong in my Omega naughty corner.
In his golden suit and robes, Emperor was a gorgeous butterfly in the midst of this Alpha party. Even though he was from a rival wolf kingdom, he’d never looked so regal or undaunted.
“Screw tradition.” I launched myself up, snatching Emperor by his silky collar and hauling him into the alcove.
When I pulled him down amongst the cushions, hugging him as tightly as I would’ve done Moon who was the King of Cuddles, Emperor held onto me with equal desperation.
I hated being separated from my Charms, who I’d Claimed and Wolf Bitten. They were mine, just as I was theirs. I hadn’t understood pack before, but now I knew that it meant to protect. Not knowing what’d happened to them was a torture worse than radio show banter or some asshole scrolling through your phone’s photos without asking.
I stroked over Emperor’s muscled back; his strength was reassuring. “How’s my good wolf?”
Emperor shuddered. “Damning you on hide and fangs for making me hard in these tight pants again.”
I snickered. “You’re lucky that I’m only making you hard.”
Emperor raised his eyebrow. Pink spread down Aquilo’s cheeks and neck. I didn’t miss how Emperor clasped Aquilo’s hand, and Aquilo squeezed his fingers.
“She tried the same trick on me, but I had to consider that my suit is dry clean only.” His gaze swept over Aquilo’s pants. “It appears that you have no such worries.”
I rapped his shoulder. “I take it that you didn’t drop by just to comment on how practical our clothes are to launder…?”
“Vala’s charming gang, the Crescents, decided that I would be of use to them as an entertainer.” Emperor tossed his golden hair, before sighing. “It appears that my reputation precedes me.”
I couldn’t stop the growl. “No one’s using you like a party favor again. You have a choice now, and I thought that I’d kind of made it clear that I’m big on consent.” My gaze swung to Aquilo, who cringed. “That means you too, Gandalf the early years.”
“You’re not much of an Oxford witch, Sabrina,” Aquilo drawled. “Where’s the putting us in our place? Why would you give up your control?”
Suddenly, both their gazes were too intense and searching; I shifted.
“Because I love you,” I replied, softly.
Aquilo’s gasp was worth it. Emperor simply smirked.
Then Emperor pressed his lips to the top of my head. I closed my eyes, losing myself in his scent of honey dripping over liquorice. Yet the sharpness of the liquorice was much stronger than it’d been before.
Was he losing control of his Alpha side? What would happen if the truth of Emperor’s nature was discovered in this Kingdom of Gods? Would he be executed?
My eyes snapped open in alarm.