Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 37517 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 188(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37517 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 188(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
"What do you want?" I ask, trying to sound braver than I feel.
"Simple," he replies, his gaze unrelenting. "You."
A shiver rips through me at the way he says it, as if he's the big, bad wolf and he intends to gobble me up. I think that might be precisely what he intends. I see the darkness in his gaze—the unholy desire raging unchecked. I think what just happened between us is only a prelude to the things he'll demand of me if I agree.
Is it wrong that I desperately want to know what those things are? If there's darkness in him, then maybe it's in me, too, because even now, I ache. I burn. I want.
He's meant to be mine. My one true love. If I leave now, I'll never find that with anyone else. If I'm lucky, I'll stay a step ahead of my father. But I won't know love. I'll never be complete.
This man is my dream. He's my one shot at happily-ever-after. He's also my chance at ensuring I escape my father's plans for my future. No prince will ever accept damaged goods. If I give myself to Troy, body and soul, I'm free. No prince. No forced marriage. No tower. No more curse ever again.
"Alright," I whisper, my resolve solidifying. "I'm yours."
His dark eyes flare with satisfaction. He leans down, wrapping his arms around me to drag me up against the hard wall of his chest.
"Welcome to my world, Thalia." He claims my lips in a possessive kiss, his tongue demanding entry.
I willingly surrender to him, clinging to his broad shoulders as he groans, pulling me closer. He drinks from my lips, consuming me with his kisses. Reality swirls away, replaced by the taste of him, the feel of him.
As we break apart, I find myself craving more—more of him, more of this newfound passion, more of everything.
"What happens now?" I ask, my mind racing with possibilities.
"You belong to me now, Thalia."
My body responds to his possessive words with a shudder of anticipation.
"You'll give yourself to me completely, body and soul." He traces the curve of my hip, leaving a trail of fire behind. His lips brush my shoulder, sending electric shocks through my veins. "I won't hurt you, sweet Thalia. But I'm going to fuck you until you think you're going to break."
Oh, God.
His wicked words rip through me, awakening a part of me I never knew existed. In his arms, I'm no longer just a princess bound by duty and expectation—I'm a woman discovering her true destiny. It begins here, in the arms of the man I was always meant to love.
I've never been so terrified.
I've never been so excited.
"Troy," I whimper.
"I'll protect you, cherish you." He nips my skin, slowly driving me mad as his lips trail toward my ear. "Kill for you."
I whimper again, my core clenching.
"No one will touch you, Thalia. No one except me." His teeth sink into the shell of my ear, delivering a delicious little bite that makes my clit pulse. "But you'll let me do whatever the fuck I want to do to you, won't you?"
I should tell him no. It's the sane thing to do. But I don't say that.
"Yes," I moan. "Anything, Troy."
"Good girl," he breathes, his lips curving into a wicked smile against the side of my throat.
I was wrong earlier. This man doesn't have darkness in him. I think he was made from darkness.
And God help me. I think maybe I was too because nothing he's said sounds like a bad time to me.
It sounds precisely like heaven.
Chapter Four
Thalia
Iwatch with my heart in my throat as Troy peels himself off me and rises from the bed with a deadly grace. It's captivating. Or perhaps it's him that's captivating. I don't know. But I don't take my eyes off him as he takes one step away from the bed and then another, his obsidian eyes tangled with mine.
The air between us crackles with raw intensity as he reaches over his shoulder and grabs his shirt, dragging it up his body. His muscles flex with every movement. He's so big, so powerful.
I fight the urge to shiver.
"Tell me something about you. Anything." His pants join his shirt on the floor, and I'm caught between awe at the sheer size of him and the sudden urge to shield my secrets.
I nibble at my lip, buying time. "I love the night sky," I murmur, evading his true question. If I tell him who I am, there's nothing stopping him from contacting my father. I can't risk that. Not yet. Not until I'm his in every way. "The stars make me feel less alone."
It's been so long since I last saw them, but just knowing they're up there, that they're so damn permanent… I love that. No matter how long it's been, I know when I look up at the sky, it'll still be the same.