“Mark me… Oh God, mark me, now please… my love.”
The muscles along Garrick’s shoulders and arms were pulled iron-tight, tendons standing out beneath warm skin.
“Your father will kill me.” He grunted, punctuated by a thrust inside her that knocked the breath clean out of her chest.
“My lady! My lady! Prince Magnus is here! You have to hurry!” Carys’ bright and panicked voice cut through the door.
“Don’t stop….” Erin cried.
“The bloodsucker lapping at your feet again?” Garick grunted.
Orgasm chose that precise, catastrophic moment to arrive, rolling through her in long, helpless waves.
Her back arched.
Her nails found his shoulder.
“Garrick!”
“Yes, princess— fuck!” He came apart with her — one last, shuddering thrust before he wrenched his cock out of her, pulling out at the last possible second, spilling across the sheets in a mess.
His body swayed.
He pressed one hand flat to the mattress to hold himself upright, chest heaving.
Erin exhaled, profoundly satisfied — and stared up at the ceiling, thinking about Magnus waiting downstairs.
“Why don’t you just mark me, Garrick?” she said quietly, turning her head to look at him.
“Let’s seal our love.”
Outside the door, Carys knocked again.
“I can’t…” Garrick huffed.
Erin stared at him, waiting for him to take it back.
He looked away.
Her heart sank.
“Why not?” she asked quietly.
Garrick dragged a hand down his face.
His hair was dishevelled, his chest still rising hard.
“Because…” He exhaled heavily.
“I reenlisted.”
“You did what?!”
“I’m sorry. I should have told you.”
“Again?!” Her voice climbed sharply.
“You son of a bitch!” She slipped off the bed in a fury, grabbed the nearest pillow, and swung it at him with all the violence her stepfather would have been proud of.
The first hit caught him on the shoulder.
The second smacked him across the face.
Feathers burst from the seam and floated through the air.
“Erin—”
“Don’t you fucking Erin me!”
Another swing.
“Do you have a secret desire to die?” she snapped.
“Is that it?”
“Erin!” He caught the pillow before it could hit him again, but she simply let go of it and shoved at his chest instead.
He caught her wrists, stilling her before she could decide whether kicking him would make her feel better.
“Erin. Erin, listen to me.”
“I would if you weren’t hell bent on fucking spitting nonsense.”
“You have to understand,” he said, his voice rough.
“I need to earn a place in this kingdom. I have come so far. I cannot stop now.”
“And when will we get married, uhn?” she demanded, her voice breaking.
“When you are dead?!”
Garrick let go of her hands, buckling his pants as the maid banged on the door once more.
“My lady!!!” Carys whisper-yelled through the door.
“The king is coming to get you himself!”
Erin’s heart nearly fell out of her chest.
Garrick froze halfway into his shirt.
They both just stared at each other, as if the goddess might kindly rewind the last five minutes.
“Goddess, I have to go,” Garrick said.
“I’ll talk to you later.” He moved to the window.
He gave her one last look.
Then he swung one leg over the windowsill and disappeared.
Erin rushed to the window just in time to see him land on the narrow ledge below.
He caught himself against the stone wall and vanished into the shadows.
“He reenlisted?!” she hissed to herself, pressing both hands to her temples.
She still could not believe it.
They were supposed to be together already.
It had been three years.
Three years of hiding their love.
And he reenlisted?
A loud bang came through the door right then, snapping her out of her fury.
“Erin, you better get out here right now or I swear to the goddess!”
“I’m coming, father! I’m coming! Just… ugh…” She glanced around the room, praying the king did not force himself inside.
One step through that door and his wolf senses would catch everything: the rumpled bed, Garrick’s scent, the sex still clinging to the air.
Panicking, she grabbed an air freshener off her dresser.
“finishing touches, your highness!” She heard him growl at the door.
Then came his heavy and furious footsteps, fading down the corridor.
Erin held her breath until the last echo disappeared.
Only then did she move.
She snatched the perfume bottle from her dresser and sprayed herself desperately trying to hide Garrick’s scent on her.
The room now smelled like a luxury boutique had exploded.
“Why won’t he just give up?” she muttered, rolling her eyes as she smoothed down the front of her dress.
Her reflection stared back at her from the mirror: flushed cheeks, swollen lips, hair that looked attacked by a storm, and eyes too bright with anger.
She grabbed a brush and dragged it through her curls.
Prince Magnus was downstairs, utterly convinced that destiny should be obeyed because destiny had been kind enough to choose him.
Well, destiny could kiss her ass.
Yes, they had been named fated mates since before she was born.
Anyway, the Moon Goddess seemed to have retired after that huge mistake, because no one had been mated since.
Clearly, even she had realised she was no longer fit for the job.
Erin grabbed her earrings, shoved them on, and opened the door.
Carys stood outside, trembling, wide-eyed.
“My lady, I swear, one of these days, you and Garrick are going to get me killed.” Her maid snapped.
“Calm down, Carys,” Erin said.
She was perfumed within an inch of her life, her hair was only pretending to be in order, and her heart was still beating fast.
Carys turned to her with wide, accusing eyes.
“The prince has been waiting for thirty minutes already.”
“Then let him wait,” Erin muttered, lifting her chin as they started down the corridor.
“I didn’t invite him. I’m only humouring Father and Mother by continuing to tolerate his presence.”
The maid sighed dreamily.
“He does get dreamier every time I see him.”
Here I am, once again.
Doing what you usually want to strangle me for.
I’m not complaining.
I love it.
So, as usual, the life and death of my works rests solely in your divine hands.