Page 147 of Haunted Crowns
Finally, she sighed and gently pulled from his grip. Then it appeared—a ghost of a smirk. “Fine,” she said. “But only because I know how badly you want to, and I won’t hand you that win.”
There she was. His Eris.
He chuckled and stepped back. As she disappeared behind the divider, he turned to the window, pretending to be a gentleman for once. Then he saw her reflection in the glass. Her nightgown had slipped off one shoulder, sunlight gilding her skin.
Kareon looked away, jaw tight. He had seen her bleed, fight, and command. But this felt more dangerous than all of it. He forced a breath from his lungs.
Not now.
She emerged moments later, fingers tying the final knot of her corset, curls falling over one shoulder.
“Better,” he said, leaning against the doorframe.
She glanced at him, eyes narrowing faintly. “Where are we going?”
His gaze lingered a moment too long. “You’ll see.”
He turned and strode toward the stables.
Before she could argue, he was already on horseback—fast, untamed—leaving her no choice but to follow. Because that was what she always did. She followed the fire. And this time, it burned just enough to make her feel alive.
They rode through the Dragov estate, wind slicing through the trees. Kareon veered off the path, guiding them into older woods. At last, they reached the lake.
Eris slowed, pulling her mare into a trot. Her chest rose and fell in steady breaths.
She swung down, boots hitting the earth. Her gaze swept the clearing—silver-lit water, the canopy overhead, the hush of a place long forgotten.
Her brows knit together. "I know this place."
Kareon dismounted with predatory ease, a slow, sharp smile forming. "Maybe I should pin you to a tree and undo that corset lace. Jog your memory."
Eris stilled, inhaling sharply as the memory returned.
She exhaled, the sound dry and amused. "Bold imagery, Alpha." She paused. "But if I were you, I wouldn’t brag about unfinished business."
His laugh rumbled low, unhurried. He shrugged, casual on the surface, but watching her too closely.
"Why are we here?" she asked, arms folding. "Trying to redeem yourself for being emotionally incompetent?"
His grin lingered, but something shifted behind his eyes. "I don’t regret anything I’ve done, princess. Even the worst of it. Not if it meant getting here, with you."
The words hung, heavy and unguarded.
Her breath caught. Only Kareon could say something so devastating and make it feel like a vow.
He turned toward the water, watching the surface ripple in the breeze. "That day, I didn’t want to speak to you. Didn’t know what you were. What you’d mean to me. To the pack." He drew a breath. "But moon above, I’m so damn glad I did."
She swallowed hard. The confession settled, dark and heavy, like blood in water. Then he turned, his golden eyes locking fiercely with hers.
"My whole life, my pack lived for one purpose: to wipe vampires off the face of the earth." His eyes caught hers. "And then you happened."
That look. She had never seen it on him before, soft, wrecked, almost awed. His gaze moved over her, slow and searching.
"You," he murmured. "That tiny, fragile frame. That spacey, doll-like face. Hands that didn’t know a sword from a spoon—"
Eris crossed her arms, eyes narrowing, half offended, half amused. "Are you going somewhere with this, or are you just committed to being insufferable?"
He huffed a laugh, but the humor didn’t last. His fists clenched. His voice dropped, gravelly and strained.
