Page 59 of When Roses Burn

My stomach lurched as the familiar scent of her desire filled my nostrils. I hadn’t smelled it in ten years, but the second it entered my nose, I recognized it immediately; my body reacted like it did when we were first together. Everything in me screamed to go to her as blood rushed to my shaft and the beast rolled within me.

“Fuck,” I hissed through my teeth as I grappled for control.

Anger washed through me as my body betrayed me for the woman I loathed. Yet, there was no denying my body still craved the one who’d condemned it to years of torture.

What is she doing? Has her Needing started?

If I could smell her all the way from the tower, then so could the others. Grinding my teeth, I tugged on a pair of loose-fitting pants before stalking out of my room and down the hall toward the tower.

It was the middle of the night; no one was about, but they could be in their rooms or somewhere nearby. I couldn’t have anyone else around her once her Needing started. I’d fuck a hole before I did her again, but I wouldn’t tolerate her screwing anyone else in this castle, and casters were mindless when their Needing hit.

Climbing the tower stairs, I removed the key from where the sprites set it above the door and slid it into the lock. When I twisted the knob, the door swung open.

Briar stood near the window, hovering in the shadows as she stared raptly outside. The thin, blue nightgown she wore hung loosely on her slender frame. Her brown hair spilled around her shoulders; whatever she saw out there had her so enraptured she hadn’t noticed me enter.

The scent of her arousal had weakened. I’d detected it much more clearly earlier, but something had changed since I woke.

Creeping up behind her, I glanced over her shoulder, and my eyebrows rose when I spotted Pierce, Lyra, and Dromon enjoying themselves below. It wasn’t until I was closer that I realized Briar wasn’t watching them; her attention was on the horizon, but she must have seen them.

I had no idea what was going through her mind, but she still hadn’t noticed me and seemed a million miles away. Then her attention shifted to them before she stepped back and straight into me.

With a yelp, she jumped two feet in the air and spun around. As she did so, her hand lashed out and would have connected solidly with my jaw if I hadn’t caught it first.

She let out another little yelp and yanked at her hand as she took a couple of steps away. I released her.

The wolf moon crept into view over the top of the mountains; its muted, silvery light broke through the gray layer enough to emphasize the beauty of her delicate features and the hue of her deep red lips. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she gazed at me in shock and horror.

“Enjoying the show?” I drawled.

Her eyes darted guiltily to the windows before returning to me. “What are you doing here?”

“I was curious.”

“About what?”

“What had you so excited.”

The color drained from her face as her mouth parted a little. “I… I… don’t know what you mean.”

“I could smell your arousal all the way in my room; it’s a scent I recall well from all those years ago. That is what I mean, mea perfidas eveto.”

Her jaw dropped further as color blazed through her cheeks. She turned so red so fast I half expected her to burst into flames.

“I take it you’re enjoying the show. I wonder how they’d feel about knowing they have an audience,” I murmured.

“If they didn’t expect an audience, they shouldn’t have sex beneath my windows,” she retorted. “It’s not like they’re quiet about it.”

I chuckled at this as my attention shifted to my friends. Lyra was on top of Dromon with her head tipped back while her hips rocked forward. Pierce stood to the side, stroking himself as he waited for his turn.

It wasn’t the first time I’d seen my friends in such positions, as they weren’t shy about their urges, and it wouldn’t be the last. I shifted my attention back to Briar when she stepped further into the shadows; her hands twisted in her nightgown as she watched me with the wary gaze of a trapped animal. It both irritated and pleased me that I made her so uneasy.

“The animal goes after what it wants and is rarely denied the pleasures it seeks,” I told her.

“I guess that goes for you too.”

“Ah, you see,” I said as I prowled closer to her. “My animal, the one I was supposed to become, doesn’t exist anymore. It’s a beast who rules now.”

When her heel connected with the wall, she stopped moving and lifted her chin. Her nipples pressed against the thin fabric of her gown. I resisted licking my lips at the memory of what they tasted like in my mouth; she’d liked it when I gave them a gentle tug before sucking on them. Her body would arch against mine, her fingers would grasp my hair, pulling me closer as she cried out.