The Werewolf's Bride Page 12

  Ilie closed his eyes in pleasure. She had called him by his name. But then he thought about how he had gotten so damn close to losing her—-

  To never hear her say his name again—-

  A shudder racked the marquis’ powerful body, and this time when he moved, he did not pay her cried protests any heed. This time, he tore the rest of her undergarments away and the moment she was naked, he moved down between her legs, placed them over his shoulders, and sank his mouth into her.

  Soleil arched off the bed, her eyes rolling back at the pleasure of his kiss.

  He started thrusting his tongue in and out of her, and Soleil clawed the bed as she fought to keep her screams to herself. Oh dear Lord, this pleasure. It was not of this world. It could not be. The way his tongue slid against her folds, the way it stroked the insides of her pussy—-

  His mouth moved up, and as his fingers thrust between her folds, his lips closed over the tiny swollen nub of flesh.

  Covering her mouth, Soleil let out a wild gasp of pleasure.

  His hands went under her bottom, cupping each cheek before pushing her up to his mouth.

  His fingers drove in to the very deepest part of her.

  She started to come.

  He bit her clitoris.

  And she realized just how hard an orgasm could be and how long it could last.

  When she resurfaced, she could only whisper one thing.

  “Ilie.”

  How she loved him.

  The marquis moved up, leaning his weight on one elbow as he stared down at her.

  She touched his cheek. I love you.

  His lips tightened. I hope you do. I hope you fucking mean it. His voice was tight. Because when I remember the way you felt, dying in my arms—-

  A devastated look entered his eyes.

  Do not leave me again.

  His pain reached out to her, and she swallowed back a sob. “Oh...Ilie.” It almost felt too easy to sense his feelings. Too easy, she thought achingly, but she would never, ever take it for granted.

  Never, she thought.

  From this day forward, she would only give him pleasure.

  And with that thought, Soleil looked up into his eyes and said shakily, “Take me.”

  Ilie jerked. He had only wanted her naked so he could give her pleasure and feel her come, feel her become alive in his arms.

  Her smile wobbled. “Milord. Ilie. Take me—-”

  His jaw hardened. “But the curse...” Even though it had been nullified, it had still taken its toll on her body, and he could sense which parts of it still ached like they had been pummeled from the inside. “You are still hurt—-”

  “Just as you are still hurt.”

  Dammit to hell, she was making it too hard.

  And then he felt it—-

  Soleil, rubbing herself against his chest, and she whispered achingly, “Milord, please—-”

  His control snapped.

  One moment and his clothes were gone, thrown across the room. Another moment, and he was reaching for her still-sensitive folds, stroking them until they were slick with desire yet again. Bending his head, he captured her mouth in a hungry kiss, savoring the taste of her mouth. She wept as she kissed him back, and over and over she said in their merged minds, I love you. I love you. I love you.

  Shuddering, he tore his mouth away from hers and moved down to squeeze her breasts up before gorging on them. Other women knew him to be a polished lover, but with his heartkeeper, he was frantic and feverish in his need to possess her.

  It was as if the mere taste of heartkeeping had broken the dam of his obsession, and now he could not get enough of her.

  He would never get enough of her—-

  And that was alright.

  Because she loved him, and he loved her.

  “Ilie.” Her own desire underlined her voice, and the sound told him it was time.

  Poised above her, he told her hoarsely, “It will hurt, maybe even more because of your injuries.”

  She smiled tremulously up at him. “I don’t care.” And even though her voice trembled a little as well, he could also see that she meant every word. “I want to be yours.”

  Ah, fuck.

  Ilie sank into her in one deep, sure stroke—-

  He heard her suck in her breath, saw her eyes widen with pain—-

  But Ilie pushed deeper, plunging more and more of his cock in until it finally tore past her virginal barrier.

  Soleil’s fingers dug crescent marks into his back as her body shook at his possession.

  “You are mine.” His voice was harsh and possessive, and his gaze was feral, more wolf than demon or man. It should have scared her, but it didn’t.

  Instead, her lips curved in the sweetest and most loving of smiles.

  Her blue eyes glowed.

  “Yes,” she breathed. “I am yours.”

  Fuck.

  Fuck.

  Fuck.

  How perfect she was for him!

  It destroyed him anew, completely demolished his control, and pushed the human side of him all the way to the back, together with his demonic nature. All that was left was the wolf, and it was ravenous for her body, her heart, her soul.

  He began to fuck her, every plunge of his cock meant to mark her as his territory. He began to possess her, branding her with his kisses, his caresses, his thrusts.

  He was wild for her, and she—-

  The way she stared up at him with eyes clouded with desire—-

  The way she kept tossing and turning her head on the pillow, her hair spread out like gold silk against the whiteness of her sheets—-

  The way her legs snaked around his waist, the way her hips began to rise to meet his cock—-

  The way she started panting his name—-

  His proper little Soleil was as wild for him.

  “Mine,” he growled.

  This Soleil was for his eyes only, he thought possessively.

  He fucked her as hard and as deep as he could.

  “Mine!”

  And then his hips began furiously pumping over hers, and she was panting even more loudly, urging him with her breathy little cries—-

  “Mine—-”

  She clutched his shoulders as she started to come.

  He sank into her one last time, plunging his cock so deep he reached her womb, and then he started to shoot his load into her.

  “Mine.”

  And that had been her first inkling, Soleil thought sleepily hours later, of how insatiable her marquis could be. He had not let her up at all. He had made love to her over and over, and even though she had begged him to stop, thinking that she could not survive so much pleasure, he had not listened to her at all. He had kept making her come and come—-

  Until she had been reduced into this—-

  This limp, weak doll.

  She could not move at all, too tired to even open her eyes. All Soleil could do was follow him, and right now the marquis had her head on his lap while he stroked her hair like she were a pet.

  Over her head, she heard him murmur, “Tell me about your curse.”

  Her eyes drifted. “My demon sire – or mother – offloaded it on me, but I hadn’t known about it until I attended LSL and my former adviser Crystal saw it during a checkup. Since then, she devoted her time to discovering all she could about the curse. It was her who showed me how the curse was fashioned after an aneurysm, her who told me that heartkeeping could save me—-”

  His lips tightened. “And yet you neglected to let me save you until the last minute.”

  This time, Soleil opened her eyes. Looking up at him, she said simply, “It was too unfair.”

  “Are you fucking serious—-”

  “I’m sorry.” She reached up to cup his cheek, calming him down with her touch. Soleil said gently, “But it is the way I am, and I think...you would not like me any other way.”

  “I want you alive,” he snarled, “that’s what I want the most.” But his damn stubborn he
artkeeper only smiled and shook her head.

  Lowering her hand back to her side, she told him, “The curse is nullified by heartkeeping, but it is not completely gone. Whoever chooses to end the union will reactivate the curse and die, and that’s why,” she told him helplessly, “I could not bind you to me until I am certain you...”

  “Love you?” he supplied silkily when she suddenly felt too shy to say the words.

  She said awkwardly, “Yes.” Turning on her side to avoid his gaze, she murmured, “Ilie...may I ask a question?”

  “What is it?”

  “I am your only heartkeeper, am I not? I mean, I’m the only one who could be?” She felt his hand on her head still.

  After a moment, he said, “Of course.”

  Chapter Ten

  When Soleil woke up the next day, there was no sign of the marquis ever being in her room except for a handwritten note on her bedside table. His handwriting was bold and elegant, just like the man himself.

  Always a thought away.

  Yours,

  Ilie Marcovici

  As soon as she had read it, she heard his voice in her mind, almost like he had been there the entire time, guarding over Soleil in her sleep. Good morning, ma lisse.

  She couldn’t help blushing at hearing it. The words felt forbidden and intimate, but even so, she stammered, G-good morning.

  I apologize for not being there, but I had to make haste for Brimstone.

  Soleil was instantly worried. Why? What for?

  To recuperate. I am not at my strongest and I worry that if I stay there, it would draw even more attention to you. I do not want you to encounter trouble while I am too weak.

  I see. She bit her lip. How long do you think that would take?

  It is hard to tell, but I beg of you—-

  What?

  Do not miss me too much.

  She said feelingly, Jerk.

  He laughed. You are too easy to vex.

  Hmph!

  Now, now, ma lisse. Do not hate me too much or I will not be able to share with you my good news.

  Fine, you’re forgiven, she said with ill grace. Now, tell me your good news.

  It is the other reason why I am here in Brimstone. I have commissioned a ring for your finger.

  Oh.

  Oh!

  I d-don’t know what to say. It was true. She hadn’t even allowed herself to think that otherworlders like Ilie would know, much less care, about such traditions.

  It will be a ring that only you possess, for the gemstone being crafted as we speak is one that belongs only to the royal family of Lunare. It is befitting for a remarkably unique girl like my heartkeeper.

  Oh.

  Oh!

  Do you know, she whispered, I would have never imagined you could be so impossibly sweet.

  There was a pause before the marquis said, I’m certain you mean well, milady, but your words make me sound like a...boy who had just pleased his Mama.

  Oops. Swallowing back a giggle at the faint distaste in his voice, she said, Sorry.

  He sighed. You could have simply gushed about my manhood, you know.

  Milord!

  Another sigh. Ilie, ma lisse. Can you not be more used to calling me that?

  She bit her lip. I’ll t-try. Ilie.

  Thank you...Soleil.

  Her toes curled hard. Oh dear God, how was it that simply hearing the marquis murmur her name was such an undeniable pleasure?

  Even after mentally bidding each other farewell, the pleasure remained with her. In the shower, it was the same, Soleil unable to stop replaying the sound of his voice in her mind.

  And so it continued for the rest of her morning. Over breakfast or while riding the carriage to ANEX, her thoughts were completely consumed by the marquis.

  She only consciously pushed them to the back of her mind when she entered Crystal’s office. This woman deserved her complete attention above all else.

  “I owe you my life, Crystal.” Soleil hugged the older woman tightly. “I don’t know how to make it up to you, but whatever you need, I promise...”

  Crystal drew away laughingly as Soleil sniffed back her tears. “Is this really you, blubbering like a fool?” But her misty gaze was proof that she wasn’t as unaffected as she pretended to be. Waving to the couch, she said, “Go sit down and tell me how it happened.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  Taking out several canisters from her cupboard, Crystal said, “The heartkeeping, for one. I thought you were against it?”

  “I was.”

  Crystal nodded understandingly. Any kind of union with a demon was detestable, after all. “Then you tricked the demon into it?”

  “Oh, no. I d-didn’t have to. You see, at first, I had planned to die rather than trap the marquis into a forced union with me. But then when I lay dying in his arms, he told me...he loved me.”

  Crystal stilled. “And you believed him?”

  “Not just that,” Soleil said shyly. “Actually, I love him, too, and...w-we want you to be our godmother in our wedding, if you are fine with that.” She bit her lip. “I know you do not think much about his kind, but he is only half-demon—-”

  Crystal’s fingers shook as she reached for another canister in the cupboard, one that was hidden all the way in the back, behind taller jars and bottles.

  “And if you give him a chance, I truly believe you will see he is not that...bad,” Soleil finished awkwardly. She held her breath when Crystal turned towards her, bearing a tray of drinks, and exhaled in relief when she saw the resigned smile on the older woman’s face.

  “If it is what you say...” Crystal sat down across her and offered Soleil a cup of tea. “Then perhaps I do need to meet him.”

  “You’ll like him,” Soleil said earnestly. “I’m sure of it.” After taking a sip of her sea, she lowered the cup back to the table, asking slowly, “But you know...you never did tell me how you managed to acquire the knowledge about my curse.”

  “I made a trade.” Crystal’s tone was light. “Of useless things that I hold on to but have little value in the world.” Before Soleil could ask more questions, her former instructor changed the subject, asking about her thoughts on Zari.

  Over an hour had passed by the time Soleil left Crystal’s office, her mood even better because now she had secured the older woman’s promise to give Ilie a chance. Everything was going so smoothly, it was almost scary. She pinched her own cheeks, just to be sure she hadn’t lost herself in another nightmare, and was reassured by the pain she felt.

  She went to Zari’s dormitory next. Knocking on the girl’s door, she said, “Zari?”

  “Soleil?” The door opened completely. “Please come in.”

  Once inside her student’s bedroom, she looked around her in appreciation. “You’ve got a good eye for decorating, Zari.”

  “Thank you.” Zari smiled widely. “I heard congratulations are in order.”

  She blushed. “I didn’t realize news could travel so fast.” She paused then reached for the girl’s hand, squeezing it as she said feelingly, “Thank you for your warning. You were completely right. It made me think of the right place to die, and who knows? Maybe if I hadn’t chosen that place, things would have been different—-”

  Zari was visibly bewildered. “I don’t understand.”

  “The shade of blue you saw in your vision,” Soleil reminded her. “Do you remember now? All those blue shades? I was in such a room last night, but the curse was thankfully lifted.” She squeezed Zari’s hand again. “So thank you.”

  “I’m g-glad to help.”

  Soleil’s smile faded. “You don’t sound like it, though.” In fact, Zari’s face appeared too pale, she realized. Elation over last night’s events completely forgotten, Soleil slid into teacher mode and asked in concern, “Are you alright? Do you feel anything?”

  “It’s not that.” Zari shook head. “It’s just...I messed up. I thought you knew, or I thought I told you. I—-” She bi
t her lip.

  Unease skittered down her spine. “What is it?”

  Zari inhaled sharply. “In my vision, there was nothing about a curse, Soleil. There was just you, fighting for your life, because someone – and not a curse – was trying to kill you.”

  TO TREAT EVERY THREAT like it was real, to never assume anything was a lie or a truth, to always search for clues—-

  These were some of the first rules she had learned when studying in ANEX. These were rules responsible for keeping Soleil and her team alive, and she would never risk breaking any of them. Lives depended on her, too many of them, and no risk was too little to take when it came to saving and losing lives.

  But if it was only Soleil’s own life concerned—-

  Perhaps it was because she felt giddy and overwhelmed by her first taste of love, Soleil found herself breaking all the golden rules with Zari’s warning. It was possible for soul seers to be wrong, couldn’t it? After all, only God was perfect, only God who was omniscient.

  And so she decided to ignore Zari’s words of caution even though they never stopped to niggle at the back of her mind. Despite this, Soleil still couldn’t concentrate on anything but the soul seer’s warning. She thought about it over dinner, thought about it while chatting with Ilie in her mind, thought about it while she tossed and turned on her bed, feeling like she was missing something so obvious.

  Will you just sleep, the marquis growled in Solei’s mind. I can hear you thinking all the way from here.

  Then it’s a good thing you’re not here, she returned, or else you’d be deaf by now. She rolled her eyes. Grumpy, ancient—-

  I can hear you, milady.

  Attractive, intelligent—-

  Ilie chuckled. It almost rhymes perfectly, I will give you that.

  She blurted out, I miss you. But actually what she wanted to say was, Come back to me now. Because without Ilie by her side, the world was just a little bit darker, drearier, and scarier, especially when the soul seer’s vision continued to play in her mind.

  I miss you, too.

  She drew a shaky breath and willed her tears to go away. Come back soon.

  I will.

  And then the connection between them slowly faded.