“Okay,” he nods. “I’m going to be honest with you, Angel. I’ve been tiptoeing around you because I have no fucking idea how to talk to or be around women. I have always had whatever the fuck I wanted no questions asked.
“I’ve been trying to get a feel of you, but you put me in a fucking spin. You’re this gorgeous little princess with the power to get whatever the fuck you want and I don’t know how to be around someone like you. It’s intimidating.
“All I think about his how out of my fucking league you are. Then you went and gave my father a little lecture about how fucking perfect I am and I don’t get what you see. I don’t know how to react to someone being as proud of me as you seem to be.”
“Are you fucking kidding me, Knight?” I growl at him. His eyes light up like it’s the cutest thing to frustrate me. “How is it possible for you to be who you are and not be proud of it? Honey, you did everything that you did to spite your father.
“He had your entire life mapped out for you and you took his plan and turned it into shit. Then you went and made a life a million times better than what he had planned for you. Even if you weren’t the lead singer of Toxic Rose Thorns, you have four degrees in politics and wolf economics.
“People have been trying to kill you because you are him. You’re the guy everyone wants to target because your pronouns should be Try and me. You are a whole ass problem and you don’t know how to apologize for literally anything you do. You apologize to me, and it’s worse than when the kids do it. They’re five.”
“You think that’s a good thing?”
“You’re a King. Yeah, I think that’s a good thing. Even mortal kings did what they wanted. People like you don’t get to have stupid insecurities like meeting a little mousy girl who knew how to take advantage of her situation. I’m just going with the flow. You, sir, are the entire current.
“Yes, I am one hundred percent proud of you for everything you’ve accomplished, everything you’re accomplishing, and everything you’re plotting during our vacation. I know you’re going to plot. You’re a plotter.”
“You have this weird fantasy–ish way of looking at shit. Did you know that? I think you need to get your head checked,” he laughs.
“It’s called romanticizing. I know I have that. I grew up in a house where I literally had to fight for my life. So, yeah, I am always going to look at shit like I’m a five year old building my first light saber at Disneyland. I am grateful to be here with you, having this conversation I don’t really care for.
“Five minutes were up like twenty minutes ago. You took the fun out of me dating the lead singer of my favorite band with all your,” I motion him up and down. “Emo–ness. I am literally mated to Knightly fucking Blake and I can’t be touching him all the time. I
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can’t just sneak into his office and do weird shit to him under his desk while he’s on a call with whoever the fuck he does calls with. Why? Because you love punishing yourself from life. I am forced to endure that with you. If anyone needs their fucking head checked, it’s you.”
“Is that right?” he laughs.
“Yes. I don’t know what your problem is. Look at me. I’m hot as fuck. I literally have a six–pack now. I went up two cup–sizes and my skin has never looked this fucking good.” I jump off his lap and turn around, lifting my hoodie. “This is the ass of a killer, Nathan. I don’t fit in my favorite jeans anymore, and you’re not all over this. You didn’t deserve that first heat.
“Clearly, Buddy has his priorities in order. I bet he didn’t even hesitate to give Midnight whatever the fuck she wanted. Including that thing on your shoulder. It’s glorious. A monument of his devotion to his bad ass guardian mate.”
I might have gone too far because his eyes are glowing bright red. His expression is serious as he leans back on his elbow, looking me over the way he did the first time we were together.
“Run,” he growls.
“Excuse me?” I scoff.
“Phoebe. Fucking. Run,” he growls again.
“I was just trying to get you here.” I put my hands up and take a step back. He straightens up, letting out that little rumble that says I’m in trouble. So, taking it too far will be my new favorite thing to do. “And I meant every word.”
He snaps and reaches for me. I’m able to dodge him just enough for him to grab the bottom of my hoodie. I pull it off and slip it out of it with ease. He stumbles back with it in his hand and then turns to face me.
“Angel-”
“You gotta be quicker than that. I’m not a human anymore.” I tease.
“I am going to count down from-”
I don’t hear the number because I’m halfway down the shoreline heading toward the caves. I can see as clearly as a day out here. I can hear him gaining on me. His shoes are making a low slapping sound that sounds insane at the speed he’s going. I feel when he reaches for me, and on instinct, I drop to the floor and spin around, going for his legs. I sweep them out from under him.
“Ah!” I scream excitedly and push myself back up, running in the opposite direction.
“That’s my girl,” I hear him say, and follow it up with his wicked laugh.
I get to the boulders near the hills that barricade the house.
-Up- Midnight urges. -He’s close-
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I run toward the boulders and kick off one to catch myself on the one across from me with my claws. Memories of her climbing like this flash through my head, and I follow the movements she’s throwing at me.
The area encloses the sounds around me, and I hear how close he is–the sound of his labored breathing and heavy footsteps. I take a deep breath and do the thing Mr. Knightly taught me to hide my presence. I jump over several boulders and wiggle into a space to calm my breathing.
“I hate that he taught you that,” he taunts, and I almost scream from how close he is. And it would have worked if you weren’t as wet as you are.”
I scream when his arm circles around my waist, and I’m pulled out of the space I hid in. My back hits the rock behind me. His hand wraps around my throat and reaches into my tights with his other hand.
“Knight.” I gasp when his hand touches me over my panties.
“Is this what you wanted?” he growls, pressing his hard body against mine.
“Yes, please,” I whisper.
He smiles my favorite smile and leans in to kiss me, préssing his fingers against me with only the fabric of my underwear in the way. His tongue does whatever the hell it wants. Without letting go of my neck, he licks his way down to my mark. My body Teacts violently to it, and everything we’ve been arguing over disappears.
-That’s it, Angel. Let me in.-
I don’t mean to slap him the way I do, but I shove him back in complete shock.
“Phoebe,” he growls at me.
“What the fuck was that?” I pant. “You didn’t say that, but I heard you.”
He laughs, rubbing the spot where I hit him. His hand shoots out to grab my wrist, and suddenly I’m up against the rock with him pressed up against my back. I open my mouth to tell him to explain but his hand comes down on my ass hard and all I can do is squeak. He pulls my bottoms down around my thighs and then grabs my hands to pin them above my head with one hand. He lifts my hips a bit so I’m almost in a bent- over position.
“Knight-”
“Shh,” he hushes me, and I feel him position himself behind me.
Every other thought flies off with the wind as he slowly pushes into me with a low groan that just melts my insides. My ears ring with the relief I feel getting him inside of me. When he pulls out and just as slowly pushes back into me, stretching me wide. Something fucking weird happens.
A rush of emotions and thoughts floods into my head. The sound of someone
laughing completely overwhelms my hearing. His lips are on my mark again, and the
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cold air is long forgotten.
This cold sensation pulses through me as he picks up the speed of his thrusts. My name is whispered in the darkness of the beach from every direction, as if a mass of people is whispering it into the night air.
“Knight,” I call out, unsure of what’s happening.
-Do
you feel that?– his voice echoes in my head again. -That’s me giving you everything you want, Angel. Anything you want to know, all you have to do is reach out and take it.
