King Hall (Forever Evermore 1)

Gasping at the rough movement, I felt his face against my neck before I could blink.

He inhaled deeply, a quiet groan escaping. He slipped over me, wrapping a hand behind my nape and lifting demandingly, not waiting for me to do so, making half my body arch and my head fall back. Leaning on one elbow, he kept part of his weight off me, but he was still heavy.

Reflexively, I spread my legs, and his own slid between mine, relieving some of his bulk.

He was being more forceful than normal, but he had said he was parched. When Vamps got too thirsty, some of their predator came out. That was normal, so I wasn’t afraid when his fangs brushed my skin, sliding from my ear to my pulse as the predator in him tried to scare me.

I merely ran my fingers through his spiked hair, a soothing motion.

His fangs paused on my pulse, and he sucked in a harsh breath, whispering rapidly, “Sorry.” Their grip loosening on my neck, his fingers massaged. “I’ll try not to take much.” His fangs immediately sliced into my flesh, and he groaned gutturally as he took a hard pull, his muscles flexing against my body and, a bare beat later, I was caressed by angel’s feathers, the intense, pure grace brilliant.

Sighing in contentment, I blinked open my eyes, perceiving he was done drinking. We were now lying on our sides, facing each other, while I had a death grip on his hair.

He was grinning, his fangs still slightly descended, but not completely lowered, meaning he had, indeed, only taken a little. Just enough to take the edge off. In a break between the full bed of quiet snores, he whispered, “Thank you.”

Snuggling my head under his chin, my hands loosened in his hair. “Welcome.”

Chapter Seventeen

Unsure of what woke me, I blinked my eyes open to a dark room. Instinct had me scenting the air, and I instantly knew that the man crushing me was Ezra. With another blink, my location came back to me, remembering that all of us were sleeping at King Venclaire’s, in Ezra’s bedroom, in his bed.

One more blink, and I also realized that in our slumber, Ezra and I had moved from our sides. I was lying on my back and Ezra was using my right boob as a pillow. His other hand was up under my shirt, cupping my left boob — sans bra for bed — and the rest of his body was sprawled over my stomach and legs. He was snoring quietly. Maybe drooling a little, too, since the part of my shirt near his mouth was damp and clinging to my skin. Somehow, us sleeping under the same blanket never ended up proper.

My arms were around his neck, and I grunted, trying to wiggle out from under his frigging immense weight, but he just grunted, pressing down harder, and started snoring full out. Opening my mouth to wake him, I froze. There was another scent in the air. Not one of my friends’, either.

Inhaling deeper, I found the scent was…muted. Barely noticeable really, but still there. My heart kicked into overdrive when I couldn’t figure it out. The scent confused me and my senses. It was like I should know it, but it was only vaguely hovering. Maybe, come and gone?

That made my heart speed even faster: comprehending someone had been in the room while we were sleeping. Very near breathless, I began scanning the room, my eyes glowing severely as I attempted to see if anything was amiss.

I had accomplished evaluating half the room when Ezra’s snore abruptly stopped and he froze over me, his muscles clenching. This also meant his cupping palm squeezed my boob. His hand froze with the action, probably recognizing what he had a hold of. I didn’t really pay attention, though, still scanning.

His head snapped up, his eyes glowing on my face. “What’s the matter? Your heart’s going berserk,” he inhaled sharply, “and you’re scared.” His hand was slowly releasing my breast as if, if he did it slowly enough, I wouldn’t notice it had been there in the first place.

“Someone’s been in the room,” I growled — yes, a little wolf — quietly. “The scent’s odd and light, but it’s there.”

His warm palm slid down my stomach, his fingers trailing over my skin so lightly, and even though I was freaked, goose bumps still popped up on my skin, before he gripped my hip, cocking his head. Listening. His thumb tapped a few times on my lower stomach in an odd rhythm before he started rubbing it back and forth soothingly, whispering, “Only the heartbeats that are supposed to be in the house are. Maybe, you’re scenting something on one of their clothes.”

Another inhale as I tilted my head left, then right. “No. It’s not them.” I was starting to tremble. The scent was puzzling, my senses distressed. I even sneezed.

“Sweetheart,” Ezra purred softly, repositioning, drifting up so his hard body rubbed over mine and stopped directly above me, his face so close our noses brushed, “Calm down. You’re scaring yourself over nothing.” His hand on my hip slid to the small of my back, then higher, rucking my shirt up over my hips to my belly button, and I tried to look around his head, wanting another look at the room, but he pressed down heavily on my trembling frame, keeping me immobile.

I glared.

A gentle shake of his head, his fingers delicately massaging my tense back muscles, and he whispered, “If there was anyone in the house who shouldn’t be, I would hear them.” He bent his head, rubbing his cheek against mine soothingly. His was bristly. Heated lips against my ear, he breathed even more quietly, “Although, I can tell you the cook is getting it on with one of the servants right now. Their heartbeats are going crazy.”

That jarred me from the shaking mess I had become, and I chuckled hard, my body shaking for a different reason now. A pleasant one.

“That’s it,” Ezra murmured on a mere exhale, his words only for us. “Just keep thinking about those old geezers getting their freak on.” He chuckled himself. “I have to listen to it every other night. Half the time they complain about their joints aching before, during, and after. I actually bought earplugs.”

Snorting, I relaxed my arms around his neck, sliding my hands to his shoulders.

That’s when the scent intensified.

My eyes blazed bright and my wolf growled low as my body vibrated.

Ezra paused too, but a second later he shook his head next to mine, teasing, “It could be that I need to buy you a night-light.” He lifted his head just enough so that our eyes were a few inches apart. “There’s no one here, sweetheart.”

A golden light blazed next to the bed in the shape of an immense bubble.

Our heads snapped to it; his Vampire’s growl actually overrode my wolf’s.