A Ruin of Roses (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 1)

“Say shit like that to me again, I’ll burn your bed…with you in it,” I ground out.

It came out like a purr. Damn it all. Hard to be tough when you sounded husky and wanton.

A smile slowly pulled at his lips. “You’ll need that fire before the end. Mark my words, princess, before this is all over, I will ruin you.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Is that a threat…or a challenge?”

At hearing challenge, he sucked in a startled breath. His golden eyes burned into me as they settled on my lips. Another surge of his power shocked through me, trying to bring my beast to the surface.

My panties flooded with wetness, and my core tightened until I nearly had to clench my thighs together. I barely stopped from moaning at the flurry of heat playing within me. Barely stopped myself from plastering my front to his. I knew he’d let me, even if he didn’t want to. I somehow felt his desire almost like a palpable thing. I knew he’d be pissed at the lapse of control, just like last night.

Would he push me away before or after he filled me with cum?

I struggled against his alpha’s call—because that’s exactly what this was. He was using his power to try to dominate me, like alphas used to do before the curse. I’d heard it talked about. I’d read about it in books. People back then hadn’t seemed put out by it.

I was not fucking having it.

I struggled to suppress it, but the ferociousness of the alpha serenaded my newly awakening animal. He was hitting me on multiple levels, and it unfortunately didn’t matter that he’d plucked me from my life and was holding me captive. I wanted to pull him down between my spread thighs and accept him deep, deep into my body.

7

This desire was something I would have to ignore, because I was not going to reduce myself to fucking this dickhead.

Maybe I did need to check into the salon for a little meow, meow.

“You done?” I asked him with a bravado I didn’t feel.

He closed the scant distance between us, his big body dwarfing mine, his sweet breath dusting my face. Fire and rage and lust charged the air between us. His breathing was shallow, matching mine. Unsaid words—dirty, filthy, sexy words—hung around us.

A vein pulsed in his jaw. His eyes bored into mine for a tense moment. It took everything I had to force my animal down.

“You’ll want to stay away from me,” he said in that voice out of a nightmare. “I was not lying—I will ruin you. I will destroy your virtue. I’ll taint your goodness.”

Why did part of me want that so badly? What were these crazy desires this man was bringing out in me?

I clenched my jaw so tightly my teeth hurt. I believed his threat, and I didn’t want to set him off. I didn’t want him to flood me with another burst of power. I didn’t know if I could stop myself from giving in.

His eyes roamed my face before he finally nodded. With a stiffness belying the state he was in, he turned and walked farther into the everlass field. He ran his fingers through his hair, rendering it more unruly.

I let out a breath and turned the other way. I needed to get my bearings.

Hadriel stood back with Leala, a picnic set up and waiting. Even from a distance, I could see the worry on both of their faces. A memory of the night before floated up—Nyfain grabbing my neck and yanking me to him, demanding information I was not willing to provide. He clearly had an incredible temper.

If only that was what I was worried about.

Once again under control, I turned back around. He was working through the field again, checking the plants and pruning as he went. His graceful movements looked like a well-practiced dance. He didn’t just pull away dying or flagging leaves, either. He fluffed up the plants, touching them almost tenderly before moving on, giving an extra bit of love and attention.

“Does that work?” I asked, working closer. “The random touches as you go?”

He glanced back before continuing on. “I don’t know, honestly. This knowledge was passed down. I didn’t question it.”

“I can test it, if you like.”

He straightened up, straddling one of the rows. The sun beat down on his wide shoulders as he glanced out over the field. “Do as you will. I want you to make that…nulling elixir, you called it. I want you to drink it first, to make sure it isn’t poison. Then I want to distribute it to a few people to see if it really works.”

“Please,” I said.

He glanced my way. “It’s an order, not a request.”

“And if it weren’t going to save people, I would tell you to shove your order up your dickhole.”