Total pages in book: 169
Estimated words: 156210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 156210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
“I do. In the future,” I add, because there is no reason to hurry. We can have all the time we want. “But I want you more. And I want my people to share my happiness. I cannot fathom why your past lovers would ignore you,” I add and pull him along the path, past statues imitating a group of beasts roaming my garden.
I can see in the way he lowers his head that it bothers him, but he shrugs. “Some were married, some just didn’t want people to know they slept with men. It’s fine. I didn’t want to date them anyway. We both got some pleasure out of it, and that’s that.”
Anger buzzes deep in my chest. Luke isn’t some dirty secret to hide. He is beautiful, kind, and saved my life less than an hour ago. He deserves everything. “They didn’t know what a gem they were holding in their dirty hands.”
But instead of smiling, Luke rolls his eyes which is… more hurtful than I could have expected. “You’re saying that because you want something from me, but maybe they were the honest ones. At least there was no need to sugarcoat things.”
Now I want to travel to his world to end every single man who’s ever hurt him. I want them torn apart by beasts, and maybe I would even make it happen in an arena, for my own and Luke’s enjoyment.
But I already know he doesn’t always feel the way I do about brutal revenge, so I swallow the flood of murderous promises and consider my next move. “That was uncalled for,” I mutter, painfully aware of the hollow space between us.
And to make things worse, he not only pulls his fingers away, but even crosses his arms over his chest. I don’t have to read minds to see he’s getting increasingly agitated. He pretends to study a rose bush, but his eyes glisten, and his lips are twisted into a scowl. “Well, I’m sorry if the truth is ugly. When I was a teenager, my mother sent me to a boarding school where I learned how cruel and untrustworthy people can be, so yeah, maybe my world is shit, but at least I know where I stand there.”
Looks like my rose has more thorns than I was aware of.
My chest sinks, as if he’s punched it, but I’ve endured much too, also at the hands of those who should have cared for me, and I will not let him push me away. If anything, learning this side of him makes me want to take care of him more. “I’m sorry. I wish I could do something to make it hurt less.”
Luke stays quiet for a long moment, but then sniffs. If I could soak up whatever pain he’s going through, I would. I might not be used to dealing with other people’s emotions, but for him, I want to keep my cool.
“Just… don’t say things you don’t mean,” he whispers with sadness painted all over his face. It’s so clear in the glow of the moonlight I want to kiss it off him. “I can handle the situation between us. You don’t need to lie to me so I follow through.”
Lightning shocks my back and crawls all the way to the tips of my toes as I hold his shoulders. “You think I’m lying? Right now, I am stopping myself from finding out the names of every single person who hurt you in the past and going on a bloody rampage,” I say, nudging him back, toward a plush-covered swing hanging from a tree surrounded by midnight blue roses. “You might not see it yet, but I am yours, and I can be your prince as well as your beast. Just say the word,” I rasp as we reach the elevated seat and Luke falls into it. He gasps, but his eyes are on me again, wide and filled with intense emotion. No longer glistening with tears. “You’d avenge me?” He smirks and pulls on my cravat, but I’m dead serious.
“Tenfold. Just to make your eyes spark and your lips praise me,” I whisper, leaning in as my balls throb in response to his touch. So far, I have been the one to take the initiative, but the way he is holding me now, as if I’m his pet, awakens a new kind of desire.
The scent of roses is intoxicating, but not as much as the kisses I need from him. “You did do well with Vinia,” he whispers. “No one’s ever… stood up for me,” Luke admits, and I appreciate him opening to me like this. I want him to feel safe at my side.
A shiver runs down my spine, like a droplet of warm oil, and my breath catches as he tightens his hold on my cravat, as if it was a leash. I’m stronger. A royal. And yet, when he looks at me this intensely, I feel that it is he who has all the power. I have never tasted anything as sweet as this praise, and I blink away the rush of emotion that makes my eyes sting and my throat tighten.