Rosalina
FARRON’S KISS CRESTS OVER me like an inferno. I sigh into him, wrapping my arms around his
shoulder, feeling the hard press of his chest. I don’t want to break away, afraid he’ll change his mind.
When we finally separate, there is an almost delirious smile on his face.
“You kissed me,” I giggle.
He blinks, water dripping from his wet lashes. “I kissed you.”
“Well, are you going to again?”
“What?”
“Kiss me?”
He lets out a breathy laugh. My hands find their way to his face, tracing his sharp jawline, savoring
the feel of his stubble against my fingertips. His lips are warm and soft, moving in sync with mine as
if we’ve been doing this for years.
“What changed?” I murmur.
“I’m tired of being afraid,” he says. “I want that bravery you offered. I want you.”
“I want you too.”
He pulls me against him, and his hard cock presses against my stomach. I can’t help but reach down
and touch it, feeling the silken steel beneath my palm as I slide up, up, up. “Oh, Baby,” I say, noticing
my own bit of Dayton confidence. “You feel so good.”
He doesn’t reply in anything more than gasps and moans. His head tilts back, his eyes close, and he
offers a contented smile as I stroke him.
Then he surges toward me, capturing me in a hard kiss. Every inch of my body is on fire, the water
almost scalding. Our kiss grows more intense, more passionate, as if we’re trying to convey all the
emotions we’ve kept hidden for so long.
When we finally break apart, gasping for breath, our foreheads still pressed together, I feel tears
streaming down my face. This is what I’ve wanted, what I’ve dreamed about, but now that it’s
happening, I’m afraid it’ll disappear like a mirage.
Farron brushes the tears away with his thumb, his eyes searching mine for any sign of doubt.
Without saying a word, he picks me up in his arms and carries me out of the bath. My legs wrap
around his waist. Sometimes I forget how strong the Autumn Prince is because he’s always so gentle,
always so ready to follow the other princes’ lead.
But it’s just him and I. And Farron’s in complete control.
He lifts me with ease, as if I were no heavier than a rag doll. Then he tosses me on the bed. My
breath surges with the movement and the power of his stance. He stands before me, naked and
glistening with water.
Well, naked except for the thorn choker around his neck. There are some things you can’t strip
away completely.
“Listen, Rosalina.” His voice carries an air of dominance. “In this room, there is just you and me.
There’s no one else. So right now, you are mine.”
“I’m yours,” I echo, feeling the sensation light through me.
“Remember what I said about the rain?” A smile curves up his face. “I think licking bathwater off
your skin will be just as pleasant.”
I run my hands over my curves, empowered by the confidence he’s given me. He lowers himself,
and our tongues dance together in a wild, passionate rhythm as we explore each other’s mouths.
“Now, there’s something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time,” he says as he takes one of my
nipples into his mouth.
The sensation is electric, and I moan in pleasure as he sucks and nibbles on my breasts. His arousal
grows against my palm as I stroke his long length again.
Farron pulls back slightly, eyes flashing with wildness. “I need all of you, Rosalina. Is that
something you desire?”
The answer is so clear. “Yes, I do.”
His eyes darken. “Show me.”
I spread my knees, revealing my slick entrance.
A growl sounds in his throat, and I feel a shift in his demeanor. It’s his. I’m his.
He drags his hand down my breast and over my stomach to grip my thigh. “Do you know what I
think when I see that pussy?”
“What?”
“That you need to be fucked, made love to, worshipped. Call it what you want—I am going to have
you in every way.”
He takes his cock and slaps it against my entrance, sending a kaleidoscope of stars into my vision
before he gathers me in his arms. Our kisses grow frantic, almost animalistic. I need every inch of his
skin.
This is a different side to Farron, one I’ve only glimpsed. His movements are sure, positioning me
where he wants me, ready to claim what’s his. And I am more than happy to be at his mercy.
“Farron,” I moan.
He pushes me back down to the bed and rubs his palm between my legs. “They haven’t fucked you.
How long has your pussy been aching for a cock, Sweetheart?”
I whimper beneath him, writhing in pain with the longing for it, for his cock deep inside me. “I
need it.”
He licks his lips, a positively devious smile on his sweet face. “And you’ll have it. I’m going to
fuck you and fill you. You’ll be dripping with my cum, and when we go to the Below tonight, Caspian
won’t be able to tell where I end and you begin. My scent will consume you, and everyone will know
it.”
I squirm beneath the dominance in his gaze. “Take me, Farron.”
“Now,” he growls, voice deeper than I’ve ever heard it. “Mine.”
He positions his cock at my entrance, hands shaking, a feral jerk to his movements. But I’m not
scared—I’m desperately craving more of him. My body is so warm, something blooming like a
wildfire beside my heart. I want every untamed piece of this. There’s a glint in his eyes, something
not entirely human, an expression I’ve seen before.
Wait. His emotions are too strong. The thing between us is too strong.
I realize with sickening fear, it’s not only fear or anger that can change him.
The beast is here.
And I’m naked and bare before him.
Farron stutters, eyes shining with the bright yellow of the monster. His body ripples, and his face
contorts in wild panic.
Then in a truly horrific sight, I watch as the thorn collar writhes, then shoots out, spearing into his
neck. Two more wrap around his wrists. Farron screams, blood streaking across his skin as he falls to
the ground.
I wait a breath, and then slowly creep to the edge of the bed, afraid of what I will see there. Will it
be the beast covered in briars or...
My heart weeps. Farron is curled up. The thorns have recoiled, but small cuts line his arms and
waist, and blood drips from his neck.
Caspian’s thorns stopped his shift. And they saved my life.
SUN SPARKLES IN THROUGH the window, and I clasp my cloak over my new clothes. Farron
gazes out, a somber expression clouding his features.
The storm has passed, and it’s time to return to Coppershire. I find myself drawn to the now cold
bath and tousled bed, lingering like an unkept promise.
I pad across the room to him. “Ready to go?”
“Yes.”
“Farron...” I reach for his arm, and he dances out of my grasp.
“Rosie, don’t.”
“I wasn’t—”
“Forget it, okay?” He shakes his head, mussed hair falling over his brow. “I thought I could be
brave, but I forgot my greatest fear of all is of myself. Take away the fact I must find my mate, that you
already have a mate, us being together could kill you.”
I swallow in a dry throat. “You don’t know that—”
“I do. And he does, too.” Farron’s expression darkens, and he pushes past me toward the door.
“It’s time to submit and go Below, to show the Prince of Thorns just another way he owns me.”