rested his head on the pillow.
Gently he removed the phallus, tossed it aside. She curled her hands around him,
this demon wolf who’d captured her heart and her body. Yet when he lifted his
head to regard her, it was not the smile of conqueror who’d captured his
prize.
But the tender smile of a lover who’d captured her heart.
Dominic licked the dampness from her skin, his tongue
wonderfully warm and soothing. Then he studied her face with a solemn look.
Euphoria faded as Dominic traced a line over her cheek.
Suddenly she felt chilled to the bone at his gaze. Something had changed.
The delicious warmth fled, leaving her shivering and cold. No,
it couldn’t be. She still had one day left of beauty, one day to cover her real
face.
She cried out and fled the bed.
*
Dominic’s heart twisted painfully as he silently watched
his lover.
Alexandra stood before the wall, staring at the mirrors.
Blood drained from her face. Standing out in sharp blue relief
were the Fae runes. They flared angry red, a sharp contrast to her gold curls
and pale skin.
The runes had been there from the moment he’d seen her, lying
in the hollow of the tree. But she had not seen them. Until now.
Grief shattered her like glass as she splayed a palm against
the mirror. “Oh no… He lied, he lied, he must have meant I’d look beautiful five
days from the time he captured me, not five full days.”
Tears brimmed in her beautiful green eyes. “Ugly, ugly, so
ugly,” she whispered. “Why did you come back. Go away.”
Pain twisted his heart. Oh, Alexandra, why
can’t you see yourself as I truly see you?
Joining her at the mirror, he reached out to trace a flaring
rune, but she flinched.
Gone was the confident, assertive warrior, replaced by the
ghost of old hurts. His temper flared. “Who put these marks on you?” He knew who
it was, but wanted to hear the answer from her.
Moisture shimmered in her eyes. She wiped it away with an angry
gesture. “Doesn’t matter.”
Dominic cupped her cheek, turning her toward him. “Fae runes,”
he mused. “One says, Beware…”
Alex jerked away and turned. “Get away from me.”
He followed her up the stairs, curbing his fury at whoever at
hurt her. “Alexandra…”
On the landing she whirled, her gaze empty. Dominic’s heart
lurched.
“You’re still lovely, Alexandra. You always will be to me.
Scars or no scars.”
“They’re not scars. They’re a warning to stay the hell away.
Works well, too. The men I’ve been with since insisted on sex in the dark.”
Leaning close, he cupped her cheek with a warm palm and spoke
softly. “The runes are your barbed wire. You’re as caged as those wolves we
freed, sweetness, and you long to be free.”
He touched one, a rune flaring red on her left breast. Each
kiss on the mark caused a warm glow. As it did, he kissed it again, licking it
as if a rare treat. To his surprise, it tasted honey sweet. Delicious. He
swirled his tongue over it, satisfied to hear her moan with pleasure.
Dominic lapped her skin over a rune on her belly, tracing each
mark. At the dark blue swirls of her tattoos, the marks of shame. The runes
began to glow red with the vibrant flush of passion. As if her entire body were
a furnace and burning hot.
He stood and gripped her marked shoulders. “Alexandra, they’re
nothing to be ashamed of,” he said gently. “Who put these on you?”
“It was my stepfather. He did it to punish me after I lost my
virginity. My prized purity wanted by his rival, who was promised lands and
riches in exchange for my hand. And after I was no longer pure, he no longer
wanted me.”
“The bastard,” he said through gritted teeth. “I should have
killed him.”
“He wanted to mark me,” she whispered, pained remembrance in
her dull, blank gaze.
“As what?”
“A whore. I can hide the marks with glamour, but every time I
become intensely aroused, they appear all over my body. To make me hideous to
any lover.” Alex
Gently he removed the phallus, tossed it aside. She curled her hands around him,
this demon wolf who’d captured her heart and her body. Yet when he lifted his
head to regard her, it was not the smile of conqueror who’d captured his
prize.
But the tender smile of a lover who’d captured her heart.
Dominic licked the dampness from her skin, his tongue
wonderfully warm and soothing. Then he studied her face with a solemn look.
Euphoria faded as Dominic traced a line over her cheek.
Suddenly she felt chilled to the bone at his gaze. Something had changed.
The delicious warmth fled, leaving her shivering and cold. No,
it couldn’t be. She still had one day left of beauty, one day to cover her real
face.
She cried out and fled the bed.
*
Dominic’s heart twisted painfully as he silently watched
his lover.
Alexandra stood before the wall, staring at the mirrors.
Blood drained from her face. Standing out in sharp blue relief
were the Fae runes. They flared angry red, a sharp contrast to her gold curls
and pale skin.
The runes had been there from the moment he’d seen her, lying
in the hollow of the tree. But she had not seen them. Until now.
Grief shattered her like glass as she splayed a palm against
the mirror. “Oh no… He lied, he lied, he must have meant I’d look beautiful five
days from the time he captured me, not five full days.”
Tears brimmed in her beautiful green eyes. “Ugly, ugly, so
ugly,” she whispered. “Why did you come back. Go away.”
Pain twisted his heart. Oh, Alexandra, why
can’t you see yourself as I truly see you?
Joining her at the mirror, he reached out to trace a flaring
rune, but she flinched.
Gone was the confident, assertive warrior, replaced by the
ghost of old hurts. His temper flared. “Who put these marks on you?” He knew who
it was, but wanted to hear the answer from her.
Moisture shimmered in her eyes. She wiped it away with an angry
gesture. “Doesn’t matter.”
Dominic cupped her cheek, turning her toward him. “Fae runes,”
he mused. “One says, Beware…”
Alex jerked away and turned. “Get away from me.”
He followed her up the stairs, curbing his fury at whoever at
hurt her. “Alexandra…”
On the landing she whirled, her gaze empty. Dominic’s heart
lurched.
“You’re still lovely, Alexandra. You always will be to me.
Scars or no scars.”
“They’re not scars. They’re a warning to stay the hell away.
Works well, too. The men I’ve been with since insisted on sex in the dark.”
Leaning close, he cupped her cheek with a warm palm and spoke
softly. “The runes are your barbed wire. You’re as caged as those wolves we
freed, sweetness, and you long to be free.”
He touched one, a rune flaring red on her left breast. Each
kiss on the mark caused a warm glow. As it did, he kissed it again, licking it
as if a rare treat. To his surprise, it tasted honey sweet. Delicious. He
swirled his tongue over it, satisfied to hear her moan with pleasure.
Dominic lapped her skin over a rune on her belly, tracing each
mark. At the dark blue swirls of her tattoos, the marks of shame. The runes
began to glow red with the vibrant flush of passion. As if her entire body were
a furnace and burning hot.
He stood and gripped her marked shoulders. “Alexandra, they’re
nothing to be ashamed of,” he said gently. “Who put these on you?”
“It was my stepfather. He did it to punish me after I lost my
virginity. My prized purity wanted by his rival, who was promised lands and
riches in exchange for my hand. And after I was no longer pure, he no longer
wanted me.”
“The bastard,” he said through gritted teeth. “I should have
killed him.”
“He wanted to mark me,” she whispered, pained remembrance in
her dull, blank gaze.
“As what?”
“A whore. I can hide the marks with glamour, but every time I
become intensely aroused, they appear all over my body. To make me hideous to
any lover.” Alex
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