seen.
“Welcome. I am Melanie.” She took Raven gently by the arm and led her to a circle of pillows. “We decided I should welcome you since I am an outsider as well.”
“You are from my homeland?” Curious, Raven studied the other woman. Her frail features spoke of an unknown origin.
“No. I am from somewhere else, but arrived here in a similar manner.” The women around them giggled and Melanie rolled her eyes. “They are infatuated with my mate. The very thought of him sends them into a frenzy.”
“That doesn’t bother you?”
She threw her head back with a throaty laugh. “If it did, I’d be in a world of hurt. It goes along with belonging to such a spectacular specimen.” She grinned. “You’ll learn. Your Devlin is quite mesmerizing.”
Raven smiled to herself. He was definitely one of a kind. “Didn’t you want to go home?” she asked the other women, unable to imagine giving up so much.
Melanie smiled softly, her eyes tearing. “I still do sometimes. It’s a sacrifice, giving up all you’ve ever known, and I couldn’t do that to Alec. It would kill him to be so close to having everything he dreamed of only to have to give it up again.” A single tear trickled down her pale cheek. “I’ve never regretted my decision. The sadness is bearable.”
“Did Devlin ask you to speak to me about this?” Suspicion loomed in the back of Raven’s mind, but the other woman’s look of shock put her instantly at ease.
“Of course not. And, even if he did, I would have spoken to you about it anyway. You deserve to know what you’re giving up.” She quickly glanced around the room. “Have you made your decision?”
“I am not being given a choice.”
“He loves you. Eventually, he will give you a choice. Just make sure you make the right decision. It affects not only the two of you, but this world as well.”
Raven shrugged. “I just wish he had told me all of this before I agreed to help him.”
“And do you regret helping him?”
Raven paused. Despite everything, how could she? This was Devlin’s home. She only wished things had turned out differently.
“The Council would kill me if they could.”
“They are just frightened. They treated me the same way at first. You just have to show them you are not a threat.”
Raven didn’t believe that for a minute. How had things gotten so out of control? Devlin’s appearance stopped her from replying. He strode into the solar, looking every inch the prince. Power resonated from him, shimmering in every direction. Raven ached to go to him, to throw herself in his arms.
He moved forward until his lean body towered above her. “Come with me.” Hand outstretched he met her eyes, the demand clear.
Shifting her gaze to Melanie, she noticed the other woman’s grin and flushed. She took his hand and let him pull her to her feet.
The second they left the solar, he pulled her to the wall, pressing her body against the hard crystal. His mouth captured hers, his tongue thrusting inside her lips.
“I need you,” he growled. His hands grasped her ass, lifting her until she could wrap her legs around his waist. He freed himself in one swift movement, thrusting inside her damp pussy, sending her into orbit.
Their mouths tangling, he slammed inside her again and again until they both exploded. Her orgasm was so powerful it knocked the breath from her lungs, and she clung to him, unable to do much else.
“I have to go back,” he murmured against her mouth. “They’re waiting for me.”
She nodded against his chest, not wanting to let him go. “Can it wait?” She shifted her hips and felt him grow hard deep inside her.
Growling, he pushed her back against the wall. His teeth nipped at the tender flesh of her neck. Then he pulled back. “Can’t. Have to go.” He eased her down the wall to the floor. “We’ll finish this later.”
She watched his dark shadow disappear down the corridor, bitterness tainting her thoughts. His
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