Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 137871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 689(@200wpm)___ 551(@250wpm)___ 460(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 689(@200wpm)___ 551(@250wpm)___ 460(@300wpm)
Her stare drifted to the rumpled bed, then darted to the floor. Aside from a small wooden table, a few simple chairs, and the hearth, the bed dominated the room.
Her chest tightened as her mediocre understanding of matings formed a deformed picture in her mind. Flashes of hidden secrets she’d unintentionally lifted from others flickered rapidly through her memory.
Mouths, moans, flesh, lips, teeth, legs… The erotic onslaught of all she knew collided into a knot of unknowns that choked the air from her lungs. “What will happen here?”
He took another step and her ribs cinched tighter making it near impossible to breathe. “We’ll talk. Get to know one another.”
Her gaze skated to the bed and back to him. He traced her path with his own eyes.
“You needn’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you, Grace.”
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. There was supposed to be time for her to consult with her mother and sister. Conversations had been put off because she’d had no symptoms. No warning.
“Perhaps if you tell me what you’re thinking, I can help you make sense of things.”
He couldn’t read her. How was that possible?
She reached for his mind and found utter silence. Another unexpected outcome, though a peaceful one. She let down her guard and the steady tension that always left her neck in knots loosened.
She knew what happened between mates. Her extrasensory gifts cursed her with an extremely sensitive telepathic mind. She’d suffered countless unwanted images whenever in the presence of newly mated couples. They were always the most distracted and obsessive in their carnal ruminations. Whenever they failed to properly block their minds, Gracie got an unwanted show of things she’d prefer to never see.
But he was not like them. When she looked into his mind, she saw nothing but grey silence. “Our mates can read each other. They share emotions such as pleasure and pain.”
“Things will be different for us, but that is not to say those privileges will not develop with time.”
She could not smell his emotions so she could not detect his intentions. Some men reeked of arousal while others carried the dull stench of boredom. He smelled like the earth. The organic fibers of his clothes carried traces of rain, but his skin wore a unique musk she didn’t recognize. Clean and appealing, but also woodsy and masculine.
The laces of her underclothes settled over her chest as she lowered her arms. Her throat worked hard to swallow as her situation caught up with her and she realized this surreal moment was her actual reality.
Air stopped moving through her lungs, and her shoulders started to quake as she mouthed a cry for help that never formed into sound. Her hand fluttered to her throat.
“Grace?”
“I can’t…” She looked at him in utter panic and he rushed to her side. “Breathe.”
“Let me help you.” He took her hand and placed it on his chest. Heat rushed up her arm, and she tried to pull away. “Leave it.”
Holding her stare, he unhooked his belt, intentionally stripping away his weapons. The leather and metal clattered to the floor and her shoulders jumped to her ears.
“Feel my heartbeat. Breathe with me.”
Shallow gasps were all she could manage.
“You’re fine. There’s nothing to fear.”
Her stare dropped to the blade on the floor. The scent of fresh blood clung to the metal.
“Eyes up here.”
When she looked at him again, her lungs opened, and refreshing oxygen filled her chest.
“There. That’s it. Follow my breathing. Deep breath in…”
His heart beat steadily against her palm, his chest expanding as he demonstrated how he wanted her to breathe. She mimicked him, and her nerves slightly settled.
“Good girl,” he spoke softly. “Now let it out slowly.”
Together, they exhaled, their breath mingling into a delicate breeze that teased across her skin. Feeling calmer, she studied the sharp angles of his face. Unlike the smooth skin of immortal males, his chiseled jaw wore a dark layer of stubble. His eyes were dark pools of moss and his skin a flawless olive tone. The flesh of his full lips was tanned and plump, a strangely delicate feature on such a masculine face.
“Another deep breath in.”
She held his stare, matching his breathing until her racing heart slowed. A sense of safety enveloped her, and the tension in her arm relaxed.
His thumb dragged softly over the back of her hand where he held it to his broadly muscled chest. “That’s it, min pärla.” His other hand reached for her face. Calloused fingers trailed over her cheek, tucking a loose hair behind her ear.
Her hand reached for her head, only to find her braids undone. “You took down my hair.” No one, save her mother, had ever touched her hair.
His full lips firmed. “For your comfort. I took no other liberties. I only removed the pins when I removed your wet clothes.”