Chapter 21

Mikalina

As soon as he opened the door, I felt a blast of heat, pleasure… need.

From Ren.

He stared at me with such intensity, his eyes flashing blue, reminding me of what he was, how he wasn't a human. He was something more, something other. I planned on having this full conversation with him, hashing out everything, trying to learn all that I could, but as soon as he opened the door, all I felt was this intense need for Ren. It pushed everything else out of my mind until there was only one thing that echoed.

Want.

I want him. I need him. Let him take me.

He looked down at my lips, and I found myself licking them involuntarily, as if his focus on them was like a tangible touch from his finger.

This is crazy to want Ren when I know what he is… this supernatural creature that is straight from a fairy tale.

"I"d rather die than ever hurt you," he murmured low as if to himself, the first thing to spill from his lips. His voice sounded pained, and my breath caught. "That"s why you need to leave. You need to run. I'll lock myself away, but the farther you get from me, the better chance you have."

"Better chance of what?" Why was I so breathless?

"Mikalina," he groaned as if my very name turned him on. "You shouldn"t have come."

There was a long moment of silence, but I waited. I came here for answers, for clarity, and I'd get it… eventually.

"When it's the full moon, I'm not myself. My inner animal has free reign. I'll become bigger, my nails turning to claws, my canines turning to fangs. The only thing I'll be mindful of is needing you, fucking you… marking your neck so everyone will know you're mine."

I shivered at the intensity of his words. He cupped my cheek and smoothed his finger over my flesh, and I couldn't help but lean into him.

"For my mate—for you—I'd die a thousand deaths just to make sure you weren't hurt and that you never feared me." He stared into my eyes intently. "And you will fear me, be frightened, terrified by what I'll become."

I found myself shaking my head, as if this man who I'd grown to care for over this last week didn't know himself like I did. Which was fucking insane. Clearly, he knew how hard the mating would be if he was warning me.

"You won't hurt me," I said, although how the hell could I even be sure?

God, what in the hell am I getting myself into? Why am I not listening to him and fleeing, heading back to America and away from something that feels like it's been plucked right out of a story?

Again, I thought of Mini's words about wolves and destinies, and I felt myself falling harder and faster for Ren.

Before I knew what was happening, or even processed my thoughts and how I truly felt, Ren added a bit of pressure to my face before leaning down and pressing his mouth to mine, as if he couldn"t stop himself from reacting to me being close.

And I couldn't help but accept all he gave me… even if it was fucking insane.

When he stroked my lips with his tongue, my pussy clenched, my clit throbbed, and I felt a fresh rush of warmth and wetness settle between my thighs. His lips were firm, full, and the flavor of him was spicy, wild, and all for me. My body started to tingle, and I felt my heart start to jackknife behind my ribs. I wanted to touch him, but another part of me, maybe the common sense part—the survival part—told me this man was inherently dangerous.

But not to me. Never to me.

And I was listening to my inner voice, that gut feeling that told me this was right.

I gasped at the sensations moving through me, and he used that opportunity to dip his tongue into my mouth. I moaned at the flavor of him. It was a mix of alcohol and everything that was Ren.

Maybe it was the adrenaline pumping through my veins, or the fact that I couldn't deny there was hardcore arousal moving between us. All I knew was my emotions were high right now, and I didn't want to come back to reality.

I wanted to embrace whatever this was.

And so I curled my fingers around his massive biceps, knowing what I was allowing to happen was irrevocable. There was no going back.

And I didn"t even care.