She rolled over and moved a fallen bit of hair out of his eyes.

‘What did you want to talk about?’ she asked suggestively.

‘I wanted to tell you that I want to do it again.’

‘Me too.’

He brought his lips to hers; they both moved slowly.

She felt his arm snake around her hip; his hand rested on the small of her back, but he pulled her closer, so their chests touched.

Still intertwined, she used her arm to wrap around him to feel close enough to him. His smooth lips remained pressed on hers, but she needed more.

She started a trail of kisses from his cheeks and down to his jaw. Maybe she needed him more than he needed her.

‘You should stop because you’re going to give me the wrong idea,’ he whispered; she could feel his hot breath against her ear.

She laughed into his neck. ‘That’s the point.’

His hand gripped her tighter, and he smirked, pressing a hot kiss to her neck. But he stopped, leaving her wanting more.

‘I don’t want to bed you while your parents are a floor beneath us.’

She groaned but accepted her fate.

He released his hold on her and fell to his back, but he pulled her onto him, her ear pressed to his chest, encased in his warm arms.

She drifted asleep to the sweet sound of his beating heart.

To the feeling of safety.

chapter twenty-five

chapter twenty-five

kellan finch

he had not gotten a wink of sleep the night prior. Not that he wanted to or even tried to. He feared that she would wake if he did, move or roll. Instead, he lay there and stared at the ceiling. He took note of every crack or peel of paint. He even managed to count exactly seven different cobwebs resting in the corners of the roof.

Bethan stirred, but she remained burrowed in his arms. The waves of her hair were tangled, and he brushed some of them out to give him something to do. Her lashes fluttered, and she stirred again and again until her eyes opened fully.

‘Good morning,’ he said, actively trying to soften his voice. He did not want to frighten her because he was too loud. She grimaced and rubbed her dark eyes.

He vowed that, the next time he sets his eyes on Tharin, he would tear him to pieces.

He thought back to the first time he and Bethan met. That, despite him being fae, she risked seeking protection from him to escape Tharin; he should have punched him then. He knew deep down Tharin was no good, and he allowed him to torment sweet Bethan. He couldn’t fathom the turmoil Bethan must have been going through, that for so long she knew Tharin did something to her but never knew exactly what.