Page 40 of His Darkest Desire
He yearned to continue holding her, to continue being held by her just like this.
Somehow, he stood. Somehow, he carried her to the bed, with Echo trailing behind him. Somehow, he summoned enough magic to peel back the bedding. And somehow, though it was more difficult than anything in recent memory, he laid Kinsley down. Though he was loath to withdraw from her, he slipped his arms free, tucked the bedding over her, and took a single step back from the bed.
Something in his chest warmed and melted, spreading its heat throughout his body even as everything constricted again. Kinsley in his bed, warm and serene…this seemed right.
She was human, unfamiliar with his kind, with his world. And she was, at times, maddening. But would it be so terrible to have her companionship? Would it be so terrible to…
To what?
To be with her.
To want her.
To make her his mate in truth.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The sweet aroma of cinnamon and honey coaxed Kinsley from her slumber. She smiled. When she was little, she’d often awoken to her grandmother making breakfast. The house would be filled with voices and laughter as everyone gathered around the table, which would be laden with bacon, beans, tomatoes, sausage, fried eggs, and fruit. But that cinnamon and honey smell was Kinsley’s favorite, because it was the scent of her grandmother’s porridge.
Was Aunt Cece making breakfast this morning?
Kinsley opened her eyes. Dull, gray morning light spilled through the window, leaving the bed’s canopy shrouded in shadows but for the highlights along the edges of the ivy leaves. She lay atop the soft mattress with a warm blanket draped over her. Strange. Aunt Cece didn’t have any four-poster beds at her house…
Kinsley’s brow creased in confusion before reality came crashing down on her.
The cottage.
Vex.
A pang of homesickness struck her heart. Yes, she’d chosen to move up to the Highlands, she’d chosen to live on her own for a while, but she’d never gone more than a day or two without at least talking to her mother on the phone. Her family had to be worried sick.
Should I be worried sick too? Being held prisoner by a goblin, sleeping in his—
In his bed. She was in Vex’s bed, but she didn’t recall climbing into it last night. Had…had Vex…
Kinsley sat up. The blanket fell to her lap, baring her breasts. She quickly tugged it up to cover herself as she looked around the room. He wasn’t there.
But there was a wooden standing tray beside the bed holding a bowl of steaming porridge topped with cinnamon, honey, and nuts, a plate of fruit, and a cup with a pitcher of water.
One of the wisps hovered near the utensils. This one had a darker core and dimmer flame than the others.
“Good morning, Shade,” Kinsley said.
The wisp offered her a shallow bow and whispered what sounded very much like a greeting.
“Have you…been here all night?”
Shade shook their head.
“Do wisps sleep?”
Another head shake.
Kinsley smiled. “You must get pretty bored, especially having to babysit me.”
Shade’s armlike tendrils curled and rose in what could only have been a shrug.
Clutching the blanket to her breasts, Kinsley scooted toward the edge of the bed and swung her legs over it to sit with feet dangling. The blanket she’d worn the day before must’ve worked loose while she’d slept, as it was now bunched beneath the current bedding.