Oblivious to my struggle, Fenris walked around me and went to the bed.
“I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that our pocket pool playing pixie paid you another visit,” he said as he began pulling the red, silk top sheet off the round bed.
The chains anchored to the base of the bed rattled. The sound crawled under my skin, and my vision sharpened. Before I could make an excuse to leave, Fenris took the sheet and tossed it over the rack of sex toys set to one side.
“Am I right?” he asked, finally looking at me. His grin slowly faded. “Hold on.”
Within seconds, he had the built-in chains tucked under the bare mattress, the fitted sheet covering a nude painting of an orgy, and two pillows on the floor. He sat cross-legged on one and patted the other.
“Sit and breathe, Eliana. This is just a room. You’re in control. Not Adira.”
“I’m in control of nothing,” I whispered.
“Aren’t you? You’re still here. You’re not attacking me even though I can smell how hungry you are. Adira sent you in here, but she never said you had to feed. Sit and talk to me. Tell me about the smell. It’ll distract you and probably entertain the hell out of me.”
I exhaled slowly and tried to think. It wasn’t easy with Fenris’s lust clogging the air.
“Any chance you can take it down a few notches?”
He grinned. “This is down a few notches. I didn’t look at the picture even though I really wanted to. I think I saw a werewolf in the mix of wood nymphs. Think he got splinters?”
The ridiculousness of his question made me snort, and he patted the pillow again. Although he’d successfully diverted my focus from my hunger, I was reluctant to join him.
“I don’t want to attack you like I did in the cave.”
“No distracting me with fun memories I get to tell my future kids. The day I stopped a succubus from feeding and lived. Now, tell me who spit in your hot chocolate this morning.”
I made a face. “It wasn’t spit, and it wasn’t in my hot chocolate.”
He brought his hand to his mouth, and I knew the mongrel was doing it to cover his smile.
“I need details,” he said, his words muffled.
“I don’t want to relive it.”
“I have a feeling you’re reliving it anyway. Talking about it might help you forget.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Right. You’re being altruistic.”
“Yep. I’m willing to sacrifice time in my busy schedule to listen to all your woes. Woe me up.”
Focusing on the fringe of my pants, I picked at a few threads as my face flushed hotly.
“Piepen snuck into my room again. He was on the pillow next to me, touching himself. He sparkled just as I woke up.”
“Sparkled?”
I reached up and tapped my chest where I still wore Piepen’s glowing mark, a mark that Fenris had seen and smelled.
“Ah,” he said. “Sparkled. Got it. Please continue.”
“It got in my eye and my mouth.” My voice dropped to a raw whisper. “So much in my mouth. I brushed. I gargled. I ate lemons and jalapeno chips. Nothing helped.”
Fenris remained silent.
“It tastes awful. I can’t get rid of it.”
A rustle of noise was the only warning I had before he tugged me into his lap and wrapped me in his arms.
“I’m sorry that happened to you.”
I leaned into Fenris’s hold, soaking up his comfort and maybe just a little of his scent.
“I almost killed him.”
“I can imagine. He’s extremely persistent. I thought he would have found a girlfriend by now to distract him.”
“He did. That’s why he visited. His girlfriend is extremely jealous, and he wanted advice about it.”
“Ah, poor fellow.” A hint of pain in Fenris’s tone had me lifting my head. Remorse reflected in his eyes. It took a moment for me to make the connection.
“Aubrey,” I said softly.
He nodded. “She made everyone’s life hell because I wouldn’t put her in her place.”
“It’s understandable, though. Why would you rebuke a girl who could potentially be your future mate? It wouldn’t make for a happy household.”
“Right.” It sounded less like an agreement and more like he was trying to convince himself.
LuAnn chose that moment to open the door to peek in. Her expression lit up at the sight of me in Fenris’s lap.
“Splendid. Was everything to your satis…” She trailed off as she noticed how all the toys were hidden away.
“Everything is perfect,” Fenris said. “The anticipation is killing me. She knows exactly what she’s doing.”
Some of LuAnn’s pleased smile returned.
“Of course. Carry on.”
As soon as the door closed, I tried to crawl out of Fenris’s lap.
“Ah-ah-ah,” he chided. “I’m claiming my hug first. That’s right, arms around me. You can add legs, too, if you want.”
I rolled my eyes and gave him a firm hug. His hands smoothed over my back, and he pressed me tight to his chest. I really enjoyed Fenris’s hugs. Far more than I should. They just felt so…good. Welcoming. Comforting.
“I could do this all day,” I admitted.
“Hug me or hide in this room?”
My phone buzzed with a new message, saving me from having to answer. Fenris released me with a wink. Ignoring him, I stood and read the message from the unknown number.
Unknown: Just checking in to see if Anne called you yet.
Me: Who is this?
Unknown: Anne’s brother, Tegan. We met when you stopped by looking for her.
I looked up at Fenris, excited that I might have a real lead.
“It’s Tegan. He’s asking if Anne called me.”
Me: I haven’t heard from her yet and am getting a little desperate. Can you let her know?
Tegan: I’ll try calling her again. The reception is spotty where they are so it might take some time for her to get back to me. I’m happy to help in her place too. Just let me know.
I wrinkled my nose as I read that last bit, and the phone suddenly disappeared from my hands.
“Fenris, give it back.”
He ignored my stern warning and read my messages while holding the phone just out of my reach.
I kicked him in the shin. But, he laughed and hopped out of the way for my second attempt.
“You’re only angry because I won,” he said.
“Of course you win when you’re a foot taller than me.”
“Not that,” he said, handing the phone back to me. “This.” He opened his arms wide and wiggled his fingers at me. “Get in here, chipmunk. It’s time for another huggle.”
“Did you just call me a chipmunk?”
He squatted down and kept wiggling his fingers. When it came to hugs, his patience was endless. I’d never met a needier werewolf.
“I’m not a chipmunk, and I already hugged you.”
“Yep, that was hug number one. Hug two is due to your dream druid texting you like I said he would.”
“That bet was for the next day.”
Fenris slowly shook his head. “The bet you agreed to was just that he would message you. You never said the next day.”