Shadow's Light by Nicola Claire

drink?
    Avery reached down and grabbed my hand abruptly, then hauled me to my feet and into his arms. I struggled immediately, but his hand was a vice-like grip on my wrist and his other arm went steel around my waist.
    “I can manipulate your mind. Create a scenario that will mimic a fey attack. It won't be pretty, Ms. Monk. But then, if you really want to remain out of the clutches of a fairy prince, I suggest you harden the fuck up and get on with it.”
    Avery. In my mind. Immediately my heart rate tripled, my throat closed over: all dry. And my breath started to come out in a pant. Avery growled against me, his head coming down to my neck and then he inhaled. A long, slow breath in.
    “Your panic excites me,” he murmured against my skin. “We can play this game - and believe me, I couldn't think of anything better to do right now than chase you - or, you can let me into that pretty little head of yours and learn to protect yourself.”
    “Would I...” I had to swallow to get the words out. “Would I be able to shield from you manipulating my mind again in the future?”
    He started running his tongue down my neck and nuzzling his teeth into my skin. “Perhaps,” he managed to get out between nibbles on my ear.
    “Avery,” I warned, pulling away from him.
    “Hmm?” he whispered against me, pulling me back and starting to rub his thigh between my legs and his groin on my hip.
    “Cut it out! Stop humping me. This isn't part of the deal,” I said, exasperated.
    “Then shield, Ms. Monk. Stop my attack on your mind.”
    “You're not attacking my mind, you're attacking my body,” I said, arching towards him involuntarily. He growled in appreciation.
    “Aren't I?” he bit hard on my neck, no fangs and didn't break the skin. “Is this real or not?”
    Holy hell. It felt flippin' real. I could feel his hand stroking down my back, cupping my arse and pulling me hard against his thigh. I felt my head roll back as he continued to nip at my neck, leaving tiny trails of teeth marks in his wake. His hot breath washed over the top of my breasts. His free hand came up and cupped one, stroking a thumb over the nipple there.
    “Come on, Ms. Monk. You're not even trying. I could be inside you right now and you wouldn't even have put up a hand to stop me.” He growled and licked across my chest. “Do you want me inside you? Do you want me to fuck you in your bed, like that fairy had you thinking Michel was doing?” He sucked a breath in. “God, it looked good, seeing what he was doing to you, all in your mind. I want that, Ms. Monk. What do you say? What will you do ?”
    Whoa. This was all wrong. I wouldn't let Avery do this, period. What was wrong with me? I'd be biting back. Shoving at his chest. Calling him every name under the sun. Or stars as the case may be. But, I sure as hell wouldn't be sucking on his tongue and running my hands all over his bare chest. Scraping my nails over his flesh. And when did that happen? I don't remember him getting naked, but now he was. And god, it scared me and thrilled me in equal measure.
    Not only couldn't I stop touching his bare arse, so totally touchable as I remembered it to be, from the alley where he fed from and screwed that young girl against the wall while her boyfriend happily looked on. But his shoulders were broad, like Michel's. I couldn't stop myself running my hands over them, down to his washboard abs. And, oh I could just imagine licking my way down those! And hey! I was and you know what? He tasted fucking awesome. Just like Michel did.
    My hands ran around to his butt, just because it was there and I had to touch what I had seen in that alley. So tight, so buffed. Just like Michel's.
    I froze.
    This wasn't Michel, but Avery had me believing it was. He was in my mind. Not in front of my body, naked. He'd been in my mind before. But, Michel hadn't felt him. Hadn't sensed him there at all that time. Didn't know what was happening until I screamed Avery's name