Savage Possession (Temple of Luna #1)
Page 6
“Then consider it done, my queen.” He stopped just shy of the wide, ornate doors and rubbed his thumb over her cheek. “Are you ready?”
He’d wooed her over long months apart, calling her when he could and writing notes when he couldn’t. His actions had bemused her uncle and perplexed the rest of the court, who couldn’t fathom the king’s heir bestirring himself to such effort for a mate.
But he had. And it had worked. Her heart pounded as his soft touch stirred her body and warmed her heart. “I’m ready for anything. I love you.”
“And I love you.” Rais smiled, an intimate expression meant just for her, then laid his hand on the door. “Let’s go meet your people, Avani. Our people.”
There was no room for nerves when she could feel his love in the bond that grew between them with every passing day. Even dressed in his royal finest, she still saw the man instead of the king, and it was the man she smiled for, even as she let the king lead her out to meet their people.
An Excerpt from Savage Need
The interior of her room was dim compared to the sunlit main hall, and Zahra shut the door behind her and blinked as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. “Jarek?”
He sat perched on the edge of her bed, his shoulders tense and his gaze fixed on the wall ahead of him. “You came back.”
“I told you I would.” She hesitated by the door and unfastened her outer robe. It dropped away, leaving her clad in only the sheer white robe she wore next to her skin and the jeweled leather cuffs around her wrists and ankles. “I wanted to come back.”
“I tried to remember you.” His voice sounded rusty with disuse, but he seemed more willing to speak now that they were alone. “I tried to remember why you feel like you’re mine. I can’t.”
Zahra knelt at his feet, her hands clenched to hide their shaking. “You kissed me once. At a party, the last time I saw you.”
The memory was vivid, clearer than it should have been. A classmate of theirs had thrown a graduation party, and she’d sought refuge from the noisy festivities in a deserted room. Only instead of solitude, she’d found Jarek. A conversation and too much wine had led to a single long kiss. Zahra remembered their tongues mingling, heat and pleasure and need.
The only other thing she remembered was that it had ended too soon.
His gaze dropped from the wall to her face, then lower. A look of possessive need filled his face as he lifted both hands to cup her cheeks, heartbreakingly gentle in spite of the violence raging just beneath the surface. “Are you scared of me?”
She was scared of what had happened to age him, to harden the intense blue eyes she remembered so well. She was scared that she might not be strong enough to drag him back from the edge. “I’m scared of a lot of things, Jarek, but not of you.”
“Zahra.” He whispered her name as his fingers tunneled into the long strands of her hair. “I want to taste you. Your mouth.”
Yes. She rose on her knees and eased between his legs. Her hands slid up his thighs, and she marveled at the heat and hardness of his muscles through the thin ceremonial pants he wore. “Taste me.”
Long fingers curved around the vulnerable back of her neck, the grip just tight enough to show strength. To show dominance. His heartbeat thundered in her ears as he licked her lower lip and growled softly. “Open.”
Zahra opened her mouth on a gasp, surprised by the way the simple brush of his tongue stoked the fire inside her. His kiss was slow and demanding, claiming her mouth with every hard thrust of his tongue, every rough scrape of his teeth.
He didn’t stop, not until her head was spinning and her hands were clenched on his legs. “Jarek.” It was too soon for her skin to feel too tight, for her to shiver at the slightest touch.
Too soon for her to be so ready.
He bit her lip hard and growled into her mouth, his fingers fisting in her hair. “Do you want me to stop?”
The thought almost hurt. “No, don’t stop. Please.”
His hand urged her head back until her throat was bared to him. He nuzzled the edge of her chin and inhaled. “I’m in Luna’s Temple. I remember that. But you don’t feel like a priestess.”
“I’m a healer as well as a priestess, Jarek.” Zahra moved her hands to his chest, barely touching him. “A doctor, like you.”
Jarek snarled and caught one wrist, her fingers closing over the thin leather cuff so hard the jewels surely bruised his hand. “Doctors can’t heal me. Sedated the body, confused the mind. I don’t need a doctor.”
Her wrist ached, but she didn’t move. “I’m not here to hurt you.”
“I know.” The fingers in her hair gentled as he licked a hot path up her throat. “You want me. I can smell it.”
“Not just that.” She squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated on the fierce confusion inside him--desire and pain and even fear. “I need you.”
“I want to taste you.” His teeth closed over her pulse for one heart-stopping moment, just hard enough to draw a whimper from her throat.
Want more illicit tales from the Temple of Luna? Purchase the series bundle for $4.99 and save over 50% off the cover price of the individual novellas. Includes the following stories:
Savage Possession - The king's heir finds that the girl he barely noticed has grown into the woman he longs to claim. But she won't settle for anything less than his whole heart.
Savage Need - A healer brutalized by war has lost himself to his beast. The only path back is the touch of the one woman he could never have, a woman with royal blood.
Savage Lessons - After years dedicating herself to her training, a woman stands on the edge of becoming the next High Priestess. But her love for a trainer may be her downfall.
Savage Healing - Half a lifetime ago, she picked duty over him, and broke both their hearts. Now he needs her skills almost as badly as she needs his forgiveness.
About the Author
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Author Biography
How do you make a Moira Rogers? Take a former forensic science and nursing student obsessed with paranormal romance and add a computer programmer with a passion for gritty urban fantasy. Toss in a dash of whimsy and a lot of caffeine, and enjoy with a side of chocolate by the light of the full moon.
By day, Bree and Donna are mild-mannered ladies who reside in the Deep South. At night, when their husbands and children are asleep, they combine forces to unleash the product of their fevered imaginations upon the page. To learn more about this romance writing, crime fighting duo, visit their webpage at http://www.moirarogers.com. (Disclaimer: crime fighting abilities may appear only in the aforementioned fevered imaginations.)
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Epilogue
Sneak Peek
About the Author