The Luna Trials by Marissa Gilbert

Chapter 26

Seventy Three Letters

“In your dreams!” Savannah hissed, trying to push him away. “Womanisers are not my cup of tea. So,go back to Sabrina, the teenage witch and…”

He crushed his lips into hers, his warm tongue sliding into her mouth, trying to gain submission with t,greedy, devouring, dominant strokes. She relished this more than she cared to admit, but, her desiresbattled her will, she couldn’t lose. So, while Kai was enjoying himself, Savannah did the only thing thatcame to her mind and bit his lip, drawing blood from it. Kai growled into her mouth, but to her surprise,it wasn’t the angry growl she expected.

He caught both her arms and pinned them above her head, staring at her with a smug smile and lickinghis lip, the metallic taste only exciting him more for some reason.

“Do that again, and I’ll choke you!” Savvy promised and saw the lycan leaning toward her lips.

“I have to warn you, Savannah,” he whispered in a manner that created goosebumps all over her body.“It’s quite possible that I will enjoy that as well. So, do as you must.”

He was about to claim her lips when she turned away, forgetting that this only gave him access to herneck.

“Don’t tempt me, Savvy,” he snarled into her ear and started to trail a series of wet torturous kisses allover her neckline. “You have no idea how many times I have thought of marking you. But when I do it, Iwill do it right.”

She froze in his arms, not believing her own ears. Was he really saying that? A mark? He can’t beserious!

“Stop it, Kai!” she ordered, and to her surprise, he obeyed her at once, locking his blue eyes with hers.“Enough of these games! Let’s just go to the main hall. You can play with one of your other brides if youare in the mood for it! Just leave me alone.”

She tried to walk away, but he caught her again.

“Savvy, what’s wrong?” Now he was serious. He could tell that she was hurting, and his heart wasaching for some reason,

“Nothing!” She lied, to which of course he didn’t buy.

“Savvy….” Kai caught her in his arms again and took her chin into his hands. “Savvy, you aren’tseriously thinking I was on a date with Salome, are you?”

“What am I supposed to think?!” she snapped at him.

“That I am crazy about you,” he interrupted. That you are all I can think of since the moment I saw youdestroying that bush.”

She paused, fingers digging into the fabric of his expensive black suit.

“That I am ready to send to hell all the traditions of my country for a chance to marry you.” He smiled.“If you will have me, that is.”

She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding when he pulled her closer. “But Salome…”novelbin

“Salome will be leaving the Trials today.” Ka smirked. “You are not the only one who came here for analliance, Savannah.”

Her lips parted at the news. She couldn’t believe this was really happening and that the millionscenarios of Kai marrying the witch she fabricated in her mind were not going to come true.

“Why are you telling me all this?” she asked, arching her brow in sudden curiosity. “Isn’t thisconfidential information?”

“It is,” he affirmed and nodded, tracing her lower lip with his thumb. “But, how else am I ever going togain your trust?”

She clenched her lips, knowing she would probably always have trust issues. How could anyone trustother people in this cruel world?

“I’ve made so many mistakes already,” Kai confessed. “I am ready to do everything I can to prove toyou I am worthy of your love. I want to earn your trust, I will do whatever it takes …”

“I don’t think it’s possible given our circumstances,” she chuckled sadly. If he was venturing to behonest with her, she could a least meet him where he was at.

“I agree,” Kai took her chin into his large palm and with a slight lift brought her face up to look at him.“This is why the Luna Trials are over the minute you say so. Become my real fiancee, Savvy. We don’thave to marry immediately, however, I do want everyone to know that you are the only one for me.”

“No,” she shook her head in denial. “This is crazy. That’s impossible! Let’s just forget the whole thing.You and I … it was never going to work. You will find your mate, and this would become a disaster!Besides, we barely know each other … All this is just … I don’t know what this is.”

She blubbered all that nonsense, and he watched her with a half-smile.

“I don’t want a mate if she is not you,” he told her, placing his forehead on hers. “She can’t feel betterthan this.”

“You have no idea what a mate bond is like.” Savannah sighed, and now he was the one struck with afit of jealousy. “It will consume you within minutes, overwhelm you. You will forget about everyone else

and only want that one person.”

“Is this … how you feel about your mate?” His grip on her became tighter, and he wasn’t sure if hereally wanted to know the answer. What if her feelings for him were nothing in comparison? Was thatwhy she kept pushing him away?

“Not any more,” she breathed out, and he felt the heavy constriction gripping his heart lift off his chest.

“Then my mate wouldn’t be a problem either,” he said, gently nibbling her lips. “Just say yes to me,Savvy.”

“No,” she responded at once, and he let out a chuckle. Kai gave her a challenging look, unbuttoning hisblazer and throwing it to the ground. She stared at him with her brows furrowed. Next, she watched himroll up his sleeves and lower himself to the ground in front of her.

“I knew you would require more persuasion, the king’s hand glided over her hip, moving the fabric ofher skirt aside and sending pleasant shivers all over her body.

“Wh-what are you doing?” she stuttered hesitantly. Yet she did not push him away.

“Kneeling before my future Queen.” he sneered and hooked her thigh, gaining a gasp out of

her.

“Kai!” she belatedly attempted to scold him, but he was already peppering her skin with small sizzlingkisses. “We can’t! Not here!”

“I love how you went from ‘we can’t’ to ‘not here’ in less than a second.” He wickedly winked inapproval. “That’s my girl.”

“Someone could see us!” She squeaked as his fingers reached for her silk underwear. This wasn’t howshe expected to spend this evening.

“Isn’t this the best part?” He smirked and placed her thigh on his broad shoulder, dipping his headbetween her thighs.

She could feel his hot tongue making its first stroke against her core, only a mere piece of fabricseparating them now. To her surprise, he immediately withdrew from her, his eyes intensely shininggold.

“Now, Savannah, this is the part where I need you to tell me you want this,” he looked at her with suchvivid passion that she felt utterly devoured by him. Her breath hitched.

“No way.” She swallowed and shook her head. One of them had to be the sane one. “Let’s just go tothe hall and ….”

“Yeah, no!” Kai refused with a laugh. “Not interested in that option. Not without tasting you first.”

“Blackmail is not a way to ask for consent!” she hissed as he drew his fingers in circles over her innerthigh.

“I am not blackmailing you!” He placed his hand on his heart as if she had stabbed it and his voicesounded offended. “I am’ begging on my knees. There is a difference!”

She had difficulty breathing at a steady pace. His closeness caused her mind to willingly wander tosinful places. She knew quite well he could already scent her response to his question, he couldglimpse it on her ruined underwear. He was too close to not notice. Yet, he needed to hear it.

“We could stay like this all night,” he added and grazed his canines over her sensitive skin. “I reallydon’t mind. In fact, if your legs are wrapped around my shoulders, I could stay like that my whole life.”

Another electric touch, and she closed her eyes in willing defeat.

“Yes! Okay?!” Her voice emitting anger and desperation simultaneously. “Yes! To hell with you, KaiFion…”

She didn’t get to finish as he ripped the lacy piece of fabric off her faster than she could utter his lastname, opening her thighs wider for him.

Kai drew his hot tongue from the very bottom of her core to the delicate bud at the top of her pinkglistening folds in one luxurious glide, finally tasting her for the first time.

Savvy threw her head back, thankful there was a wall behind her. He held her tight. Cupping herbottom to help her balance and enjoying how it couldn’t fit in his large palm, he flickered his tongueover and over, swearing under his breath a few times because he didn’t know if he could

control himselt.

“Goddess!” Savannah screamed, immediately covering her own mouth. The last thing she wanted nowwas witnesses. Although, the thought that they might get caught excited her more than she was willingto admit.

Fenrir would be jealous of me,” Kai chuckled before he plunged his tongue inside, probing her, teasing.Her core clenched around him, and he swore again. She knew that he was cursing, but the words wereunfamiliar.

“What… you.. saying,” she tried to ask the question, but her mind was clouded with every sensation hewas now giving her. She moaned that last word, and he stopped everything, tearing away from herpulsating core to look at her.

Her cheeks were flushed, causing a smug smile to stretch across his handsome face.

“The ancient northern language,” he responded without taking his eyes off her, his fingers makingcircular motions around her sensitive bundle of nerves. “You know, we had a beautiful alphabet system.Seventy-three letters of intricate squiggles.”

“Impressive,” she panted and flinched when she saw a feral smirk forming on his lips. He hadsomething on his mind, and she knew it

“Why don’t I show you?” The lycan returned his gaze to her centre and this time added a finger to hisdivine torture of her core, thrusting it in and out, driving her crazy as he traced the ancient letters,making her moan.

The pressure was building up quickly inside her, and she tugged on his hair to help him catch the rightrhythm.

“Kai, please!” she began to beg, not knowing what she really needed from him. She lost it as hesnarled into her, creating extra vibrations and adding two more fingers.

His body was quivering with restraint as he let out a painful moan when he tipped her over the edge. Ittook all of his willpower not to claim her fully here and now, but Savanah deserved more than a hastyencounter in a dark passage. He knew that this would be it for today, and when she screamed as herrel*ase ripped through her body, Kai helped her ride her pleasure, catching a glimpse of their futuretogether.

He distanced himself away from her core after showering her inner thighs with a trail of kisses whenshe ceased shaking from her intense climax. He knew it was too early to let go of her, as she couldbarely stand straight.

He stood up slowly, locking her in his arms and letting her lean over his chest. She tried to move awayfrom him, but he held her in place.

“Not now,” he said, burying his face in her hair. “What are you …” She wanted to question him but heshushed her.

“Give me a minute, Savannah. I am looking at the portrait of my one-hundred-year-old grandfather tocalm myself down.”

She giggled, realising that she was the only one to receive a rele se tonight.

“We can fix that,” she whispered into his ear, and a low, pained sound emerged from his chest.

“I am afraid we have no time,” he informed her as his lips found her skin again. “We need to

go to that hall, after all.” |

“We can’t go in there now!” Savvy whispered, afraid to look at him for some reason. “Why?” he snortedas he caressed her bare back. “Because now we smell like each other. It’s too obvious what we‘vebeen doing!”

“How terrible!” he let out a chuckle. “But isn’t that the whole point? We are going to finish the Trialsnow. For good.”

“How are you going to do this without offending everyone?” She raised her chin to look at him andreally hoped he had a solution.

“By offering them what they really want instead,” he planted a small kiss on her nose. “It’s okay, Savvy.We are going to figure everything out eventually. Let’s go. I don’t want to wait a moment longer!”

They ran together, holding hands and laughing at the craziness of what they were about to do. –Savannah couldn’t believe it was happening, but Athena howled inside in approval and in the

heat of the moment, all this felt so right. Kai felt right. She felt as if he was hers

The doors were opened before them, and the intense light of the main hall hit the happy couple in theface. It took them some time to adjust, but to their surprise, they mostly saw the backs of all the guests.No one was paying them much attention.

Naya walked toward them in a beautiful azure gown with a tense face. Something was off.

“Turn away and leave, Savannah,” she whispered as she passed the couple, and Savvy froze on thespot.

The spacious ballroom was overcrowded, and there was this unpleasant atmosphere of distresslooming over. The space was filled with the buzzing noises of conversations and gasps.

Some servant girl slipped a small envelope into Savvy’s hand, startling her, and left quickly before theLycan Princess could ask her anything.

“What is going on?” Kai growled, and Elene was the first one to react, squeezing herself out from themain crowd.

“Oh, good that you are here! One of the Alphas in the guest delegation is not feeling well!” she saidwith a concerned face and then went stiff, eyes travelling over her brother and Savannah, lingering ontheir fingers laced together. “Come,” Elene took her brother’s arm and started pulling him away. “Wecan’t let him die on our watch! It’s going to be a scandal!”

“Go,” Savvy whispered to him as he shot a worried glance at her. This was clearly not the right time forany kind of announcement.

“Sorry,” he mouthed to her and rushed into the heart of the crowd, leaving her alone. She could feelthat something ominous was looming over her.

Exhaling heavily, Savannah opened the envelope and gasped when she read the words on the littlenote as she smelled a strong scent of mint.

Thope you like my present.