Crowned by Fire Read Online Free Page B

she flinched when his fingers touched her lip. She had a soft mouth. Memories of what it had felt like, crushed against his in a burst of heat and yielding tenderness, had kept him awake with thoughts of having her in bed.
    Or out of one.
    “I should.”
    The belated answer to her question fell from his lips like pebbles into a still pond, and a startled shudder rippled down her shoulders. He increased the pressure as he traced her mouth, and she sucked in a breath, tickling his fingertips. Her nipples pushed against the bodice of the dress as her stubborn body responded to his touch.
    Finn stepped closer and ran his thumb along the neckline of her dress, and as he did, the inside of his wrist brushed against her nipple. His cock jerked in his pants as he felt the fabric-covered nub rub against his skin. She made a low sound in the back of her throat as his erection moved against her belly and she tried to back away, but he had her pinned against the car. For once, there was nowhere to go.
    The shifter turned her head away, putting distance between them the only way she could, and that subtle gesture of submission made him even more determined to get his way. He cupped her throat, stroking the underside of her jaw the same way he stroked his familiar, as he pressed an urgent kiss to the bared expanse of her throat.
    He groaned a little as she made another one of those quiet, keening sounds that didn't sound at all human. Her flesh was hot, and he could feel her pulse beating like wings beneath the fragile skin. He licked his lips. The heat of her skin seared him even through his pants. He could only imagine what it would be like without a stitch of clothing between them. She was like a half-tamed beast, unsure of whether to approach or flee.
    What to do with the remaining half? Coax out her wildness, or curb it?
    Finn kissed her neck again, harder this time, using his teeth to trap her flesh in place so he could suck the pinioned skin into his mouth. I want her just like this.
    The shifter flinched again, and then batted him away—hard. Hard enough to activate the curse. The hitch that entered her breathing had everything to do with pain, and nothing to do with arousal. She met his knowing gaze with violent eyes. “Keep your fucking glamors to yourself.”
    Finn shook his head as she escaped to the driver's side. He had used a glamor on her only once. But she had been flaunting her disdain for him publicly, when they were supposed to be putting on a front for his investigation.
    And so he had kissed her.
    He had kissed her, and she had let him because he had worn down her defenses with a spell of compulsion. Something she seemed unlikely to ever forgive, given her pride, and her vehement dislike of his kind.
    And yet, just now she thought he had been using a glamor once more. To seduce her. Which meant she had feelings for him that she assumed couldn't be real. Without any magic, with his body alone, he had caused her to want him, to want to be kissed by him.
    His satisfaction faded. She would never believe it. Despite their superior senses, shifters, like humans, could be incredibly blind, seeing only what they wanted to see. She would accuse of him of bewitching her, and her hatred of him would only grow.
    As if he didn't have enough of a headache, their next stop was his bastard half-sibling.
    The prophetess.
    Cassandra.

Chapter Two
     
    Driving was a point of contention with Catherine. There was a sort of dominance that went along with being behind the wheel. But as reluctant as she was to turn control over to the witch after what had happened on the highway, she was not a fool. The silver that Slayer had lashed her with had sapped a great deal of her remaining strength. When she began nodding off, she pulled off to the side of the road and let the witch drive.
    Adrenaline flooded her veins, but it was no match for the pitch-black void of pure exhaustion. She must have fallen asleep, because when Catherine opened her