Dark Possession - Aja James Page 0,43

present. She wanted to live her own story.

While she spent her days and nights in the library, she also dreamt. Daydreams mostly, when she wasn’t pulled into the vision-like flashbacks.

In her fantasies, it went something like this:

Bookish, plain Jane meets beautiful, magnetic warrior-prince. He falls madly in lust with her quirky personality and sarcastic barbs.

What man wouldn’t, honestly?

She challenges him, meets him as an equal, doesn’t take his shit, and he loves it. Because men that magnetic, that beautiful, that powerful, well, they probably don’t get challenged very often. He probably loves it just for the novelty of the experience.

And opportunistic little plain Jane will certainly take that and run with it.

Meanwhile, librarian Jane becomes fascinated by, and addicted to, this sexual beast of a male that she’s never encountered before. Rather like an as-of-yet undiscovered rare, alien specimen that begs further analysis and exploration. He lights up her libido like an open flame with gasoline.

Sooo not what she expected—exponentially more engrossing, endlessly enthralling.

They decide it’s in both their interests to plumb the depths of this mutual obsession. This leads to hours, perhaps even days, of nonstop, energetic, erotic, highly stimulating physical…exploration.

Until they are both too exhausted and sore and wrung out to twitch so much as a hair. So that whatever the mad thirst they have for each other is thoroughly quenched by the end of ninety days.

And Eveline goes home happy. No longer the boring, prudish little librarian and harbinger of the Apocalypse that most people judge her to be. She lives happily ever after, finally unlocking and unleashing her sexual beast.

At least, that’s how the fantasy played out in Eveline’s mind.

Reality, however, was a bitch. Per above.

She hadn’t seen Ramses in Five. Whole. Days!

How was she supposed to explore her wild side without her dancing partner?

Hmm. That was mixing metaphors. But the point was that, after over a thousand years of existence, Ramses was the only male to make her libido sit up and take notice.

And not just take notice, but roar with hunger.

She couldn’t do this horizontal (or vertical; she was absolutely open to vertical, diagonal, inverted and all other directional permutations) tango without the one male she wanted to tangle with.

While Eveline hadn’t seen Ramses, she had felt him. Unfortunately, she’d been unconscious during the fact. She highly suspected that he’d taken her to his chambers every time she passed out in the library. She had the sense of floating, being carried in a heated cocoon of strong, muscular arms, then wrapped within the unforgiving cage of flesh and bones covered by smooth, satiny skin. When she dreamed, the intoxicating scent of him permeated her senses, making her dream of him.

But she always woke up in her own room these past few days, never again in his.

Alone.

Fully dressed in the clothes she wore the day before. Her neck would be tender from where he’d fed from her, but it was a welcome tenderness, rather like the way Aella described how a woman’s core would feel post a dozen orgasms or so. Sore and well-used, but deeply, deliciously satisfied. That’s how her neck felt every time she woke up alone.

Her core, however, was definitely not used, well or otherwise. And definitely, beyond a shadow of a doubt, unsatisfied.

Her thoughts too full of one frustrating, elusive male, Eveline decided to take the initiative and search him out this day. She wanted to talk to him about the Challenge. She was truly worried.

Her first stop was the throne room, given that it was still the middle of the night—working hours, in other words. Her game plan was to wait outside with a book until his formal sessions were done.

The gigantic oak doors were closed when she got there, signaling that Ramses had company. Oddly, in addition to the two Sentries guarding the entrance, Devlin was present too. Whoever in there with Ramses must either be very important, suspicious or dangerous.

Or perhaps all three.

“Who is he meeting with, Hunter?” Eveline asked.

The Chosen warrior didn’t immediately reply, instead assessing her with his knowing gaze.

“A potential ally and informative source,” he finally said.

Eveline nodded. It must be hard work navigating the complex web of politics Ramses dealt with on a nightly basis.

“Do you know whether Ramses will be long with his guest?”

Again, Devlin paused before answering, weighing his words.

“Depends on the success of their… negotiation.”

“Negotiation,” Eveline echoed.

“Yes.”

“What kind of negotiation?”

Devlin’s bright blue eyes twinkled with something like mischief.

“The kind between a powerful female and a male she desires.”

Eveline’s own eyes sharpened