take in the elegant interior. Leather-bound books and memoranda scribed on materials that didn’t exist in human libraries filled the high shelves as far as I could see.
“Yes, it’s my private library,” Rowan said, his fingers tracing the cover of a thick Fae book with appreciation and nostalgia. “This volume is two thousand years old. I take pride in rare collections.”
“Isn’t it a bit of waste for one person to have all these—rare collections?” I asked, sweeping a hand at the entire library.
He gave me a thoughtful look. “When you become my queen, this will be yours, too.”
My face flushed. That wasn’t what I meant. And I wasn’t looking forward to being anyone’s queen, though I wanted all the Fae kings. Being a queen running courts was just too much work. It was already too much of a headache ministering to my siblings.
“So, my Evie, you like books?”
“Sometimes,” I said vaguely, not wanting him to test me on stuff. I never liked tests, even in high school.
Rowan simply smiled and extended a hand. When I accepted it, he led me on a stroll around different sections to admire his riches. His silver cape draped behind him like Superman’s, while I treaded on the carpet in my tank top, pale green jacket, and a pair of denim jeans. Since I’d expected a more casual first date, I had dressed down, but the king didn’t mind that I wasn’t wearing a fancy gown like a Fae lady.
We looked like an odd pair for sure, and not just because of our vastly different fashion. In reality, we were also from different eras and places. Yet here we were, lacing our hands and strolling through a royal library in fairyland.
“Where are your librarians?” I asked, looking around. For housing such a large collection of tomes, the library was suspiciously empty.
“The servants are making themselves absent, so we can have privacy,” he said.
Servants, right. I didn’t know if I could get used to this lifestyle. I liked to do things myself.
“What are you thinking?” Rowan paused at an aisle. At its end stood an artificial wall of live moss. It distracted me for a second before he cupped my face and turned me to look at him.
Lust rippled off him, searing the air. He watched me like I was his whole world. His pheromones hit my nostrils, surging into my lungs, until I could barely breathe, let alone think straight.
“Nothing, Rowan. I think—” I struggled to string words together while the only thing in my mind was sex.
I gazed up at him, no longer able to cloak my intense attraction toward him. An instinctive need, so deep and raw, throbbed in me. An ache pulsed between my thighs.
His blue eyes hooded and darkened as he sensed my lust. Rowan dipped his head and slanted his mouth over mine, icy fire caressing my skin with a pleasant tingling buzz. I threw my arms around his corded neck and stretched my body against the contours of his perfect torso.
His tongue thrust wildly into my open mouth, seducing and mating with mine. When the tip of his tongue swept my hard palate in dominant seduction, I was a goner. I whimpered his name, then I was suddenly on the thick carpet, prone on my back. Rowan’s massive body caged me beneath.
Raging mating fever coursed in my veins. I’d put it off for too long and now it singed me with a vengeful heat. I had wanted Rowan from the moment I saw him. I’d heard the mating call over and over, but I had fought it. When the kings bluntly pointed out my need for them, I’d denied it and mocked them. I’d even threatened them with restraining orders.
There was no shield now between the force of the mating fever and me.
I whimpered again as I writhed beneath the Winter King, my carnal need gripping my every move and thought.
“This feels right,” Rowan gasped under the same influence of the mating fever, lust distorting his perfect face. “This feels more right than anything I’ve known in my life, as you’re my mate. I’ve never wanted any woman more than I want you.”
He yanked my pants down to my ankles, and my intense need for him kicked up a notch. I ripped off my jacket, desperate to feel his skin against mine. Rowan peeled off my tank top and lowered his head to my breasts.
He took a nipple into his mouth, suckling it hard before his wicked tongue and