King of the Wilds - Tasha Black Page 0,41
storm.
4
Jessica
Jessica watched her pony flee.
She could see her cottage, but there was no way she would reach it on foot before the storm was on her.
As the clouds rolled in, she noticed something else headed her way - a figure on horseback, his dark hair whipping behind him with the speed of his approach. He seemed to be outpacing the storm itself.
Her heart stretched taut at the sight, as if it were reaching across the meadow for him.
She knew she should seek cover form the storm, but she found herself spellbound as the earth shivered with each hoofbeat of his massive steed. She could only stand there, stone-still, waiting for him as if she had grown roots.
The familiar stranger drew closer and closer, his snow white horse thundering relentlessly toward her.
“Jessica,” he called out as he reached her, his voice rough and raw.
How does he know my name?
The horse stopped a barely a stride from her, and the man gazed feverishly down at her for a moment before leaping off and landing right in front of her.
She lifted her chin to meet his gaze.
He was huge, wildly masculine, yet something about his tragic expression told her she had nothing to fear from him.
“Jessica,” he said again, reaching for her hand.
When he touched her skin, a surge of emotion overcame her, like something bubbling up from somewhere deep inside.
She closed her eyes and a long-forgotten memory surfaced.
She sits on a picnic blanket, her beloved journal in her hands, taking notes and trying not to be distracted by the giddy proximity of the god-like man who reclines beside her under the willow tree.
She is in love with him already.
But he is a wealthy man from the city, only visiting her small town for a short time.
Talking with her amuses him, but he will not return her love.
She knows this, and she doesn’t mind. Loving him is enough for her, even if she has to keep it a secret.
“What are you writing about?”
His deep voice is slow and lazy, teasing her senses.
“Just notes for my book,” she replies, feeling happiness rise in her like soda bubbles.
“Jessica,” he says her name like a prayer as he sits up.
Now his size is more apparent. He dwarfs her, though she is not a small woman.
“Give me your hand,” he murmurs in that deep, rough voice.
She acquiesces without a thought, lifting her hand and placing it against his, palm to palm.
“One day you will be my queen,” he tells her.
It is a strange choice of words, but something inside her unlocks and she is overcome with wonder.
Before her eyes, delicate inky black vines grow around her ring finger and his, binding them together like magic.
“Jessica,” he says again, bending to press his lips to hers for the first time.
His kiss fills her senses and she forgets the magic she has just seen. The pleasure of his mouth on hers is the only thing left in her world.
He pulls back.
“I love you,” he tells her.
Universes seem to form and disintegrate in his eyes.
She is drowning in love, so happy that she can’t even speak to tell him she feels the same.
Jessica opened her eyes.
Vines were growing over their fingers again now, the magic as wondrous now as it was the first time.
“Our rings,” she breathed.
“I thought I’d lost you forever when mine disappeared,” he murmured. “But it was only a temporary separation.”
“We’re together again,” she whispered.
“Why did you leave me?” he asked.
She reached back to the memory, but nothing followed it.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I was in a ballroom and I hated it. The queen came and took me away, and I’ve been living in that little cottage.”
She pointed at her cottage just downhill from the meadow.
The storm wind whipped through his hair as he gazed down at her pretty little home, unimpressed.
“I didn’t have any memories before that,” she told him. “Until now.”
He clenched his jaw and she could sense his fury.
“So she trapped you here in the countryside,” he growled, “and took your memories away?”
“No,” she said. “She was so kind. I was unhappy in the ballroom, but now I have everything I could ever want.”
“Can you leave?” he asked.
“I-I’ve never tried,” she admitted. “I’ve never wanted to.”
“How long have you been here?” he asked.
The words echoed strangely in her head.
How long had she been here?
She glanced back over the meadow. Her unchanging days here melted together, making it impossible to judge the passage of time.
“The seasons haven’t changed,” she thought out loud. “So it can’t have been more than a few weeks. But it feels like maybe it’s been longer than that.”
He closed his eyes, looking troubled.
“How long has it been?” she asked, trying to understand what was upsetting him.
He looked the same as he had in her memory. His hair was dark and his face unlined. It couldn’t have been that long.
Thunder rumbled close by, rumbling to her bones.
“Let’s get out of here,” he told her. “We can talk while we ride.”
She allowed him to help her up onto the pale stallion.
The big horse pranced and snorted, but calmed when he leapt on after her.
She closed her eyes as he wrapped his arms around her, soaking in his heat and the shivers of awareness his touch awoke.
He urged the horse on and the wildflowers began to blur past them.
They headed for the hills, leaving the little cottage far behind as a cold rain began to pound down. Jessica realized that she hadn’t seen rain since she had arrived in the valley.
The cold drops felt like kisses on her cheeks, contrasting deliciously with the warm arms of the man who held her tight to his hard body as they thundered away from the only life she fully remembered.
***
Thanks for reading this sample of King of Pain!
Are you dying to find out what’s going to happen when Jessica and Cullen try to escape the fae realm? Do you want to see what happens when Jessica starts to remember more details about the man she used to love? Are you ready for more magic, more adventure, and more steamy fae king goodness?
Then grab your copy now for the rest of the story:
https://www.tashablack.com/kingofpain.html
Tasha Black Starter Library
Packed with steamy shifters, mischievous magic, billionaire superheroes, and plenty of HEAT, the Tasha Black Starter Library is the perfect way to dive into Tasha's unique brand of Romance with Bite!
Get your FREE books now at tashablack.com!
About the Author
Tasha Black lives in a big old Victorian in a tiny college town. She loves reading anything she can get her hands on, writing sci fi & paranormal romance, and sipping pumpkin spice lattes.
Get all the latest info, and claim your FREE Tasha Black Starter Library at www.TashaBlack.com
Plus you'll get the chance for sneak peeks of upcoming titles and other cool stuff!
Keep in touch…
One Percent Club
Did you know that only about one percent of readers leave a review for the books they read?
If you enjoyed this book, I invite you to become part of my One Percent Club by leaving a review.
And be sure to email me with the subject line ONE PERCENT CLUB at [email protected] to let me know when you leave a review. I’m always looking to give out more FREE review copies of other books, no strings attached!
You can also snag more free books just by signing up for my mailing list here:
Tasha’s Mailing List
I’ll let you know when I have something new coming out. Plus you'll get the chance to read unreleased sneak previews, snag free stuff, and even make suggestions on future installments!
If you want to find out more about me, check out:
TashaBlack.com
Drop me a line, I’d love to hear from you!
And thanks again for reading my book. As long as you keep reading them, I’ll keep writing them.
-Tasha