Unbound by April Vine Page B

together when they were younger, getting into all sorts of trouble collectively as they cavorted around the vast Gray lands but having a blast at the same time. She had the fondest memories of those days until Sebastian left. Now she wished none of them had to see her with her defenses down, fighting a spell she had no control over.
    “How have you been?”
    She avoided Nick’s question, her gaze sifted out Sebastian’s. Already he transformed into her lifeline in the thick mist of tension surrounding them. She read the silent questions passing from his two friends onto him in the air alone. The bond they shared rivaled that of blood brothers.
    Sebastian curled his arm around her waist and pulled her against his body. If he wanted to comfort her, he achieved that plus sent shock waves radiating from her skin as her body paralleled alongside his. For a second she confused her reaction to him for the lust spell. But she could tell the difference now, and that reaction stemmed from the real her.
    “You know where my bedroom is?” His whisper brushed against her hair. She nodded. “I’ll be up in a minute.” She lingered, hesitant to leave the hot security his body provided. “It’ll be okay.” She nodded again then smiled at Nick and Zach with a little more effort. Her legs trembled as she walked through the great hall, up the long winding staircase and into his room. She daren’t breathe, too afraid if she let out her breath, everything would come tumbling around her.
    She didn’t recognize the new black wood furniture, the clean lines of the décor, the expensive art gracing his room, here where he crushed her hopes, it was different ten years ago. But his masculinity seized her without grace. He’d taken a shower in his bathroom this morning, slept in that king-size bed the night before, probably straight from arriving in his private jet. Faint hints of his cologne lingered in the air, the aura of his presence as overpowering in person as in his absence.
    She sank onto his bed, sat on the edge as rapid breaths fired from her lungs, leaving her terrified. For the first time in her life she didn’t know what to expect next. She had no control, had to rely on Sebastian to steer her through the storm and keep her safe long enough to dispel the treacherous spell her aunts cast on her but which she’d defied because… The burden of blame landed squarely on her shoulders.
    She dragged her thumb across the palm of her other hand. Her pulse flogged the inside of her wrist. She lost hold on the anodyne attitude she claimed before and now it gave way to animalism. “Sebastian,” she whispered. The crunch of lust compressed her stomach. “Sebastian,” she screamed.
    Pain shot through her veins, starting from her feet to her knees, up her thighs and into her chest then crash landed inside her brain. She cradled her head, a dead weight on her neck.
    She slumped to her knees, the brunt of her balance rested on her knuckles. Her head lolled then dropped. Her ears peaked at the sound of Sebastian scaling the stairway. The smell of his leather shoes, the detergent on his socks, the essential oils of his cologne, right down to the perfumer’s alcohol carried through the space between them. But the incense of his blood excited her. She yearned to roll in his natural scent—to cover her body with it.
    The door opened.
    She hauled herself against him, eating from his mouth without restraint. Her body pressed against his rigid cock, her panties hopelessly drenched already.
    Not enough.
    She grabbed a handful of his shirt and yanked him toward the edge of the bed. Her fingers tore through his buttons then curled around the collar of his shirt as she ripped it in half. She worked his belt and zipper with nimble fingers before she tipped him onto the bedcovers—yanking his pants, boxers, socks and shoes off in a fluid motion. She didn’t stop to question her stealth, the absurd speed influencing all her movements or the