More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
Read between
February 7 - February 9, 2025
Potatoes are by far the most versatile crop. You can fry them up, bake them, or throw them at undesirable men who refuse to leave you alone.
Cin stomped her foot. “Not my potato! Throw something else at him!”
With the force of every woman tired of broke men’s audacity, I yeeted the drink straight at Jack’s head. Unfortunately for me, that broke man could dodge.
“Love potion or not, you can’t fake a hunger like this. If it weren’t for this crowd, I’d show you just how much I already burn for you. You’re mine, Brie.”
Yet the thought of more social interaction made me want to crawl into a hole for at least a week.
“Please don’t run from me, Brie,” he panted. “It’s getting me a little too excited.”
“OK, so I hope you like—WHERE ARE YOUR CLOTHES?”
“Judging by the rather interesting books you have on this shelf, I assumed the idea might excite you.” Oh gods, he found my romance books.
“Let’s see, ‘Wicked Wolves and Wandering Women,’ ‘A Shifter’s Desires.’” Kill me now.
Judging by the sea of Alpha titles and barrel-chested men on the covers, is it fair to say an aggressive approach would work better on you?”
“Should I growl in your ear that you’re mine and toss you over my shoulder? I admit it’s not my style, but for you, Lamb? Anything.”
“Just say the word, Lamb. Tell me you want me too. I’d be more than happy to fulfill any desires those books gave you.”
“A sweet little lamb protecting the virtue of the wolf trying to eat her up. You really are something, Brie. What about when my two weeks are up? If I still burn for you then, what will you do?”
Gods, the look of desire in her big brown eyes was so beautiful. I almost dropped to my knees and prayed to it. If it wasn’t for that damn love potion, would she have let me?
“BARAKU, OPEN THIS DOOR! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO STOP STEALING ANIMALS?” Loud shuffling, followed by a “baa” noise, sounded off behind the door. “There are no animals in here!” “DON’T LIE TO ME, BARAKU!”
“These accusations are false. I stole no goats!”
“It might be more than a sting,” Dante muttered. “OH YOU LIED. YOU LYING SACK OF CLOUD SCALES!”
“THIS HONOR IS RIPPING THROUGH MY SKIN LIKE THE POISON OF A BASILISK. YOU SICK WARLOCK OF PAIN!” “I know,” he chuckled. “It’s heinous. I’ve never gotten to do it to anyone else before.” He turned to Isaak and Balabash. “Who’s next?”
“It’s a lot less painful than what your woman would go through if you put her through childbirth. You can’t expect her to go through worse pain if you yourself can’t even offer her this.”
“But with the church being burned down, and you know… the economy.” “Felix,” I said, impatience bleeding into my voice. “Well, it turns out if you show up with claws, fangs, and three orcs, they’ll let you do just about anything.”
“And if none of these removal spells work… then we’re going to have to have sex.” Phaaos, God of Love, Lust, and Hunt, I will place a kill at your altar every week until my dying breath. I cleared my throat. The table was only two and a half feet at best. It would be nothing to reach her across from it. “That… seems like a brilliant plan. I have no complaints.”
Brie flipped to a bookmarked page and ran a finger down the text. Anger burned through me, and I looked away. This is ridiculous. I am not jealous of paper. But I wanted her hands on me.
“Do you want to sleep first? If the love potion isn’t too bad, we can do this tomorrow.” “Can I sleep with you?” I am nothing if not an opportunist.
“I promise not to ravish you in the night. We can put a wall of pillows up, if that would help.” She widened her eyes and nodded. “Oh, of course, a wall of pillows. The one true way to stop a werewolf! Why didn’t I think of that?”
“And while yes, a fated-mate-type situation would do wonders for my abandonment issues, I’m just not that lucky.”
“Who abandoned you, sweetheart? I’ll bring you his head.”
Desperate to keep her smiling, words flooded out of my mouth like vomit. “Maybe he didn’t abandon you. It’s possible he was just eaten by an alligator or something.” Stupid. Why would you say that? That’s terrible. She paused. “You know, that kinda makes me feel better.” Oh. OK, never mind. That worked.
“This next page says I have to sing a chant. Don’t laugh,” she warned. I raised my glass. “Serenade me, my sweet.” Her nose scrunched, making my heart swell.
A beautiful singer my lamb was not. Sipping my drink, I relaxed on the love seat, clapping when she finally finished. “Beautiful, my darling.” She stomped her foot and snarled. “Oh, don’t you patronize me! Are you out of love yet?”
“We should add rocking chairs to the front porch so we can watch the sunset together every evening. How do you feel about the name Rowan? That’s our first son. Hopefully, he’ll inherit your strong stomach. Most werewolves I know have issues with dairy. I imagine hybrid children will have a stronger disposition. Cheese pups, if you will.”
LMAOOO
“Oh, I could just throw this book at your head!” A small chuckle escaped me. “Is that your love language? You seem to love throwing things at me.”
Instinct and reason raged a brutal war. Reason, being a cunning bitch, pulled the win out of thin air.
“Felix,” she screamed, her body quivering. “Gods yes. Cry for me, gorgeous.”
“But if not now, darling, when?” “Yes, Brie,” Cinnamon purred. The edge in her voice was practically a knife to my throat. “Best friend of twenty years, whom I just spoke to less than an hour ago. When were you going to tell me you were married?”
A low thumping sound knocked against the porch railing, but it was too dark to see what it was. “Alright,” he said. “Is your tail wagging?” I asked. “No.” The thumping stopped.
It was childish of me, but I pulled the blankets further over her head. Anything to make the moment last a little longer. When it ended, Brie would remember to be wary of me. She’ll pull away and I’ll be stuck waiting until the next time she lets her guard down. But for a moment, I was a little less scary than the noises outside. For a moment, she was mine.
“I’m going to be so pissed off if I’m not your fated mate.” My heart stopped. “What?”
“Lie to me if you have to. Just tell me you’ll stay when this is over.”
“Let me get this straight. You’re going to ask a dragon, an actual titan creature, to stop the rain so you can go on a date.” Impatience twitched at the edge of my soaked tail. “What else does he have going on today? It’s not like we’re out robbing ships.”
Besides, Dante is one of us. He’s not going to burn the world over a nap. Now move!” “I might,” came an impossibly deep voice.
“What did you bring to trade?” “I’ll give ya a heartfelt ‘thanks,’ friend.” He snorted. “Try again.”
“You eat pies?” “No, I shove them up my ass,” he growled. “Yes, I eat them. There’s a shop on Main Street called Sonia’s Sweet Treats. I want three of her lemon meringue pies.”
“It just stays warm here? Is that why you have so little food stored in your pantry? I thought the village had been hit with a terrible famine and you lost your winter supplies.” “You’ve gotta stop rummaging through my things.”
“It’s my duty to ensure that you wouldn’t starve in the cold months. I only wanted to see how much hunting I’d have to do.” “How gallant,” I replied dryly. He nodded, pleased. “I’m glad you understand.”
“Your ass is going to regret that later.” “Eh, it can take a tentacle, it can take a pie.”
“If I shout how much I want you from the rooftops, will you fall into my arms?”
“Yet, in the same breath, I resent any interference that takes me away from you. Even for a brief moment.”
“I want to hang my coat next to your door and place my boots at your entryway, so anyone who comes to see you knows that there’s a man in your life. I want to place my clothes in your dresser so our scents mix together.” His voice lowered to a hungry growl against my breast. “I want a great many things and I honestly just don’t know how to be patient about it.”
Still a fidgeting mess, Felix gathered up his tattered clothes, shoved them in front of his crotch, and turned away from me. Then slammed a hand down on his overzealous tail. “Just give me a minute,” he called back. Well, that might just be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
The fire in my veins held more desperation than I ever knew I was capable of feeling. And Felix, Felix touched me in a way that was akin to reverence.
