Bewitching Rhaego (Clecanian, #8)

by Victoria Aveline

Memories of abject terror warping her pretty face and the stench of fear still clinging to her sweat compounded his self-loathing. The only thing he’d accomplished this day was ensuring this beautiful creature would never want him.

“Your husbands will retrieve you in a few minutes.” “The fuck they will,” Maggie barked.

Hahaha I love her

Rhaego stretched his hand out, palm already tingling, and placed it over hers. Her hand disappeared under his much larger one. Only her fingertips remained visible. Out of nowhere, his purr galloped out of his chest before he could contain it. He muffled it immediately, face flaming all the way to his horns. She flinched and peered sideways at him. Her bright blue eyes finally met his. He was disarmed. Breathless. Brows drawing together, she studied him. Oh Goddess. He hoped she couldn’t see how furiously he was blushing.

As an entomologist,

Oooo FMC into bugs!

cooking was a mainstay of her identity as a kitchen witch

A what now?

She especially wanted to see if she could find anything to use for a protection charm.

It’s giving crystal mommy who treats her son’s epilepsy with essential oils

“That sound…” “My purr?” he supplied. His voice nearly rattled with it. “It tickles,” she breathed.

To Aurora, food carried deeper meaning. Flavor, color, appearance, historical usage, and even shape all contributed to how an ingredient functioned in a spell. What called to her most when eating the subeanta was the flavor—carrots. There was no way he could know that carrots were often associated with love and lust, though. Right? She perked up. They were also tied to clarity. Maybe she could craft a little spell with these ingredients to help process all she’d learned and clear her mind.

What in the Gwyneth Paltrow is going on here?

Clutching the flower to her chest, she beamed up at Rhaego. His purr rumbled out of him for a moment before he muffled it and blushed.

Adorable

She overstimulated his senses. The only thing that seemed to calm the giddiness was his purr, so whenever she ventured far enough away, he let the rumble out. Bending again and pushing the round tops of her glorious bosom over the neckline of her dress, Aurora sniffed another flower. A pained keen invaded his deep purr.

Fuck. The base of his horns throbbed, and his musk invaded the air. “Sorry. Could you just…” She placed a hand on the lower curve of his horn and gently tipped it down, presumably to get a better look at the creature. Rhaego’s insides exploded with fever. It raced like fire through his veins and flooded his cock. She didn’t realize how sensitive his horns were when his glands were active.

Her hand was still absently clasped around his horn. His fever was restrained by a ragged thread. “That was unbel—” Her fingers slipped across his horn when she let go, and he couldn’t hide the choked growl that escaped him. With a squeak of surprise, she tried to jump away, but despite all his best efforts, his hands shot out. They locked around her hips, holding her in place. “A moment…please,” he grated in a gravelly voice unnatural to his own ears.

Her eyes flashed over the blush hot on his face. He prayed on all the good deeds he’d ever committed that his glands hadn’t produced enough to make his horns slick. He could scent the stench of his miserable musk even now, and all he wanted to do was rub his face across every inch of her exposed skin, marking her. Rhaego swallowed. Then tried to speak, but couldn’t. He clenched his jaw and swallowed again. Though it was embarrassing, the truth was best. At least some of it. “My horns are quite sensitive this time of year.” A look of horror exploded across Aurora’s face. “Oh my god.” Her hands flashed out like she was about to touch him, then she stopped herself. He wanted to bark in frustration. “I’m so, so sorry. Did I hurt you? I can’t believe how thoughtless that was.” She put her hands over her mouth and shook her head, furrowing her brows. “Did I hurt you?” she asked again. “No,” he forced out slowly. “But—” Her words died out as she studied his blazing face and concluded what else sensitive might mean. “Oh…I…” “It’s alright,” he assured as he watched the color drain from her cheeks. “You couldn’t know.”

Aurora’s hair was silky and damp, gliding across his palm like water. Extending the claws on his right hand, he brushed them through her mane, working out the knots. He scraped the sharp tips across her scalp gently and nearly combusted when she let out a little sound of pleasure and shivered. With her position below him, he had a clear view of her bare neck, shoulders, and chest and he almost growled when he caught sight of goose bumps rising on her skin. Unable to stop himself, he scraped his claws over her scalp again and purred when she trembled in answer.

“They all think I’m here because you did something wrong?” Wives didn’t do these chores. Phirdo had told her as much this morning. She’d known this logically, but she hadn’t quite understood what her being here would look like to these judgmental people. Rhaego didn’t answer, but the stiffness in his expression told her she was right. “Why did you offer to bring me if you knew this would happen?” she whispered while eyeing all the shoppers sneaking glances in their direction. “Because I knew it’d bring you joy.” Her gaze swung back to his, but she was having trouble finding her words. His head dipped low, and his brows lifted. “It does, doesn’t it?” Throat dry and insides squirming with heat, she nodded. A small, relieved smile lifting his lips. “Then that’s all that matters.” Damn, he’s a sweet man! Her heart swelled until she couldn’t contain herself any longer. She stretched to the tips of her toes, just far enough to plant a kiss on his cheek. When she lowered to her heels, Rhaego remained stooped. Eyes wide and face flushed, a red glow burned around his pupils, leaching out into his gray irises like a creeping fire. The rumble of his purr lit the air before he smothered it. Her belly somersaulted. “Thank you.” She peered at the pink man and found his eyes wide and his hands frozen halfway between wrapping their fillets. “I know it’s a little unorthodox for me to be here, but I was just so curious. An alien planet with all new fish and animals and spices. Wouldn’t you ...

Rhaego had dreaded this trip. Even understanding how much joy she’d derive from a market visit, he’d still shriveled a little inside knowing every Tuvastan would assume she was there because he needed supervision, because he’d failed in his previous selections. A mortifying situation for any husband. But their mocking glances had quickly morphed into ones of curiosity, confusion, and even jealousy after she’d kissed him. His cheek still burned from it, and his mind swam with theories as to why she might have done it. Had she realized she was expressing extreme satisfaction with her husband by kissing him? Or had she done it as a kindness for bringing her here? A platonic kindness? Regardless of why she’d done it, he’d never walked through a crowd of Tuvastans with his head held so high.

“What are you doing back there anyway?” “May I smell you?” he asked, trying to keep the rasp from his voice at her nearness. It’d be so easy to haul her against his chest. “I… Yeah. I guess.” Her words came out quiet and a little breathless. He wanted to interpret the catch in her voice in one very specific way, but he kept himself from doing so. She flinched when, from behind, he slipped his palms over her hips, dipping low under her soft belly until they spanned the right area. “What are you doing?” She scooted back a fraction in surprise but stilled when he dipped his nose into the crook of her neck and inhaled. His purr came easily. He knew it would. Goddess, it took nearly all his effort to keep it buried when he was around her. In truth, he hadn’t needed to scent her to call it forth, but it was an easy excuse, a selfish boon he allowed himself to take. The rumble built, strong and resonant, the vibration running down his muscles and reverberating through his hands laid firmly over her womb. After a moment of stiffness, the touch and the heat from his palms must have registered. Aurora moaned, her rigid figure melting and falling back against his chest.

Rhaego stooped, head dipping until his nose brushed against her throat, his rumbling purr making goose bumps erupt across her skin. Gently, he nuzzled her throat, her shoulder, her cheek. His lips brushed against the column of her neck, and she sucked in a breath at the feel of fang. It was far more thrilling than she’d imagined. Her head lolled to the side to give him better access.

Would you like it if I tended your hair?” Rhaego’s gaze widened. “You…you don’t have to do that.” “Would you like it?” Aurora pressed, hands lifting in preparation. He swallowed, a sense of longing seeping into his expression as he peered at her fingers. “Yes.” Aurora grinned. “Then turn around.” Slowly, he did as she asked, but his muscles remained tense. Let’s see if we can fix that, she mused, raking her fingers across his scalp between his horns. A moan rattling with a purr poured out of him. The sound sent hot throbbing directly to her core.

it affects him. It hurts him. That trash is a spell I made to help keep others from gossiping about him.”

“You’ve had an awful week.” She kissed one knuckle, earning a purr. “And I know you’re in pain.” Another knuckle, another kiss. “I’ll make you feel better.” Kiss. “I promise.” By the time she’d reached his last knuckle, he was purring so hard it tickled her fingertips.

Aiming a hard, uncompromising stare at him, she bent her head to the wide mushroom tip of his cock and said, “You will let me tend to you, husband.”

But now she placed the horn on a flattened patch of grass like it were a fragile masterpiece. Sighing, she set out some other items to be charged alongside the horn. A jar of water, her favorite cooking tools, a few pieces of jewelry with stones she was particularly drawn to. She’d even gathered some of Rhaego’s things so they’d be charged with energy as well.

Her “magic” is my least favorite part of this book. It reminds me of anti-vaxxers and quacks who claim they can cure actual diseases with supplements. I cannot stop cringing

Yaskan walked ahead, and Maggie and Khurrik walked side by side. The human’s voice carried down the halls. “Tough day, huh, buddy? You did the right thing.” She awkwardly patted the stiff soldier on the shoulder. “Would it make you feel better to chase me around a little? I’ll let you catch me.” Khurrik’s head snapped down toward Maggie, brows lifting to his horns.

🤣