When I wake up, I’m curled up against Jules with my head resting on his bare, tattooed chest. The position throws me off. Never once when I slept in the same bed with Legend did I cuddle up with him. I was never that comfortable. And I’ve never slept with a shirtless guy before. Or werewolf.

Even more alarming is that I woke up on my own and don’t feel cranky. Probably because I had the best sleep of my life. And no, that isn’t an exaggeration.

I angle my head and glimpse the shaded tattoos that ink his sculpted chest and torso. Dark lines form poetic words, shapes, and angles that create fierce images and tell a story.

My gaze travels all the way to the top of his pajama bottoms—yes, he’s wearing pants, to my wolf’s displeasure. Peeking out from the waistband near his hipbone is a star-shaped mark, the Violet Mountain pack’s mark. And alongside it is a cursive E. I have the oddest compulsion to peek under the waistband to see if the letter leads to my real name, but that thought makes me feel extremely perverted, so I resist the temptation.

Instead of waiting around for him to wake up, I get up and head for the bathroom to wash off last night’s events. The room has been tidied up; the blood scrubbed from the floors. I wonder if Jules has a maid and how in the realms they managed to clean up the room without waking us.

After I finish showering, I towel dry off then search the bathroom for my backpack, but I can’t find it anywhere. I crack the door open, and my confusion doubles. My backpack is on a chair in front of the fireplace and my clothes are stacked and folded on top of a trunk.

Since Jules appears to still be sleeping, I wrap the towel around my body and tiptoe across the room.

“Is that what you’re wearing to training?”

I screech like a wild banshee, the towel nearly falling off as I whirl around.

Jules is sitting up in bed, leaning against the headboard with his legs stretched out, a grin teasing his lips.

“I thought you were sleeping.” I tighten the towel around me, trying to calm the hell down, but the more his gaze drinks me in, the more my pulse sprints.

“That doesn’t explain why you’re creeping around in my room in a towel?” His brow quirks. So do the corners of his lips. “Not that I’m complaining.”

As I scowl at him, his smile breaks through.

“My clothes were in the bathroom last night, but I didn’t notice until after I showered that they weren’t in there anymore,” I explain as my skin warms. “I’m not sure how, but they ended up out here.”

He stands up and rounds the foot of the bed. “That was probably Lalana.”

“Who’s Lalana?”

“The werewolf who takes care of my place.”

“Is she also the one who left me the food last night?” I ask, and he nods, playing with the edge of the towel and causing tingles to spill across my skin. “But how did she know to bring the food? All you did was snap your fingers.”

“We have a magical connection.”

“Oh.” Why does it suddenly feel like my heart is bottoming to my stomach?

“It’s not like that.” He reads right through me. “It’s a spell I had put on us so I don’t always have to find her when I need her. My guards have the same magical connection, as well.”

“Oh.” That oh sounds a lot more cheerful than my last one.

He totally notices, too, grinning. “Don’t worry; you’re my only alterum dimidium animae.”

“I’m not worried.” Liar. “I just …” You just what?

Suck at lying.

“I’ll let you off the hook this time.” His grin is all sorts of wicked. “Just know, though, that you only get a few freebies.”

I raise my chin. “I won’t need any more freebies, I can assure you.”

“If you say so.”

“I know so.”

And we’ve said that to each other before, too.

I stare down at my limited selection of clothes. “So, what am I supposed to wear to train in, anyway?”

“Whatever you have that’s comfortable.”

I drop the clothes onto the floor. “Well, that pretty much eliminates everything.”

He bends down and scoops up a lacy piece of fabric. I realize too late it’s my underwear.

“I don’t know. These look pretty comfortable.” He chuckles as I snatch the underwear from him.

“Is this what you’re like all the time?” I loathe that I’m blushing again.

“No. Not at all.” His tongue slips out to wet his lips, and I catch the glint of his metallic tongue ring. “But I’ve also never had you standing here in front of me in nothing but a towel that barely covers up anything.” He tilts his head to the side and deliberately checks me out.

I pinch his nipple hard, and he winces, laughing.

“Eyes on my face, dude.” Yeah, like you really mean that, Lake. “And tell me what I should wear, for reals.”

He contains his laughter, but his eyes still sparkle. “Honestly, none of your clothes work. You need something you can move around in. I’ll have Liberty bring you something.”

Nodding, I sink down on the foot of the bed. “That would be great. Thanks.”

“I’ll be right back, then.” He smiles as he starts to leave, but pauses before he walks out of the room. “I had a really great time last night.” He suddenly seems shy. “I haven’t slept like that in ages.”

“Me neither.”

We trade a shy smile, and then he exits the room.

I flop back on the bed, my heart fluttering like a cracked-out hummingbird. He may not be my alterum dimidium animae, but damn if my heart seems to think otherwise. I take several breaths, trying to get my heartrate and my wolf to chill out. But by the time Jules returns, I’m still a riled-up mess of want, desire, and confusion.

* * *

A few minutes after Jules leaves his bedroom, Liberty shows up with an arm full of clothes. She decides my best choice is a pair of black fitted pants, lace up boots, and a tank top. She also tells me to put my hair up in case I have to fight Shade.

“Total hair puller,” she explains.

After I get dressed, Jules, Shade, Kylan, Liberty, and I depart to the training pit while Legend takes off to his hometown to run some errands. He assures me he’ll be back by nightfall, though.

As we’re walking down the dirt road toward the forest, we cross paths with a little bit of a problem. Well, problem might be a stretch.

“And here comes the horny princesses in heat,” Liberty murmurs from beside me as a group of female werewolves around our age head up the street toward us.

“Why do you call them that?” I ask as we near the group of giggling female werewolves.

She twirls a knife around in her hand like a baton. “Because they’re some of the potential princesses, and they all try to dry hump Jules’ leg every time they get near him. Not all the princesses are that bad, but those five right there are the female version of Shade.”

“Hey,” Shade starts to protest, but then shrugs. “Okay, I guess you’re right. Although, I don’t giggle like they do.”

“Sure you don’t.” Liberty rolls her eyes.

The two of them start bickering, while I inch closer to Jules.

“I thought you said you weren’t a player?” I jokingly elbow him in the side.

He gives me an unimpressed look. “I don’t do anything to get their attention. They just want me because I’m the prince.”

I snort a laugh. “Yeah, right.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you’re good-looking, which I’m sure you already know.”

“I do, but it’s nice to hear you say it.” He laughs as I flip him the middle finger. Then he captures my hand and tows me to his side. “For the record, I don’t ask for their attention, nor do I want it.”

I believe him. After what Shade and Liberty told me, how could I not?

“I actually hate their attention.” He drapes his arm around my shoulders. “It’s a good thing I now have my very own personal bodyguard to keep all the horny princesses in heat away from my innocent leg.”

I shake my head. “No, no, no. I don’t do catfights.”

“Don’t fight them, then. Just mark your territory.” A dare sparkles in his blue eyes.

“So, you want me to pee on you?” I ask, and Liberty and Shade bark with laughter. Kylan even cracks a smile.

“No, smartass. We’re not dogs.” He breathes in my ear. “We’re wolves. We don’t pee on each other to mark our territory. We bite.”

And there goes that crazy hummingbird in my chest again.

“But you told me not to bite you until I was ready.”

“Just graze your teeth along my skin a bit,” he taunts, daring me. “That’ll be enough to keep them away.”

I feel like we’re playing a game. A flirty, tempting, wildly exciting game.

“Maybe I don’t care,” I taunt back. “Maybe I want you to fend for yourself.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, then.” He starts to move away and I just about let him, wanting to win our game. But then the princesses’ giggles hit my ears, along with the not so discreet whispers about my apparently gangly body and the dirty remarks about Jules’ tight ass, and my wolf growls for me to shut up the horny princesses in heat.

“Fine.” That’s all I say before I close my eyes and graze my teeth along Jules’ collarbone.

A throaty groan falters from his lips as he tangles his fingers through my hair, tugging at the roots.

My senses flare, my wolf purring, as I drag my teeth along the base of his throat, a little rougher this time. Jules’ chest quivers, and then he’s pulling me away.

I peer up at him, wondering if I hurt him, only to find his violet eyes shining down at me.

“Did I do it right?” I sound breathless.

He nods, his chest rising and crashing with each breath he takes. “You did it fucking perfectly.”

I peek down the street to find the princesses are gone then smile up at him. “You’re welcome.”

He laughs hoarsely, shaking his head. “You’re a fucking handful. But yes, thank you.” He kisses my forehead, untangles his fingers from my hair, and takes my hand. Then we start up the street again like nothing happened.

But something did. I can feel it in the electric air. A shift. A lightness. A spark. I just wish I knew what it meant.