How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days (The Embraced #1)

Enjoy? Leo snorted. He couldn’t imagine a wedding night more awkward than this. “I would like to question your eyewitness.”


She winced, then gulped down some wine. “He’s not available at the moment.”

Leo tapped a gloved finger on the table while he studied her. “Is he one of your spies?”

She nodded and bit into a strawberry.

“And he works in the kitchen?”

She nodded again.

Leo thought back. Hadn’t Brody told him she had talked to the ghost of a boy who had died years ago in the kitchen? He had to be the ghost who had warned her in the Great Hall.

She ripped a small loaf of bread in half and offered him a piece. “May I ask you a question now?”

“Yes.” He topped his bread with a slice of cheese and took a bite.

“Why are you so determined to keep my father and me safe? Why are you endangering yourself in our stead and risking the wrath of the king?”

Leo swallowed hard. Because it was the right thing to do. The noble thing. Because she deserved to live long and be happy. He could give her countless reasons, but deep in his heart he knew the truth.

The Beast wanted to be loved.

And it had to be her. He cared about her.

He snorted. He wasn’t even sure who she was.

The dressing room door opened, and Gabriella eased inside, giving him a fearful look.

He stood and motioned to the floor between the table and the bed. “While you lay out the blankets, I’ll put away my clothes and check on the guards.”

“Yes, my lord.” The maid scurried out of his way as he brought his knapsack into the dressing room.

He tossed it in the corner next to the knapsack he’d brought from camp, then headed through the maid’s room to the servants’ corridor. There he found Jensen and three more guards.

After they bowed and swore they would be extra vigilant, he returned to the dressing room. As he opened the door, he spotted Ana and froze. She had moved close to an upholstered chair. She glanced quickly over her shoulder at the maid whose back was turned to her as she spread blankets on the floor.

Ana leaned over to peer closely at the upholstery. Her fingers skimmed over the fabric, then with a look of relief, she straightened. As her gaze lifted, Leo stepped to the side out of view.

More secrets? Dammit.

He poured fresh water into the basin to wash his face and hands, then dried off with a linen towel. His gaze drifted around the room, taking in the shelves lined with Ana’s gowns, a stack of folded white shifts, another stack of nightgowns, a basket filled with ribbons and pins for her hair. In the middle of the room, a large copper tub sat with a spigot for draining the water into buckets.

He smiled to himself. This was where she took her infamous long baths. Nearby, a small table stood with more baskets containing scented soap, lavender, and rose petals. He lifted a glass bottle and uncorked it to take a sniff. Scented oil.

If he were a normal newlywed husband, he would take this to bed and slather her sweet body with it, touching and tasting every inch of her, using it to make her legs slick as they wrapped around him, her thighs warm and welcoming.

But he was not normal. The lightning power was still strong, sizzling beneath his skin, eager for release. Unfortunately, his cock didn’t know that and had another sort of release in mind.

Lightning rod? Damn. That might be too close to the truth.

With a sigh, he corked the bottle and set it back on the table. He pulled his gloves back on and a cape from one of the knapsacks. The loose material might help to conceal the bulge in his breeches.

When he entered the bedchamber, Ana was back at the table, seated and finishing her plate of food.

“That is all, Gabriella,” he told the maid. “You may retire for the night. Be assured there are guards outside your door to keep you safe.”

“Yes, my lord. Thank you.” She curtsied, then ran into the dressing room, closing the door behind her.

He sat at the table and wrenched off one boot, then the other. “I will be gone during the day for the next few days. Your father is showing me the nearby villages and castles, introducing me to his vassals—”

“Your vassals.”

Leo dropped a boot with a loud clunk. “The tour is to help spread the word that I’m the new duke. The sooner everyone hears the news, the safer you will be.”

“The last assassin might still be here.”

“I know.” Leo unbuckled his sword belt and laid it next to the blankets. “You’ll be guarded as usual.” He glanced up at her. “Be careful.”

“You, too.” She stood. “Did you want to sleep now? I’ll fetch you a pillow.” She rushed over to the bed and grabbed one. “Here.”

“Thank you.” He dropped it at the top of the blanket. “I know this isn’t the sort of marriage you probably dreamed about—”

“Don’t.” She regarded him sadly. “Don’t apologize for who you are.”

“You had to marry a Beast.”

“I married an amazing man.”

His heart lurched. “Ana.” He stepped toward her.

“Good night, Leo.” She blew out the candle next to her bed, then quickly took off her robe.

In the firelight, he could see the shape of her body beneath the white nightgown. The material wasn’t quite as sheer as the other nightgown he’d admired, but he was still able to detect the roundness of her rump as she climbed into bed.

“Good night,” he whispered as he settled onto the blankets. He stretched out, his back to her, his cape wrapped around to conceal his swollen groin. It was damned uncomfortable sleeping in overly tight breeches.

Rustling sounds from the bed tormented him as he imagined her long legs stretching beneath cool sheets. He watched the fire in the hearth, the flames slowly dying till the logs glowed with an amber light.

More rustling sounds. A soft, feminine sigh.

“Leo,” she whispered. “Are you awake?”

“Yes.” He rolled onto his back to glance at the bed.

She was sitting up and watching him. “Maybe we should use this time to get better acquainted.”