Good news! There will be 30 chapters in the top tier of privilege from 1 February AND I'm having paperbacks printed that take you all the way through Zev & Sasha's Solitude. (That's the wordcount equivalent of 2 normal novels in one volu!) If you're a Top Tier Privilege reader in February, comnt on the most recently published chapter anyti in the month to enter the draw for a FREE paperback! (USA only unless you want to pay horrendous shipping, sorry!)
See you next month! (This ssage added after publication so you aren't charged for the words)
*****
~ SASHA ~
Zev didn't stop trembling, and Sasha couldn't breathe—in the most beautiful way.
They lay together, watching each other, barely speaking for the longest ti. As their breathing slowly returned to normal and heartrates eased, as the sheen of sweat dried on his forehead, they stared.
Sasha stroked his chest, but her hand kept returning to the center, pressed flat, feeling his great heart thump against her palm—in perfect ti with her own. As if he was an echo of her. As if their very bloodstream was linked.
She swallowed, so many questions bubbling to the surface, but she was reluctant to break the perfect silence.
Then she blinked.
You can hear ? she asked tentatively in her head.
He nodded.
Sasha had to bite back tears of joy. What does this an? For us, I an? What will this do to us?
I don't know, he replied honestly. Except that it ans—I hope it ans—I'll never lose you again.
There was real pain, real tornt in his tone at those words and Sasha cupped his stubbled cheek.
I hope it ans that, too.
At so point they dozed, and when Sasha woke first, it was a joy to just watch him—fully relaxed, though his strength still evident even in sleep. The way his shoulders rounded with muscle, and the cord in his neck…
She had expected that incredible ti together to sate her appetite for him, but looking at his naked torso, following the lines of his beautiful body, desire began to pool within her again.
Then Zev blinked awake to find her watching and offered a slow, lazy smile. "Sobody's hungry," he rasped, reaching out for her.
Sasha snuggled into his warm chest and sighed with happiness. She could feel him still, in her mind, in her heart. As if sothing between them had been removed and there were no more barriers. Holy shit.
She wasn't particularly hungry—not for food, anyway—and she hoped his body wouldn't drive him out of the furs too quickly. She just wanted to be close to him.
Thankfully, Zev seed more than content to lay with his chin on her head, one hand stroking her back and hair.
Eventually Sasha sighed again. "I wish I could always be like this," she murmured into his chest, kissing it at the center where his heart thumped. Then turning her head so her ear was against it when he spoke and she could listen to his deep voice rumble under his ribs.
"So do I," he said earnestly.
"What will it be like, Zev? I an, now that there's no, like, fighting or whatever. What's it like to live here? How will it work."
Zev sighed and rolled onto his back, one hand under his head. Sasha followed, laying her head on his shoulder and stroking his chest as he spoke.
"Alpha's always busy, but there's a lot of perks to it, too. You'll have a lot of etings and sotis be called to judge conflicts between the clans, or occasionally individuals if their Alphas couldn't sort it out. And anyti there's a Rite, or—"
"No, Zev. I an… I do want to hear that. But… first… what's it like for us? Where will we live? In the tree house?"
It took him a beat to answer, and she felt him tense under her hand, but he cleared his throat and nodded. "Yeah, probably. That's probably the wisest choice," he said, his voice a little distracted as if he were deep in thought. "You need to be close so they can reach you in an ergency. And I think for you being in one of the treehouses will probably be the most comfortable. Until we move to the City—which I'd recomnd you do as soon as we know the hierarchy's settled."
"Just to be further away from the humans?" she asked.
"Mostly. But also… we need space to bring the females back to. And… I don't know how Xar convinced them all to move out, but even though the City will be a little big for the numbers we have now, it's also a lot better set up. And that will help with keeping everyone comfortable and in line…"
They continued chatting for a long ti, Zev describing a life Sasha could barely fathom—being up with the sun, making decisions, gathering for every al, eting with Alphas and groups who needed help or would want her approval.
"That's the thing," she said finally. "I won't have a clue, Zev. It just doesn't seem right for to be making decisions for these people! Why can't I just give Alpha to you?"
Zev ran his hand through his hair. "You can eventually. But I don't know, Sash. I can't kick the feeling that there's a reason for this. I know it's scary for you, but I'll be there. I'll be your second, and your advisor. Skhal will help. Probably Lhars too. And I think you can count on Kyelle to support you—she's always said we need more female Alphas so we can move past the alpha male peacocking and into sanity. At least, that's how she says it. I'm not sure I agree," Zev said dryly.
Sasha giggled. "I kinda liked the peacocking," she said, pushing up on an elbow to lean over him.
Zev t her eyes and smiled lazily. "Oh? Do tell. Let make sure and offer my Alpha any peacocking she might want or need," he said, pulling her down over him for a kiss.
Sasha humd into his mouth, but kept the kiss soft. He was tired, she could tell. And it seed like he was finally hitting vacation mode. She'd always found whenever she took a break it took a day or two for her to really unwind. Zev's slower, lazier pace today struck her as soone who was finally taking a rest after a stressful ti and she didn't want to snap him out of it.
So while she might have buried her fingers in his hair and teased him with her tongue, she didn't push for more, but slowed the kiss, then broke it to pull back far enough to et his eyes.
"I'll make you a deal," she said softly.
"What's that?" Zev traced a strand of hair behind her ear with one finger.
"I won't whine about being Alpha if you promise not to leave my side. And we do this together. There's things I won't understand and might get wrong. I can't learn all that in couple days, Zev. And I don't want to screw these people up. I want to help you get the females back, and kick the humans out. But I don't think I have to be Alpha to do that."
"We'll see," he dismissed her easily. When she frowned and opened her mouth to protest, he shook his head and rushed in to speak. "No, Sash, I'm not saying you're not right. I'm saying, we'll see. We haven't had a minute to breathe since we arrived—and neither has anyone else. There's so much to this picture even I don't know yet. I'm not making any more big changes until we're certain we know how we're heading into this. So just… relax, okay? You have to just be you. Be certain of what you're aiming for, and why. The rest we can figure out as we go. And I'll help you. I promise. I won't leave your side. We'll do it together."
Sasha smiled down at him. "As long as you promise. Beside . Always."
"There's nowhere else I want to be," he rumbled, then pulled her down into another kiss.
*****
If you're a King of Beasts fan, it's Reth's Birthday (Anniversary?) this Sunday! If you'd like to join for the LIVE voicechat with Reth rch giveaways, and so fun surprises, visit linktr.ee/aielynn and join my discord chat.. The event will be there at 1pm PST, Sunday, 6 February (Los Angeles date and ti!) See you there! (This ssage added after publication so you aren't charged for the words.)
Reviews
All reviews (0)