Free Dark Surrender by Mercy Walker

knew, deep down, that she wouldn’t use them. She would let him have her. Anything and everything, short of killing her.
    Last time she’d been in complete control, and though it had been exactly what she’d needed, and it had been nearly the best sex she’d ever had in her life, it had been so controlled it had been close to masturbation.
    Her mind flickered on a memory, the memory of him— the man who held the number one spot in that department, and still held a place in her heart—Günter.
    The memory practically sizzled with how wild and uncontrolled it had been, under a crescent moon, against the trunk of a great white oak tree, in the middle of the forest. He’d smelled of earth and pine, the musk of wolf. And he’d brought her to ecstasy so many times that night, using his power, his preternaturally strong body—smooth and muscular, every inch of him hard as iron.
    But he’d torn her heart, her very life, apart when he’d left. For The Hunt was more important. It was his life, his true love. And it had taken years for just the thought of him not to reopen those old wounds. The thought of him and what she’d gone through after he’d left still tore at her. But it was a pain she could bear.
    She had told herself she never wanted to feel that way again. She’d vowed she would never let another man into her heart again. That was why she’d…the mere act of remembering what she’d done to herself, and with magic, crystallized the blood in her veins, freezing her to the bone.
    The spell she’d cast that night, when she could take the pain of his leaving no longer. It seemed like such a simple thing: warding her heart from new love. Like the wards on the house, it was a simple thing to do. But she had never tried such a thing, and it was so very dangerous. She’d kept her plans hidden from her mother and sister, and yet her mother knew the moment she’d seen her again. That she’d constructed a wall of magic around her heart. And that it would never let a new love in again.
    That spell had lasted a good many years. She’d been able to ignore every single man who showed the least bit of interest, only now and then taking a man into her bed, and only for the sex. But now, it seemed, her wall of love stopping magic might be crumbling. The vampire’s hands held her arms firmly now, and though he was no warmer than room temperature, she felt heat building under her flesh where he held her.
    Oh god, how she hungered for him.
    His arms slowly slid around her and pulled her body into his. He was hard, pressing himself through the fabric of his pants against her backside. Min gulped as his mouth touched the back of her neck, causing all sorts of sensations to cascade down her spine and over her skin.
    Min looked up to the mirror over the sink to find she stood alone in its reflection. She gasped as her cold fear made a return, clogging her throat, making her gasp. No, no…not like this. If she couldn’t see him in the mirror, she couldn’t ignore or delude herself that he wasn’t the monster he really was. She tried to pull away from him, but his arms squeezed tighter and held her in place against him.
    “ Please,” she breathed, trying to turn around. “In the bedroom.”
    “ Why?” his breath was cool against the back of her neck. “So you can pretend I’m something I’m not? That I’m just some human man.” He ran his hands down her body to the hem of her negligee. He leaned his weight in against her as he pulled that thin silk shroud up around her hips, exposing her bare bottom to the cool air of the bathroom. Min gasped as his chilly hands glided over the tender flesh he’d just bared.
    “ I’m a monster, Min.”
    By the goddess, having him say her name made her feel like a compass. It gave her entire body a jolt, and made her heart…oh yes, it was indeed her magic shrouded heart. It made her heart beat harder, and faster, and only for him. Having him saying her name made him her true