Luna Forsaken (Arya and James) novel Chapter 217

217 Back Seat Vows 2

Arya’s POV

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Lev leaned closer, and for one stupid second I thought he was going to kiss me properly.

Not one of those quick teasing kisses he liked to throw at me just to watch me lose

sense. A real one. The kind that would make me forget we were in a car and not alone.

The kind that would ruin what little control I had left. But instead, he brushed his lips

against my jaw. Barely there. Just enough to make me feel it. Just enough to make me

wait for more. Then his teeth grazed the skin near my ear.

Not hard.

Not painful.

Just sharp enough.

I sucked in a breath before I could stop myself.

Lev’s voice stayed low when he said,

“Don’t fight me so hard.”

“I’m not fighting.”

That was a lie and we both knew it.

He hummed like he did not believe me, and because I could not handle the way my own

body was reacting, I did the only thing I could do without fully embarrassing myself. I hit his chest lightly with my fist. Not a real hit. Just enough to say something. Just enough to release some of the frustration clawing inside me. Lev laughed under his breath and kissed the corner of my mouth, quick and warm.

“Good. Keep that fire. I like it.”

I stared at him, breathing unevenly, and hated how calm he looked. Hated how steady he was while I was the one sitting there with my pulse all over the place. His thumb brushed over my lower lip slowly, like he was learning its shape, like he was storing the feel of it somewhere. Then he let me settle properly on his lap, both hands still on me like he did not trust me to stay close on my own.

Maybe he didn’t.

217 Back Seat Vows 2

Maybe he was right not to.

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The rest of the drive blurred after that. Not because I forgot where we were going. I

didn’t. I remembered exactly where we were going. Blackbirth. His territory. His house.

His people. But all I could really feel was him. His hand shifting at my back when the car

moved. His breath near my ear. Those small kisses he kept giving me, not enough to

satisfy, not enough to let me settle, just enough to keep me hot and flustered and

painfully aware the whole time. He was doing it on purpose. He wanted me unsettled.

He wanted me thinking about him.

It worked.

By the time Blackbirth’s gates came into view, my nerves were a complete mess. Not fear. Not politics. Lev. Just Lev. My skin felt too tight. My thoughts were scattered. My

pulse was too loud in my own ears. Lev finally let me slide back into my seat just before the car turned into the drive, like he was doing me a kindness. Or maybe giving me enough time to look less wrecked before anyone saw my face. I fixed my hair with

unsteady fingers and glared at him.

He looked perfectly calm.

Of course he did.

“Monster.”

He leaned in like he was about to kiss me again, then stopped with his mouth just close

enough to make my heart trip.

“You missed me.”

I swallowed and looked away.

“Shut up.”

He smiled like that meant yes.

We arrived at the same mansion where that dinner party had happened. The same place where Radimir had announced the engagement. The same ballroom where whispers stuck to me like dirt. The same corridors where Lev had dragged me into a room and kissed me until my knees went weak, then left me staring at myself in a bathroom mirror like I had lost my mind. Seeing it again made my stomach tighten.

<1/Back Seat Vows 2

Not fear.

Memory.

GM 18:

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Lev got out first. His men moved fast and smooth around the car, opening doors,

checking the space, watching everything without making it obvious. Blackbirth’s security

wrapped around him like it belonged to his skin. He held out his hand to me.

I took it.

Not because I needed help getting out.

Because I wanted to feel him.

His fingers closed around mine, warm and steady, and just like that the whole place felt a little less hostile. He led me inside without fuss, past servants and guards who bowed and tried not to stare too hard. We moved through the halls and up to the upper level. Then he opened a door and guided me into a room.

The second I stepped inside, I knew.

It was his.

It smelled like him. Not loudly. Blackbirth was too neat and polished for scents to sit too

heavily anywhere. But it was there. Leather. Clean wood. Steel. That cold sharp scent

that always felt like Lev. The room itself was dark toned and simple. No useless

decoration. No trying too hard. A big bed. A desk. Shelves lined with old books and

binders. A chair near the window. Everything looked placed for a reason, not for show.

His room.

I turned slowly, taking it in, and felt something stupid move low in my stomach.

Lev watched me.

“You’re staring.”

“It’s your room.”

“Yes.”

I looked at him.

“So you’re just bringing me into your territory and your room like that’s normal.”

< 212 Back Seat Vows 2

Lev stepped closer.

“It is.”

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The certainty in his voice made my stomach flip again. He always said things like that.

Like there was nothing strange about folding me into his life in pieces. Like it was

already decided. Like he had made room for me somewhere and was just waiting for me

to stop pretending I did not see it.

Before I could answer, there was a knock at the door.

Lev’s whole expression changed instantly. The warmth in his face disappeared. The

softness went. The Alpha mask slid back on like it had never left.

“Enter.”

A man stepped in. Staff or guard, I could not tell which. Respectful posture. Eyes

lowered.

“Alpha Lev. Regent Radimir wants to see you.”

Lev’s jaw tightened at once.

Of course he did.

Of course Radimir wanted him now. He always knew when to pull. Always knew when to interrupt. Always knew how to remind Lev that power still came with chains, even in

his own house.

Lev did not argue.

“Tell him I’m coming.”

The man bowed and left. The second the door shut, Lev exhaled through his nose, slow and annoyed. Just one second of irritation crossed his face before he buried it again. Then

he looked at me.

“I’ll be back.”

I nodded and tried to sound normal.

“Go.”

I moved toward the bathroom because suddenly I needed cold water on my face.

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Needed a second to breathe. Needed a second to stop looking like I had spent half the

drive in his lap. I only took two steps before Lev moved.

Fast.

He caught me by the waist and guided me back until my spine touched the wall. Not

rough. Not hurting. But firm enough that I stopped moving. My breath caught at once.

“Lev, ”

He leaned in and breathed me in like he could not help himself. His nose brushed my

hair, then my neck. His eyes were darker now. Half lidded.

“I don’t like leaving you like this.”

“Like what?”

“Warm,” he said quietly. “And alone.”

Heat went straight through me.

Then he lowered his mouth to my neck and kissed me.

Soft at first.

Almost sweet.

Then again.

Slower this time. Deeper. Like he was not trying to tease now. Like he was trying to

leave comfort there. Trying to press something gentler into my skin than hunger. My

hands slid up his chest on their own. I did not stop them. I did not stop him. I did not

know how. His lips moved closer to my ear, and then he nibbled lightly at the edge of it,

just enough to make my whole body jump.

I sucked in a breath.

He chuckled low.

“Good.”

I glared at him, though I knew the glare was ruined by the fact that I could barely think.

“Don’t be bored while I’m away.”

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