Eira watched from her invisible perch in the corner of the room, and for the first time in a very, very long time, the ancient fairy was genuinely surprised.
Not by the sex — she'd seen enough of that to write a multiverse-spanningerotic encyclopedia and still have material left for the bonus chapters.
Not even by the Mark itself, blooming bright and alive beneath Roxanne's left breast like a smug little dragon sinking its teeth into fresh, prime real estate.
What stunned her was the speed.
Phei had marked this woman on the first day.
The first damn day.
Yet he hadn't marked Valentina yet — Valentina, who had given him everything, surrendered completely, and waited with saint-like patience for the honor of wearing his claim like a good little devotee.
He hadn't offered it to Patricia Bloom either. Hadn't even whispered the possibility of Marking the Ashford Madam despite the soul-binding, furniture-breaking nights they'd shared.
