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I run a palm over my face to muffle a sigh. How am I supposed to deny her? If I didn’t know better, I’d think she spelled me to feel this way, but no — Esme’s magic is powerful, but her grasp of it is flimsy at best. This turmoil she stirs inside me has nothing to do with her witchcraft and everything to do with her, period.
“I meant to feed before coming back,” I admit, like it’s the biggest sin I’ve ever committed. “But I didn’t get a chance.”
Esme swallows audibly. “So you’re… hungry?”
“You could say that, yes.”
She moves then, lifting her head from my shoulder and crawling over me to straddle my lap. The apricot and olive oil smells fill the air, but the tinge of salt isn’t gone. It makes me a sadistic monster that the scent of her fear excites me just as much as that of her arousal. Esme pushes her long hair away from her neck, offering it to me.
“Why don’t you feed from me, then?”
I blink a few times to clear the haze engulfing my mind. My fangs are already extending, weeping to rip through her beautiful skin. With both hands gripping her soft hips, I hold her at a distance. “It’s no exaggeration when I say that feeding too much will leave you empty, Es. If I take all of one emotion — or multiple — you’ll never be able to feel it again. If I take them all, you’re nothing but a shell.”
She seems to ponder that for a little bit, rolling her bottom lip inward. “That does sound pretty bad. But I know you won’t let it get there.”
I shake my head. “You have too much —“
“No,” she interrupts me. “I’m just being logical. You need me. We’ve gotten further away in this game than anyone before; and even if you took the knowledge I gave you onto the next challenger, they’d have to be a witch to make the last trinket, so it’d hardly matter. I’m your best chance at breaking your curse. You wouldn’t ruin that.”
Anger, bright and sizzling, swirls in my stomach. “You think I’d do it on purpose?” The words are spit between my teeth to avoid yelling.
“I think you’d probably do it if you were being careless, which we both know you can’t afford. So it feels like a non problem.”
My hands travel up her body until they’re cupping her cheeks, bringing her face closer to mine. This time, I let my fangs go, baring them to her — but whatever reaction I was expecting, I don’t get. Esme sucks in a breath, but she doesn’t retreat. Not too long ago, any reminder of my monstrous nature would set off her alarm bells; now, it’s like she’s seeking it out.
This witch will be my undoing.
“You have no idea the way you smell. Like the most inviting fruit. Witches are already tastier than humans, but you…” I sigh, letting the sentence go.
Once again, she tilts her head, offering her neck to me. “I’m not scared.”
My laugh is humorless, strained. “You should be.”
“I’m not. I want to try.”
Fighting the battle of wills against my deepest desires, I lean closer and press my lips to her pulse, kissing her neck. Her heartbeat accelerates at the touch, pressing more insistently against her skin. “Tell me why you’re so determined to do this.”
Her skin flares a beautiful reddish tint. “No.”
I kiss her pulse again, and she moans softly. “Tell me, little gem, and maybe I’ll consider feeding from you.”
Her fingers fist the fabric of my shirt. “It’s dumb.”
“Then it’s settled,”I say, pulling back. “I’m not risking your life for something dumb.”
One of her hands reaches for my face, tracing the deep bag under my eye. “But you need to feed. You’re in no condition to hunt for the grimoire in this shape.”
A bitter taste floods my mouth. Is that really all she cares for? “I’ve been in far worse shape than this, but if it really concerns you that much, I’ll go find someone right now.”
When I try to lift her off me, she protests, clamping her thighs tighter around my hip. “You have me right here.”
I sigh in exasperation, desperately wishing she’d let the subject go. “Esme, I can’t —“
“I don’t want you feeding from someone else,” she finally blurts out, and that stops me in my tracks, eyes wide. Esme lowers her face, hiding her gaze from mine, and toys with the buttons of my shirt. “Like you said, it’s intimate. It links you to that person. And I…”
“You’re jealous.” The smile that spreads on my lips settles there of its own accord. Esme’s thoughts and feelings have always been a bit of a mystery to me, but this — this I can read easily.
She shakes her head. “No, I just —“
