I let my mind and heart do the talking for me.
And allowed him to take me to new heights, over and over again.
Chapter Nineteen
Tray
I dumpeda bag of O negative into the blender, eliciting a grimace from Ella. She sat on the island counter in my shirt, her exposed legs a sexy reminder of the lack of clothes beneath the fabric.
“Are you really making a milkshake with blood in it?” she asked, her nose scrunching upward as I added a scoop of vanilla ice cream to the mix.
“Yup.” I had meant to feed last night but instead bit my mate. While I didn’t regret it, I felt the repercussions of tapping into the source of our magic without the requisite fuel.
“That’s disgusting,” she said.
I smirked. “We’ll see how you feel after you’ve tasted it.”
“I am not drinking that.”
“You’re going to try it,” I countered, hitting the button before she could argue. As soon as it finished, I started speaking again to thwart her attempts at an argument. “When Midnight Fae are young, we can’t exactly venture into the Human Realm for sustenance. Most don’t start until they’re thirteen or fourteen. So we’ve developed other creative ways to imbibe the essence without having to bite.”
Her expression said I hadn’t changed her mind.
“Consider it an energy drink,” I added. “We just expelled a lot of power, Ella. You might not feel it yet, but you will. Unless you accept my offering.”
“I’ve never had to drink blood before.”
“You’ve also never danced with your fae gifts before.” I poured the contents into two glasses and plucked a pair of straws from the drawer. “Trust me, dove. You need this. As do I.”
My limbs were beginning to shake, the first sign of exhaustion setting in. I’d be hurting by morning. The only reason I’d gotten away without feeding since arriving was because I hadn’t tapped into my abilities as often as usual.
And, uh, yeah, the last few hours with Ella had more than made up for my lack of use.
I took a sip of the liquid, testing it before sliding the opposite glass across the island to Ella.
“What does it taste like?” she asked, her nose still doing that adorable scrunching thing.
“Try it and find out,” I dared. It wouldn’t taste at all like she was expecting. Humans typically described the flavor as salty or coppery. That wasn’t what Midnight Fae experienced. For example, her blood was ambrosia to my tongue—sweet and addicting. My drink was dull in comparison, but it satisfied my hunger. I took several more sips while watching her, challenging her with my eyes.
Unless you’re scared,I said into her mind.
That taunt received the desired effect and had her grabbing the drink. “When I puke, I’ll be sure to aim in your direction.”
My lips twitched. “Okay, darling.” I took another healthy swallow as she positioned the straw between her lips.
Her eyes closed, her face grimacing as she hollowed her cheeks.
And then her forehead creased.
She took another deep pull, her eyes reopening in surprise. “Why is this so good?”
“Because you’re a Midnight Fae,” I replied with a wink.
We fell into a comfortable silence while we both finished our energizing snack. She licked the rim when she finished all the liquid. I pretended not to see it, not wanting to tease her and spoil the moment.
I cleaned up the kitchen, then leaned back against the sink and folded my arms. Her gaze went to my boxers and down to my exposed thighs before slowly traveling up my naked torso to my face.
Amusement warmed my chest. “Mmm, I adore that invitation in your eyes, Ella.”
