She used to do the same thing when we first started training together. Back when she was so terrified of killing yet another human, she would suppress her every base instinct instead of giving in to her feeding.
Seeing it now, here in a place where she could have her pick of sexual partners, was a stark reminder of Guinevere’s love for humanity. She never wanted to kill anyone, and in all honesty, that softness was something I’d always admired about her.
Even though I’d used it against her in the past.
As I continued studying her, Guinevere flinched and looked away from my gaze. She slid her hands higher, resting her arms over my shoulders as she looked around at the crowd of partiers.
I had no doubt she, too, was remembering all those cruel things I’d said to her over the years about getting over herself and learning how to live as a succubus.
I’d been such an ass to her. Over and over. Maybe it had been for good reason, but I was regretting it now. There was no way I could be tender with her after all this time. She’d see straight through my armor.
So I hardened my expression and prepared to be an asshole. Again.
But before I could speak, her gaze shifted back to mine. “Please don’t. I know you’re going to tell me I’m being a child about this. And that’s not going to help me, Zane.”
She looked…lost.The pain in her expression was somethingIhad done to her, every time I called her immature or childlike, I’dhurther.
And the night she’d confessed her love to me…demons. I’d taken every cruel thing I could think of to push her away.
We aren’t allowed to be together.
She’s too young to understand what she’s asking. She needs more time to live and experience life before making such a commitment.
She’ll see eventually. She’ll move on.
This is the best. For her. Not for me, but for her.
Those were all my excuses, but as I stared at her now, I realized how idiotic that all sounded. This woman knew who she was, and she owned it.
Just like she knew she couldn’t harm an innocent.
And I was struggling with a way to justify it myself.
My resolve crumbled, and all the wind left my sails. I’d been dancing around my attraction to her for so long that I’d turned into a monster. And tonight, I just didn’t have it in me to play that part. I was tired of fighting the way I felt. Tired of wanting something, someone, I couldn’t have.
And what if we couldn’t save her? If we couldn’t track down the culprit trying to frame her, Archdemon Ashmedai would take Guinevere to Hell.
These may very well be the last few moments I have with her.
She’d always been a constant in my life. A burden, too. Baggage I couldn’t seem to put away because there was all this pent up lust built between us. No matter what I did to fight it, no matter how cruel I was to her, the attraction remained.
And I may never have a chance to act on it if she leaves...
The knowledge that I might lose her awakened my unrequited hunger with a vengeance. A new, bolder idea formed in my mind. An idea I knew I should shoot down and ignore… but I didn’t. Because it sounded too damn perfect to ignore.
We’d shared conquests before, but not in a way that ever satisfied my desire for her. Mostly it was her watching while I fed on someone else, or me supervising her feeding. They’d been intimate moments, sure, but in a moreinstructionalmanner.
Maybe I could “instruct” her now—by coaxing her succubus out to play. She’d desired me for years. I could use that to my advantage. Awaken her need, then tell her to pick someone.
Before she could say anything else, I snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her tight to me. I dipped a leg between hers as the music changed to a rhythmic Latin beat that made me think of hot nights and sweating between the sheets.
The ideal song for what I needed to do.
I palmed one perfect curve of her ass and held her against my hips as we ground together along to the beat, our hips moving in slow, sensuous circles. I could feel the heat at the apex of her thighs like fire against my leg, and I leaned into her, skimming my teeth along her jawline. I’d been semi-hard for what felt like hours as she’d danced around this floor rubbing up on every guy present, but the minute I turned our dance sexual, my pants grew unbearably tight.
Guinevere’s breath hitched as I trailed my teeth lower, scraping the sensitive skin beneath her ear.
She clutched my shoulders, breathless as she asked, “What are you doing?”
