And me?I leanedintohim, my fingers gripping his arms as if to hold him as close as possible.His chest was a wall of heat against mine, his knee creeping between my legs, his weight pressing me against the wall.A small voice in my head whispered at me to push him away, to put some distance between us, but my body refused to obey.Ilikedhim this close to me.I didn’t want to push him away.
A flicker of something stirred—a memory, a shadow of a familiarity I couldn’t quite grasp.As if my body remembered something my mind had forgotten.I wanted to probe that feeling, dive into it and pull it apart until I rememberedeverything.
But then, like clockwork, the throbbing began.That agonizing and utterly annoying pain that always started behind my eyes before sweeping through the rest of my head.It started faintly, then grew sharper, warning me to stop.I winced, forcing myself to stop digging into the haze of lost memories.If I kept pushing, the pain would ruin this moment.
I swallowed, letting the memories slip away, leaving only the heat of Rathiel’s body and the pulse of his bite.Focusing only on the sensations, I kept the pain at bay.No thinking, no probing.Just feeling.
Rathiel’s grip tightened, and a low growl rumbled in his chest and vibrated against me.The sound should have alarmed me, but instead, it sent another wave of warmth through me, one that pooled deep in my stomach.Without a thought, I tilted my head and gave him better access, a notion that terrified me.I wasn’t just allowing this—I craved it.Craved him.
Why?Why did this feel so right, when everything in my rational mind told me it shouldn’t?All that mattered was Rathiel—his touch, his closeness, the way he made me feel like I was the only thing in the world that mattered.
A low moan escaped my lips, surprising me.I hadn’t intended to make a sound, but it slipped out, a honest reaction to the maelstrom of sensations whipping through me.Rathiel stilled, as if startled by my response, but then he resumed, this time slower, more deliberate, as though savouring every second of this.
My hands moved of their own accord, sliding up his arms to his shoulders, clutching at the fabric of his shirt as if anchoring myself to him.I didn’t want to let go, didn’t want to break whatever spell wove itself around us.
Rathiel’s lips lingered, but when he finally began to pull back, an unexpected pang of loss twisted my heart.The world around us seemed too quiet, too still, as if it had been holding its breath with me.
“Lily,” Rathiel murmured, his voice rough and low, barely more than a whisper.His breath was hot against my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.He didn’t say anything more; he didn’t need to.The way he said my name, the way his hands trembled slightly as he held me, spoke volumes.
I straightened my head and slowly opened my eyes.Rathiel’s gaze locked with mine, intense and unwavering.His hand lingered at my throat, his thumb tracing slow, deliberate circles against my skin, like he was committing everything to memory.
Then his gaze dipped, lingering on my lips.The room seemed to shrink around us, the air charged with an unspoken tension that had been simmering for too long.My pulse quickened, a thrumming beat in my ears that matched the rise and fall of my chest.I couldn’t look away, couldn’t move.It was as if I were tethered to him, unable to pull away.
His eyes flicked back up to mine, searching, questioning, as if he needed to be sure I wanted this as much as he did.Or maybe he was trying to understand the same confusing mix of emotions as me—an inexplicable longing that made my heart race in ways I didn’t fully understand.
Rathiel leaned in, the inches between us disappearing until his warm breath brushed my lips.I didn’t stop him.The thought never even crossed my mind.But just as our lips were about to touch, a sharp, high-pitched voice cut through the charged silence.
“Gross!”Vol let out a disgusted groan.“Knock it off, you two.Because, seriously, if I have to endure one more second of that, I’ll gouge my own eyes out.And believe me, Meat Sack, the idea is tempting.”
Rathiel stiffened, his forehead nearly touching mine.He gave a frustrated growl, then stepped back, the heated tension between us dissipating like a deflating balloon.
“And please,” Vol continued, “if you two are planning to swap spit, at least do it somewhere I don’t have to watch.I’m allergic to all this ‘will-they-won’t-they’ garbage.Makes me break out in hives.Big, disgusting, itchy hives.”
I blinked, then peered around Rathiel to find Vol standing on the couch armrest, his little hands perched on his hips, and his impish gaze locked on me.
“Remind me again why I let you live here?”I demanded, my voice low and annoyed.
“Because you can’t survive without me,” he retorted.“Now, are you done here?Or should I grab some popcorn for the next act of this disasterpiece?”
“Get out,” I growled.“Now.”
Vol’s laughter echoed through the room as he hopped off the couch and darted off.Where, I had no idea.Nor did I care to know.I had a bigger problem to contend with right now.And his name was Rathiel, who looked so much healthier now.
For the first time in…well, ever, I was speechless.My heart raced, and not just from the intensity of what’d almost just happened, but from all the emotions swirling around inside me.Ones that defied explanation.My damn body wasn’t helping either.The lingering tingle from his bite pulsed beneath my skin, sharp and insistent, like a brand that wouldn’t fade.And worse, there was something else, something deeper.A longing I didn’t understand.
I wanted to dive deeper into these feelings, explore them until they made some freaking sense.But I knew better.The last thing I wanted right now was a mind-crippling headache that had me cursing every celestial relic in existence.
I pressed my fingers to my neck, brushing over the puncture marks that were already healing.But the feeling hadn’t gone away.His bite lingered, searing and electric, refusing to be ignored.Questions ricocheted through my head, each one more confusing than the last.Feeding him was supposed to be straightforward, a simple necessity.But whatever had just happened between us was anything but.
When I finally looked up, Rathiel was watching me.He’d put some distance between us, and not just physically.His gaze was steady, guarded, the way it always was when he didn’t want to give anything away.There was something more to this—something I couldn’t quite put my finger on, and that unsettled me more than I wanted to admit.I wasn’t the type to get rattled easily, but right now, my thoughts were a jumbled mess.
“Okay, so who’s going first?You or me?”I asked.
Rathiel didn’t say a word.
“Great, me then.”I blew out a heavy breath, then lowered my arm.“Clearly, I’m missing something—which really isn’t all that surprising considering my unique circumstances.But that was far more intense than I expected.”
Rathiel averted his gaze.“Don’t read too much into it.Bites can stir up emotions.That’s all.”
