“I’ll send a couple of helots up to make sure you’re attired properly.”
“Can they do that on such short notice?”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “This is the Gloaming. It’s a land filled with magic.”
He rolled off the bed and walked over to the window to stand next to the chair there. Before falling asleep, she last saw him sitting in that chair, staring at the moons.
Too worried he might fall asleep while holding her, he refused to lie in bed with her last night. She’d missed him, but she understood. His nightmares endangered her before the trials; she couldn’t imagine what his sleep would be like now.
Pushing herself up, she rested her back against the headboard. “Did you sleep at all?”
“Yes.”
“Cole….” She let the admonishing tone of her voice trail off.
“I got a couple of hours of sleep. It was more than enough.”
She had no idea if that was true or not, but he did look better than yesterday. The lines around his eyes and mouth weren’t as noticeable, and his eyes weren’t as remorseless.
“The Gloaming is waking,” he said.
Lexi’s gaze drifted to the window, but she couldn’t see the dark fae realm beyond. Then he turned away and strode back to her. Bending, he kissed her forehead.
“I’ll have breakfast and the helots sent up right away,” he said. “Do you need blood?”
Her mouth watered at the mention of blood, not because she was hungry for it, but because he was so close. She managed to lock away her yearning as she smiled at him.
“No, I’m fine,” she said.
He leaned closer and rested his thumb on her bottom lip. Pulling it gently down, he revealed the tips of her elongated fangs. When he did, his eyes sparked with silver.
“You’re hungry,” he stated.
“I’m not,” she said. “It’s just when you said blood….” Her words trailed off as her gaze fell to his neck. “I’m not hungry, but your words made me think ofyourblood,” she admitted.
He slid his arms around her and lifted her from the bed to settle her on his lap. “I fed on you last night but never gave you the chance to feed on me.”
She wanted to continue arguing with him, but she couldn’t when he was so close and so tantalizing. The sounds of the morning faded away as the pulse of his heart pounded in her ears. She licked her lips as the lure of that blood beckoned to her.
Sliding her arms around him, she lowered her mouth to his neck and bit deep. The hot rush of blood filling her mouth made her groan. He tasted of fire and power. It was different than before, but the potent combination had her yearning for more.
His fingers dug into her back as he held her closer. Beneath her ass, his rigid erection poked against her. Her breathing came faster as his blood and arousal battered her senses.
Half out of her mind with desire, she clawed at the button on his pants, pulled it open, and freed his cock. Shifting, she continued to feed on him as she straddled his lap and took him into her.
She clawed at his back as his shaft and blood filled her, and she rode them both to completion.
Chapter Forty-Six
As Cole promised,he sent up breakfast and four women to make her a dress. The women were kind to her and talked while they worked, but she suspected there was a lot they weren’t saying.
Their curious glances at her and the covert looks they exchanged with each other spoke volumes, but they didn’t ask her anything. For now, they were content to silently speculate about her relationship with Cole as they all worked on sewing her dress. They told her their names but revealed nothing else to her.
Lexi tried to help them, but they shooed her away. Feeling helpless and out of place, she stood awkwardly by as she watched their hands and needles fly over the shiny, black material spread out before them. She didn’t know if it was fae magic or years of practice that made them so adept, but they had a dress taking shape in no time.
When they finished, Lexi tried to slip into the other room to put the dress on, but Amaris stopped her with a hand on Lexi’s arm. “You’ll need our help getting it on and with the buttons.”
“Oh, ah, yes, okay,” Lexi said.
