He didn’t want her involved in the battleagainst the Lord; he would far prefer she remained out of it andsafe, but he believed she could handle it and never tried to stopher. Instead, he worked to make her stronger and better atprotecting herself against the monsters out there.
Every time she thought she couldn’t love himmore, he did something to prove her wrong.
His hand slid up to cup the back of her head.His fingers threaded through her hair as he pulled her head gentlyback, and his mouth fell to her neck before touching upon hercollarbone. Another unexpected hunger tore through Lexi, and sheshuddered as her fangs lengthened.
Before learning she was an arach, she wouldhave written it off as a vampire’s thirst, but now it was thethirst of a different creature. One more powerful than the halfhuman, half vampire she’d always believed herself to be.
Seeming to sense her hunger, Cole lifted hishead, and his silver eyes met hers. For a second, black creptthrough the whites of his eyes. Behind him, the shadows on theground stirred.
Her hunger had awoken something darker inhim, something just as ravenous. Cole’s jaw clenched as he battledto keep the blackness away.
She was once again staring into the gazeshe’d always known before the trials changed him. Neither of themknew exactly what the full extent of those changes would be, butshe had no doubt they would get through them together.
He brought her mouth down to his neck. Bloodpulsed against her lips as the beat of his heart thundered in herears.
“Feed, Lexi,” he commanded.
When she sank her fangs into his neck, hishand gripped the back of her head. His powerful blood filled hermouth and infused her body with strength. Whimpering, she squirmedcloser as his blood eased one hunger but heightened another.
Knowing what she needed, he grasped her hipsand guided her down his dick. She moaned as her fingers dug intohis back. The feel of him inside her and his blood filling her madeher half mad with yearning.
One of his hands gripped her ass while theother remained braced against the side of the shore as she rode himwith a desperate, fevered abandon. She needed it harder and fasteras she thrust her hips against him and dug her fingers into hisback.
As their sexual energy filled the air, shefelt the tug of him feeding on her. She experienced the strengthand vitality she gave him through his blood, which excited hermore.
The rising tension building inside her brokeon a crescendo that had her releasing her bite as her head tippedback and her body exploded with pleasure. A tingling wave ranacross all her nerve endings.
Every one of those nerve endings becamesuper-sensitized to the water around her, Cole’s body, the currentsof air, and the rush of his seed filling her. She felt each pulseof his cock inside her as exhaustion washed over her.
When he pulled her from the water, shecollapsed onto the grass, curled up against his side, and fellasleep.
CHAPTER 28
Lexi wasn’t sure what time it was when shewoke, but the sun wasn’t shining as brightly, and clouds had creptacross the sky. Cole’s arms still enveloped her, and something warmwas draped over her.
She looked down to discover a white robecovering her.Of course, he would have thought of thattoo.
When she rolled over to face him, shediscovered him awake and staring down at her. He ran his hand overher shoulder and down to her hip, where it settled.
“I shouldn’t have fallen asleep,” she saidaround a yawn.
“You needed it.”
“But this is our only day together.”
“We’ll havemanymore daystogether.”
“I know, but not many where it’s justus,and we don’t have to worry about… about…everything.”
“One day, that will change, and we’ll haveplenty of time to enjoy each other without so many worries.”
“I can’t wait.”
He caressed her cheek with his thumb andtraced the contours of her lips. “Are you hungry?”
Despite the fact he’d eased two of herhungers earlier, her stomach rumbled in response.
He laughed as he released her and rolledaway. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
