“Hmm?” I release her earlobe from between my lips and continue a leisurely journey down the column of her throat, breathing in the scent of the blood rushing through her veins, each beat of her heart sending the intoxicating smell swirling around me.
“I’m ready.”
My heart gives one heavy thump, and I lift my head, my gaze meeting hers.
Violet eyes stare back at me. She holds my gaze, unwavering.
A question dances at the tip of my tongue.Are you sure?
But I know her well enough to know that I don’t have to ask again. She’s made her choice. And I’ve made mine.
Her smooth skin sparkles with perspiration in the firelight. My fangs ache with the need to taste her blood.
With one hand, I brush the few stray strands of hair away from her throat. My thumb finds the small scars left from the first time I fed on her, the two circular marks pale against the rest of her skin. When I touch them, her eyelids flutter closed.
Her body surrenders to mine, soft and supple on the couch beneath me. Her storm settles, just for a moment, as if to grant me safe harbor.
I lower my mouth to her neck, breathe in her rich scent.
This is it. Our point of no return. This feed will change everything—for both of us.
I ease my weight onto her, holding her body firm.She doesn’t tremble, and I don’t detect even a whiff of fear from her.
She’s ready for this.
I kiss her throat, right where I intend to bite. She lets out a fluttering breath, preparing herself.
Then I part my jaws, find her skin with the tips of my fangs, and sink them into her neck.
She flinches, but I hold her down, not allowing her to accidentally tear my fangs free. They find her bloodstream, coursing hot and fast, and before I even begin to feed, I moan.
I’ve needed this, neededher. More than I’ve ever needed anything before.
Our bond burns with adrenaline and pain. I can feel her suffering like it’s my own. But she withstands, her muscles locked tight, resisting the instinctual urge to fight back.
Venom seeps from my fangs and into her blood. Her body trembles as it bleeds through her veins, and through our bond, I feel it as it takes hold. Slowly at first, with a blossoming of heat and a slow unraveling of tension. Then faster, the venom circulating through her system.
Her resistance loosens, yields.
“Mm,” she whispers as the venom takes effect, her body softening, the last of her restraint slipping away.
And finally, I begin to feed.
The moment her blood touches my tongue, something inside me shifts. Lightning rushes through my veins, setting my insides on fire. And I know Maeve feels it too, from the way she draws a sudden hitched breath.
This may be our third time, but it may as well be the first—myfirst. I’m certain I’ve never tasted blood so rich and sweet. I drink like a man dying of thirst.
Which I suppose is what I’ve been, though I’ve not wanted to admit it. Nothing has been able to satiate me. Nothing but Maeve. And if this is my future—dependence on her, on her blood—then so be it. I don’t want to keep resisting her, resisting this.
I surrender.
I draw her blood into my mouth and press my cock inside her, deep and slow. Her body is soft and supple against mine, the venom serving as a potent relaxer and aphrodisiac.
With Maeve’s blood fueling me, my muscles already feel stronger, my mind clearer. Everything comes into sharper focus, as if before I was looking at the world through a window frosted with ice and snow. Her scent swirls around us—sage and the crackle of a storm. The hair on my arms rises.
I shift my weight, reaching down between our bodies to find the heat between her legs. She catches her breath as I trail my fingertips across her clit. It’s already swollen, begging for touch. I circle it gently, my pace slow, almost languid. I’m in no mood to rush this.
Becausethischanges everything.
