“I'm counting on it,” she whispers, her hips pressing forward against mine.
I bite.
The feeding explodes between us with an intensity that drives me to my knees. Her pain flows into me, but it is different now. Not just the physical sensation of torn skin and flowing blood, but something deeper. The pleasure she finds in surrendering to my hunger, the arousal that builds in her body as I drain what she offers.
And beneath it all, her satisfaction at witnessing my true nature. She is not disturbed by the violence or afraid of what I am capable of. She is proud of it. Excited byit. Aroused by the knowledge that this deadly creature belongs to her as much as she belongs to me.
The circuit forms between us—her pleasure-pain flowing into me, my savage satisfaction flowing back into her. But amplified now by the violence still coursing through my system, by the blood-scent clinging to my skin, by the bodies that serve as evidence of what I will do to protect her.
She gasps against my ear, her body pressing closer despite the teeth buried in her throat. Her hips move against me, grinding against the hard length of my cock through our clothes. The friction makes me growl against her skin.
I can smell how wet she is, how much she wants this version of me. The knowledge that she's aroused by my violence makes the feeding even more intense.
When I finally pull back, both of us are shaking. The wound seals immediately, but something has shifted. Not the dramatic transformation of previous feedings, just a deepening of what already exists between us.
She sways slightly, one hand pressed to her throat where I bit her. Her breathing comes in short gasps, and I can smell the wetness between her thighs.
“How do you feel?” I ask, studying her face for signs of distress.
“Different.” She flexes her fingers, testing her balance. “Not empty this time. Full. Like I absorbed some of your... intensity.”
I help steady her as she finds her footing on the uneven ground. The grove floor is littered with obstacles now—bodies, scattered weapons, pools of blood that reflect the pale light filtering through the canopy.
“We should return to the castle,” I say. “There will be more thieves, more attempts. This was only the beginning.”
We pick our way carefully through the grove, avoiding the worst of the blood. Shadow servants begin materializing between the trees. Their wispy forms hold their shape, gaining substance from the violent energy. They drift toward the bodies, examining but not touching.
“What will they do?” Braith asks.
“Clean. Dispose. Return the grove to its proper state.” I pause beside one of the bone-white trees, checking the fruit for damage. “The witness creatures will document everything. It is their nature.”
A small salamander-thing emerges from beneath a root, its scales pulsing gold as it approaches us. It stops near Braith's feet, radiating warmth and contentment. The violence has energized all the supernatural inhabitants.
“They're happy,” she realizes.
“Violence and feeding create power they can absorb. Tonight has been... nourishing for them.”
We reach the grove's entrance where the night air feels cooler, cleaner. The metallic scent of blood doesn't carry here, replaced by the usual winter and iron that characterizes my domain.
“What happens now?” she asks as we walk toward the castle.
“Now Vasek learns that his intelligence was wrong. His surviving thieves will report what they witnessed here. He will have to recalculate.”
“Will he retreat?”
“No. He will escalate. Bring larger forces, seek new advantages, recruit additional allies.” I help her navigate a section of uneven stone. “But his plans will be based on incorrect assumptions about my current capabilities.”
She's quiet for several steps, processing this. When she speaks again, her voice carries thoughtful consideration.
“You want him to keep underestimating you.”
“I want all of them to continue believing the frenzy weakens me. Let them see careful diplomacy and restrained feeding. When the time comes to show them what I truly am, the surprise will serve our purposes.”
“Our purposes?”
I realize what I've said, how naturally the plural came. Not just my plans or my territory, but shared objectives.
“If that is acceptable to you,” I clarify.
