Page 109 of Vervain

Serun lifts my hair, twirling it into a knot before washing it across my shoulders. “Not unless you die and wake for your eternal night.”

I turn to look at him, my hands resting on the edge. Without missing a beat, he washes my cheek. My face drops, and I stare at him blankly. “What do you mean?”

The cloth runs beneath my jaw, and he tilts my head up with his middle and index fingers. Serun draws closer to me, the stool creaking beneath his weight. We are mere inches apart, his mouth brushing against mine, when a low whimper escapes me. His mouth upturns cruelly, and he leans away, spinning his fingers and silently telling me to turn around.

After that, he combs my hair with his fingers. “When two eternal lovers share blood, they both gain the same markings. But since you are only part nightwalker, your venom—if you have any—doesn’t mark me. So if you ever decide to leave me, it wouldn’t hurt you.”

My brows furrow. “But will hurt you?”

“Yes—and the farther you're from me, the more it will hurt. It will feel like losing something you cherish most. My still heart would seem to beat in a way I wish it never would.”

I curl my legs to my chest, rest my chin on my knees, and whisper, “Is that why Lucifer acts the way he does? Because he's hurting all the time?”

“Partially…”

“I see…”

Serun lowers the sponge in front of me, and my breath hitches as the sodden fabric glides across my breasts and supple nipples. His cold, decayed breath brushes the shell of my ear, and as the cloth inches between my legs, he whispers, “Did you want me to, or would you like to wash your thighs?”

Water droplets fall into the tub as I lean into him. My lips brush his, and a moan threatens to shatter my lungs, but I cover his hand, take the washcloth, and say, “Wait for me on the bed. I’ll be finished soon.”

“Then I will watch and indulge with sight alone,” he says as he rises without the washcloth and makes his way to the bed.

CHAPTER FIFTY

ESURIENT

Saya Claymore

“Whose cabin is this?” I run the dry towel over my sopping-wet skin.

Serun leans back on the bed, wearing only his leather pants, legs spread, muscles tense, eyes tracing my exposed flesh. “Mine. I have a few around Pyra I use if I am not too trusting of cities and towns with slayers.”

I turn away from the boarded-up window. “It’s a little exposed, no?”

“Slayers and humans don’t travel the woods. Aside from nightwalkers rumoured to congregate there, the wildlife also starves.” He tilts his head the slightest, eyes drifting down my naked body as I make my way to him. “We are safe here.”

With a slow nod, my fingers run up his broad arms as I move my legs on either side of him until I am straddling him. My hands explore, tracing down to Serun’s scar, but I know better than to ask. I bite my lower lip before saying, “So, nightwalker. What do you have in mind?”

Serun tilts his head to the side, baring his neck. “I want you to bite me.”

My head jolts back, and I try to shuffle off him, but Serun grabs my waist and flips me onto the bed. He pins me down and cages my wrists in his hands.

“Nightwalker,” I spit. “Get the fuck off me.”

His cold eyes glare down at me. “You’re starving. Every time you eat, you force it down, all the while ignoring that you can’t fucking stomach anything, Saya.”

My legs thrash beneath him, and I turn away from his words, as if that would somehow shut them out completely. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You do.” A tear slips down my cheek, and my lip trembles at his words. “You have starved since we left the Undercity. A hint of my blood wasn’t enough. You need to drink more, and from my neck.”

I shake my head from side to side, my thrashing weakening. “You’re lying.”

Positioning himself better, he moves my arms up and shackles them with one big hand while the other touches my cheek. “I saw the way you were looking at Olivia. Your eyes couldn’t keep away from her neck. And even if you were unaware, you’re a day away from needing to eat—I know it because that is what every nightwalker feels.”

“Liar!” I face him, ears back, teeth gritted. “You’re a fucking liar, Serun. I’m not like you. I am nothing like you fucking bloodsuckers.”

“Mother of Light,” he grunts in irritation and lifts his arm, sinking his fangs into his wrist. His chest flares as he inhales. A droplet of blood slips down, and my eyes widen and my mouth waters.