Page 43 of The Duke’s Bloody Bargain

Darius gave me a quick nod. “If you are sure.”

“I am.” The bond was relaxed and warm after days of tension; it was the best indicator of Alex’s mood.

The moment he shut the door, Alex’s lips were on mine, burning, demanding, firm.

Pleasure burst out, followed by the urge to have more. His tongue sought entrance, and I yielded, opening my mouth for him. I thought I would taste blood, but not a trace of it remained on his tongue. He kissed me with the desperation of a man who was about to be ripped away from me forever.

My cheeks were in flames, and my whole body was a chaos of sensations, but I’d never felt more desirable, beautiful, and strong.

He kissed me as he’d never done before with ferocious passion, going deep and worshipping me.

I sighed when his hand travelled from my waist to my breast. The ache between my legs pulsated harder, fuelled by his roaming hand and wild kisses. A shudder rushed through me when he rubbed my nipple with his thumb.

“You were frightened.” He nuzzled my neck, brushing his lips against my skin.

“I was.”

“Of me.”

“You asked me to leave you, bleeding and wounded, alone.”

“I was hungry, and I didn’t want to drink from you again.” He fiddled with the buttons of my shirt, and the gold cross came into view.

He hissed and leapt back as if he’d been shoved. The bond tensed immediately, and the pleasure died down.

For a moment, we stared at each other, both of us shocked and hurt. The only time my cross had hurt him had been right before he’d transformed when he’d wanted to drink from me, when he’d been a danger to me. After that moment, he had never recoiled. Religious symbols worked only when the vampire was a rogue.

There was no need to talk about what his revulsion for the cross meant.

“Alex…”

He stepped back, his eyes becoming a solid obsidian colour. “You should leave.” His fangs came out fully, and the fabric of his shirt strained over his growing muscles. “It’s…better if you leave.”

Buttoning my shirt, I hurried out of the room, tears blurring my sight. Loud groans came from him as if he were sobbing. His wretched pain reached me through the bond.

Darius was waiting for me in the hallway. “Are you all right?”

“No.” I wiped my face. “Is there anything you can do to help him? Please.”

“I’ll do anything I can.” He hugged me. “I can talk to Carabosse and convince her to reverse the spell.”

“Yes. Lowe should know where she is.” Emotion swelled in my throat.

Tears blurred my vision, and my power jumped around, catching random feelings.

We found the witch in the entrance hall, getting ready to leave. The footman was helping her don a dark coat. Her aura was similar to Darius’s with many colours all moving in different directions, but now that I paid attention, the golden tendrils in Darius’s aura moved clockwise. In Cara’s aura, they moved anti-clockwise, whatever that meant.

Darius breathed hard after the short walk. “Cara, we need to talk to you.”

“I’m afraid I’m leaving.” She patted her black velvet hat and lowered the black veil, covering her face.

“Can’t it wait?” Darius asked.

“No, it can’t.” She started to leave as the butler opened the door.

I blocked her. “You must reverse the spell you cast on Ravenhill.”

Her facial muscles tightened. “I understand you’re concerned, but Ravenhill and I made a deal, and I didn’t choose the price or the consequences of the spell. Magic takes and does whatever it deems fit. If Ravenhill doesn’t like what’s happening to him, there’s nothing I can do.”