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My face scrunches up, and my chest fills with a rush of white-hot anger. ‘Fine. I guess since we don’t know each other, and I’m some weird, Deaf stranger, I’ll go finish my chat with Dorian. He looks like he has a big dick, and I could use that after last night.’

I turn to leave, but before I can move forward, Eissa’s tail curls around my waist. It’s tight and immovable, and the hold is something more than possessive.

It’s dangerous.

I let out a gasp as it clenches even tighter, and then I’m lifted off my feet and pulled against the wall of his chest. My hands land against him to steady myself, and even through his linen, I can feel the curves of his muscles beneath, and the way his skin seems to flutter.

I tilt my chin up to stare at him, and his eyes flash, his ears flicking in irritation as he meets my gaze. He says nothing, and I can’t seem to uncurl my fingers from his shirt, so we stand there, breathing even, his two hearts hammering against my one.

I inhale deeply, and for just a moment, I indulge in this. Leaning forward, I take in his sweet, floral scent as I let myself relax in his grasp. His eyes close, but I can tell it’s not in surrender. He’s trying to resist this.

But it doesn’t last long.

A second later, his hands are in my hair, yanking my face up, his tail holding me off the ground. Our lips collide in a clash of teeth and fangs, and I groan loudly as I open myself to him and take what he’s offering.

His tongue pushes into my mouth, rolling against my own, and lust pulses through me as my cock hardens. I feel it pressing against his stomach as he tilts my head, angling his mouth more firmly over mine, and then he pushes his tongue down my throat. I swallow around him, and I feel something between us flare to life.

It’s hot and needy.

God, I want him to get on his knees for me again.

I want him to suck me, to take me over and over again until I’m mindless with lust.

My cock throbs, leaking in my pants, and I can feel the rumble he’s making in his chest. He wants this as much as I do. Last night wasn’t nothing to him. I wasn’t nothing to him. Even if he’s ashamed, he can’t deny he needs this just as much as I do.

But before either of us can give in and risk getting arrested for indecent exposure, his lips rip from mine, and he lets me tumble from his grasp. I nearly fall to the floor, but somehow my legs manage to hold me steady, and I don’t embarrass myself as he takes a single step away.

My hand finds the wall behind me, and I stare up at him in disbelief. Why is he doing this?

Why did he kiss me like that and then toss me aside?

I can feel regret rolling off of him in waves, but before I can call him on it, his face hardens. His tail curls back around his thigh, and his heaving chest stills. After what feels like forever, his hands lift in a sharp cutting motion as he cuts a wound into my chest. ‘Stay away from me.’

I flinch at those words, but before I can form a retort, he’s striding off. And he doesn’t look back.

I don’t see Eissa again. I don’t feel his presence lingering in my mind. Whatever connection we had, the way I could sense him when he was near, is completely gone. I’m not even sure it was real now that my mind is completely free of him. I’m not sure any of it was.

Luckily, I have a lot to distract me.

Dante sent me several designs while I was busy making a fool of myself with Eissa, and they’ve given me a lot to think about. Like about the things a Vyastil could do with them. About what might be under that sheer tunic that Eissa wears around, and…

Fuck. I have to purge him from my head. I’m not going to be able to focus if everything keeps coming back to him. This is a serious problem, and I don’t know how to solve it.

I stuff my clothes into my suitcase without folding them. I fully plan to wash everything I own at least twice just to make sure nothing still smells like Eissa after I get back to my apartment. I have a red-eye flight out of here tomorrow, and I can’t wait to head home.

I’ve been here a week, and I’m ready to be back in my own bed, in my own space with people I can trust. There are monsters in my life that I care about. Quilliyn and I have always been good friends, and as rough around the edges as he is, Rathyn is someone I’ve come to enjoy.

And then there’s Cielo, the sweet, injured monster currently living on Dante’s couch. My heart aches for him, and I realize I’ve been so caught up in this bullshit, I haven’t bothered to check in on him.

I grab my phone and hit my brother’s number, hoping it’s not a weird hour to call. Time zones always fuck me up, even when they’re only a couple hours apart. Flopping onto the side of the bed, I stare down at the screen and wait for the FaceTime to connect.

My heart twists when Dante’s face appears. He looks worn down and tired, like he hasn’t slept well in days. ‘You look like shit.’

Dante flips me off with a roll of his eyes. ‘Love you too, asshole.’

I can’t help but laugh as Dante leans forward, his eyes taking me in. I know I look like shit too. I haven’t slept well since the night with Eissa, and it most definitely shows.

‘You look like you’ve been busy,’ he says. I know what he’s implying.