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Sanctuary magic shone around them, closing them off from Paradum. The fragrance of moonflowers and Hespera’s roses drenched the air, driving away the stench of death. The moonflowers had spread all over their bed, entangled with the roses that now trailed down from the bedposts.
Cassia’s lashes rose, and her eyes focused on the moons shining through the empty window frame meant for his moonflower panel. She was back with him in this place and time. Her visions had broken.
Lio. Her voice came from within his mind, as near as his own thoughts. Their Grace Union had awoken. And this time, it would never end.
She would live through her Gifting.
FANGS
Lio sent reassurance along the eternal cord that now held them in Union. He had promised to guide her through the harrowing changes in her body. Now he didn’t need spoken words.
You’re going to be all right, he said in her mind. The flowers are growing. See what the Gift is doing to your magic.
But she didn’t look at the roses and moonflowers. Her aura, swelling with awakening power, reached out to him.
Yes, my Grace. Keep reaching. We’re so close. Just a little longer, and you’ll have your fangs. He lay her back in the sheets, careful not to dislodge her mouth from his wrist. This is unlike any other Gifting. You will need more blood than other Hesperines to finish your transformation. We’ll heal your magic together, all right?
She parted her mouth from his vein and licked his blood from her lips. The erotic vision made him forget his next calm, reassuring words.
More. I need more of you. She lifted her hand, but it seemed a struggle for her. She let her arms fall back to the bed on either side of her head.
It’s all right, he said. Your strength will ebb and flow until your transformation is complete. We’ll get you all the way there, my Grace.
He brought his mouth down to hers. She kissed him as if he were her last meal. In her desperation, she scraped her tongue on his fang. The flavor of his blood and hers mingled in his mouth, and it tasted right.
She kissed her way down his jaw, then bit at his throat with a whimper of frustration. Her dull canines still couldn’t pierce his skin.
Not yet. He rested her head back onto the mattress and positioned himself over her. I promised I would make love to you as you change. Do you want me inside you now?
Yes. Her legs slid apart. I need all of you.
I need to watch you transform.
He pressed his hand between them and found her wet. Her Craving had primed her for her first feast. At the scent of her hunger, his instincts took hold of him, honing his body and magic to meet her need. His power surged, unleashed by the pure elixir of blood magic. His rhabdos throbbed with sudden, hard lust, and his thoughts pounded with the imperative of getting inside her.
He stopped breathing her scent and tried to think through his overeager Grace instincts. She needed him gentle and alert.
And Goddess help him, he wanted to be coherent enough to savor this moment.
Look at me, he said.
Her heavy-lidded eyes focused on him. He held her gaze and entered her mortal body for the last time.
When he bit down on his wrist, her nostrils flared. He opened the strong flow of blood she needed and quickly pressed it to her lips. Catching the stream in her mouth, she began to suck.
As he matched his rhythm to her swallows, the intensity made him groan. He had known it would enhance the experience, but nothing could have prepared him. And she was only drinking from his wrist yet.
The tower shook. Lio’s magic burst up through his heart and trailed along his veins into Cassia’s mouth. He felt his life flowing out of him and putting down roots in her.
She threw her head back, letting out a clear, exultant cry against his skin. And then magic burst from her. It tangled around him and drove down deep through the tower. Her power took hold in the frozen soil of Orthros, and he sensed a new presence on the polar wind. Lustra magic.
She lifted her mouth from his wrist with a gasp.
Her last human breath. Before Lio’s eyes, her top canines lengthened. They narrowed to sharp tips and extended from her gums, while the lower pair honed to fine points.
With a sudden burst of strength, she flipped him onto his back and pinned him down. He stared up at his Grace’s petite, vicious fangs, fully unsheathed with hunger for him.
A tendril of moonflowers snaked across his chest to hold him against the pillows, while a vine of their roses lifted his chin to expose his throat to her. Cassia’s pupils dilated, catching the light of his stained glass windows, and her eyes began to glow.
