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She clamped her mouth on his throat, mostly to anchor herself against the impending climax. Her teeth ended up grazing his skin, triggering a shaking from the man who had held so firm until he was feral with need. She shivered at the next growl that tore from him, close to a roar. Then she bit him for real and cried out when her orgasm took her by surprise, a punch of sensation and emotion that had her seeing stars.
“Saph.”
Her name was groaned out again and again as if it held a prayer. His pounding didn’t lose its momentum, even when it was clear that he was waiting for her to get to his level again. The patience was all it took to reignite her desire, turning her on with a magnitude that was bound to crash. This time, she arched her neck for him and waited until his head moved and his teeth rested against her—sharp now, glinting with a hint of the beast that was just as crazed as he was. Finesse and skills took a clumsy turn as he drilled into her without rhythm or thought, as mindless as he could go and taking what his body demanded. He exhaled roughly, then bit.
When he shuddered, so did she, catapulted into a second climax that was just as mind-blowing as the first and scary at the same time.
“Miss Sapphire, you really shouldn’t be walking around too much. What if you’re pregnant and end up tiring yourself?”
Belly’s pleading wasn’t her first and neither was Sapphire’s answer. But she tried to be as pleasant as possible about it.
“Belly, for the last time, please call me Saph, not Miss Sapphire or your grace or any of that formal nonsense. And I’m not pregnant yet, so don’t worry about it. I should know since I check myself on the regular.”
The younger woman bit her lip worriedly, mystifying Sapphire when she couldn’t figure out which part worried the other. Before she could ask, Belly relented.
“Saph…?”
Sapphire beamed encouragingly. “That’s right. Now, I’m going to ask you something. If you don’t answer, I won’t ask you again, but I will ask someone else. Where’s the entrance to the main kitchen? The one that the castle staff uses the most?”
Belly hesitated for only a few seconds before seeming to understand that Sapphire would persist about it. With a sigh, she pointed to the back of the castle.
“It’s right there.”
“I know it’s right there. I just can’t find the entrance since you guys move like vampires sometimes, all sneaky and secretive. Can you lead me there?”
There was another bout of hesitance before Belly reluctantly moved and Sapphire celebrated in her head. A few minutes later, she was in the vast underground space that boasted rows of counters, kitchen cabinets, and food arranged in order of when they would perish. Awed at the organization and suspecting it was Lydia’s work, she strolled around the area before one thing became clear.
“I’m assuming the sleeping quarters are here since this is where you retreat for the night.”
“Yes, Miss…I mean, Saph.”
She counted the doors in her head, the numbers not matching the number of staff that had been present during the last mating ritual. She turned to give Belly a steady look.
“All of it?”
“Not all of it. There are a few…storage spaces.”
That meant there were even lesser rooms than what she had counted. Sapphire nodded and continued her stroll, snatching a jar of candied fruits along the way. When Belly led her back upstairs, she willingly went with the woman.
“Are the staff asleep at this time?”
“The cooks are. They rest in between lunch and dinner preparations. Sometimes they prepare it ahead, so they don’t have to worry about it later. The master likes it that way and only makes demands when there are guests.”
“Like during the mating ritual?”
“Yes. We had to be on our toes for that one, especially with the varying food specifications. But also, when you and your sister arrived.”
“What about when it was just Klaus?”
Belly shook her head. “No preparations. He takes his food from whichever kitchen he prefers and eats at his own time. He leaves the cooks to their devices and only makes requests when he’s craving those pot roasts.”
Sapphire ticked that in her head, fascinated that the demanding Klaus was…well, not demanding with his kitchen staff. She let Belly talk her ear off until the woman excused herself to do some tasks, which again Klaus didn’t demand but Lydia did.
“My mother’s going to kill me if I don’t get to it,” Belly explained, rushing away. “Those berries are hard to come by and I have to pick them before they wilt in the sun. I’m sorry, Saph. I know you wanted a tour and I agreed, but…”
“I’ll be fine!” Sapphire called out. “We can have our tour later.”
Secretly, she decided that she could have a separate tour for herself, one where she could explore the area she wanted without anyone hovering over her. Revved for it, Sapphire waited until Belly was gone before she zoomed straight back into the underground kitchen, wanting to catch a wandering staff and ask questions. When there was none, she nosed her way into the door, knocking one by one before she realized they were empty…and not sleeping quarters.
