Thad lowers his eyes and backs away the way Kane did, and she glances around, eyes landing on me briefly, before returning to completely obliterating the enemy who attacked her home.
“I don’t guess I have to ask how he got past the boundary spell, but I do have to ask why magic didn’t work worth a damn on him, and if that’s something we need to start worrying about,” I hear Gage whispering somewhere behind me.
Ella growls again, her eyes lifting.
“Can none of you shut the hell up? Or are you too daft to realize what’s going on?” I snap.
They all shut the hell right up, even though Ella doesn’t seem to mind it when I speak. She carries on, finishing up at last, then I turn away when I realize what she’s about to do.
Then…Kya sneezes.
Ella’s growl doubles, and Kya dematerializes. I hear a sneeze somewhere off in the distance, then hear the telltale sign that Ella has resumed the task I turned away to miss.
“Holy hell. She’s pissing on the remains. Hashtag, nasty territory marked,” Dice says, then a loud snapping sound emerges from behind me, accompanied with a shrill scream, and I roll my eyes as I turn around, seeing Ella shifting now like she’s ready to punish the onlookers who disturbed that entire ritual.
That’s when I dematerialize over to her, pulling her to me just as she finishes her shift back into flesh, and drag her away from them, dropping us in my cabin.
Her hands go to my neck, pulling me down, and my mouth crashes against hers violently. I groan because she still tastes like that terrible blood, but at least that keeps me from doing something stupid.
She seems to relax against me, even as her growls turn into little rumbling purrs.
She suddenly sags, which confuses me, until I realize she’s passed out. A little panic hits me, and I pull her chest against my face, listening to her heart.
When I hear the steady thrum of it, along with a soft little purr again, I roll my eyes. Damn girl got so drunk on the high she passed out.
“Immortal cardiac arrest has been added to your long list of offenses against me,” I tell her as I carry her to my bed and place her on it.
It’s hard to ignore the fact she’s naked, but just feeling her skin against mine seems to put my own beasts to rest after getting more riled than they have in centuries.
I put my head back over her heart, needing to hear it as closely as possible, then close my eyes, enjoying the peace my mind gets when it’s not busy searching for her.
I’m not even a little bit tired when I start drifting off to sleep.
But I startle awake when Ella moves under me.
I lean up, realizing belatedly I never bothered to put any clothes on, and just the slight stirring of her is awakening the parts of my body that want to blow centuries of planning all to hell for baser urges.
Her eyes flutter open, and she groans as she clutches her head like it aches. I bite into my wrist without hesitation, and stop short when the first drop of my blood lands on her lips.
My eyes widen, and I think to stop her too late as she licks it, then moans as her eyes shut again. Instincts having already fucked me and damage already done, I say nothing as I hold my wrist over her lips, letting my blood drip to them to ease her hangover.
Her hands fist in the sheets under her, and she keeps her eyes closed as she licks up the drops, her body unconsciously arching into me.
Considering I’m halfway draped over her already, and we’re also naked, it takes a large amount of effort not to let myself notice the intimacy of what it feels like to be naked in bed with my mate while she feeds from me.
It makes all the wrong instincts stir to life. Some primal and some that have me looking at a future I know better than to think will exist. I’m tired of fighting, but my death will have purpose.
There needs to be a purpose to it all so I can die in more peace than I was ever in while alive.
Letting my head get muddled by the bonnie creature beneath me, who is running her hands up my chest and consistently fucking with my control, is both stupid and embarrassingly naïve.
The door opens, and Ella jerks as we both look over at Kya limping in, sneezing with one red, familiar pigtail on her head, and half of a dress that looks exactly like the one the incubus is still wearing.
Also, one rosy cheek and one set of blue eyelashes is also on her as she sneezes three more times, her eyes remaining screwed shut with the effort.
The bite I made on my arm heals, the last drop of blood falling to Ella’s lips just as Kya’s eyes open and widen as she takes in the scene.
Ella naked on my messy bed, me naked on top of her, my arm hovering over her mouth as Ella licks the teasing drop of blood from her lips, and Ella’s hands on my chest…