Once Bitten (Shadow Guild: The Rebel 1)

“I—will.”

“Then bite me.”

His lips pressed to my skin, and a shiver of fear and desire rushed through me. Was I really doing this?

His lips parted, and the air around us seemed to fog, filling with dark smoke. It formed a barrier between us and the world. I heard my friends cry out in concern, but I could no longer see them. Soon, I could no longer hear them.

We were in a cocoon, far away from them. The Devil’s magic protected us from the world so that no one could see us.

His warm breath brushed across my skin, and I shuddered. My heart raced, anticipation overwhelming. When his fangs pierced me, pleasure exploded. I moaned, moving closer to him until my chest was pressed to his.

20

The Devil

Carrow’s arms wrapped around me, pulling me close as I drew on her neck. The feel of her beneath my hands, beneath my fangs, was enough to send my heart into overdrive.

She tasted so damned sweet. Everything I’d tasted since I’d been turned had been so damned dull.

But her…

Her scent swirled around me, lavender and something so intrinsically her that I couldn’t get enough of it. The heady aroma was so much more powerful now.

I wrapped my hand around her waist and clutched her close, wanting to feel every part of her. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced—even before I’d been turned.

The protective shield of my magic hid us from prying eyes, and I wanted more than this. I wanted to pull her clothes off, to taste her. I wanted to bury the years of loneliness in her. I was a seething mess of want.

Anything. I’d give anything to have her.

Beneath my lips, she tilted her head and moaned. The pleasure in the sound shot through me, and I clutched her closer. The connection between us surged, and it was impossible not to think of what the Oracle had said.

She would thaw me.

Was it possible?

Was the myth true?

With the taste of her blood on my tongue, it was impossible not to think so. Impossible not to believe it.

But the Oracle had been keeping secrets the day she’d come to see me—I could feel it.

“Grey.”

The sound of my name on her lips made me shudder. I drew deeper on her neck, feeling my strength return.

Stop.

I had to stop.

With every bit of strength I gained, she lost some. She’d recoup it eventually, but if I drained her, she’d die.

With her taste sweet on my lips, I withdrew my mouth.

“Don’t stop,” she murmured, sounding half out of her mind.

“I must.” I licked my lips, cleaning them of any trace of her, and cupped her face. “We have to stop.”

Her eyes fluttered opened, and she looked at me.