Lowering myself once more, I sealed my mouth over hers, forcing the second dose onto her tongue.
Her spine arched slightly, trying to fight my imprisonment.
Energy crackled where our lips pressed together. Her pulse fluttered against my fingertips. Heat gathered, heavy and hungry between my legs, burning hotter than the vitalsync core.
The longer I fed her my blood, the harder I clung to self-control.
I wanted more.
Needed more.
With a growl, I tore away.
Her lips were smeared with scarlet, the wasted blood on her cheek marking her as mine. I brushed a thumb across her lower lip. The sight of my essence on her—knowing my life-force was inside her...
I couldn’t stop myself.
My hand slipped from her mouth to her throat, driven by primal instinct. Lust roared through me, tearing through a lifetime of denial.
My fingers shook as they lingered on her pulse before following the path of heat down and down.
I sank my teeth into my bloodstained lip as I cupped the part of her that I’d felt pressed against me whenever we collided.
I wasn’t prepared.
I never expected—
Raw, savage desperation made my fingers squeeze.
I bent over her as a grunt escaped me.
The weight of her breast. The softness of her flesh. The warmth and shape and addiction—
Touching her fucking obliterated me.
I needed her.
Naked and spread and—
I leapt to my feet and staggered away.
My hand curled into a fist just as the vitalsync core flashed red.
A bolt of fire shot through me as I groaned.
What was I doing?
What the fuck was she doing to me?
I needed to leave.
Right now.
Footsteps sounded on the stone bridge outside.
Whisper shot to his paws, turning to face the unwanted visitor.
I caught a flash of mousy brown hair, the girl’s attention on crossing the small river.
I didn’t know her name, but I’d seen her with Rook enough to know they were friendly. She wasn’t like the others trying to bed me or kill me. She was like Rook: another lottery toss, given to me just in case a civilian enticed me more than the trained courtesans.
“We’re leaving.” Snatching my blade, I moved toward the back window.
The panther followed obediently, but his whiskers flared as he looked back at Rook still unconscious.
I still didn’t know what they’d done to me that made my very human blood do something very unhuman. I had no explanation for why it could take away pain or heal but...for the first time, I was grateful.
She’d be fine when she woke.
She’d be strong for what I needed her to do.
“Come,” I ordered, climbing out the window and holding it open for him. The soft thud of his bulk crushed the orchids beneath.
The flames in my blood that’d been sated while I’d stayed close to Rook returned in full force. Sweat broke out, rolling down my spine. “That girl can look after her while I can’t.”
Breaking into a fast walk, the embers in my bones caught fire.
With every breath, the ash in my lungs choked me—
“Ghh.” I doubled over as another shot of molten torture threatened to knock me out.
I shoved a fist into my stomach, fighting the urge to return to Rook. It seemed even unconscious, she had the power to ease my pain.
But I didn’t trust myself not to touch her again.
Didn’t even recognise myself with what she’d fucking done to me.
Gritting my teeth, I tripped toward my quarters.
As long as I kept my pulse calm I could—
PAIN.
White-hot fire tore through my chest, almost sending me to my knees.
Whisper whimpered, low and uneasy, pressing his solid strength against me.
“Don’t,” I rasped. “I’m fine.”
He didn’t believe me, staying plastered to my side—doing what he’d trained himself to do when I got this bad.
“Am I that weak to you?” I tried to laugh—
The next surge buckled me completely.
My vision tunnelled, spots blooming at the edges. I caught myself on his velvety shoulder, digging my fingers into his powerful muscle.
Whisper started walking, his shoulder blades undulating under my hand. I moved with him, putting most of my weight on him, using him as a walking stick.
Pressing my other hand over my smouldering heart, the world tilted—
Whisper hissed again, half-shoving me toward my home.
I wanted to push him away, to keep a scrap of dignity—but the ground lurched again, and I lost the argument.
“Stupid beast,” I muttered.
He sneezed violently, telling me exactly what he thought of my pathetic existence.
My head hung in defeat. “Just get me home. Then you can gloat all you want.”
I managed to stay awake just long enough to pass out face-first on my bed.
Chapter Forty-Eight
BLOOD SPRAYING EVERYWHERE.
A panther’s snarl. A scream—
My eyes flew wide, stopping the replay of what happened.
“Oh, thank god, you’re finally awake!” Laura’s pretty, slightly freckled face filled my vision. “You’ve been out cold for a while. Look.” She pointed at the night pouring in through the windows. “It’s dark.” Springing to her feet, she wrung her hands. “Are you hungry? I can make you something—”
“Wait.” Sitting upright, cursing the small rush of vertigo, I grabbed her hand. Golden light spilled from lanterns flickering around the room, the layout was familiar, the bed soft like mine, the furniture almost identical, and yet...not mine.
“Where...where am I?”
Laura froze, glancing at where I touched her. Slowly, she sat back on the bed again and patted my arm. “This is Evelyn’s pavilion.”
“What?” I scrambled in the blankets, trying to get up.
Memories of Whisper tearing out Evelyn’s throat made mine close up. “How did I end up here?”
“Lucien Ashfall brought you.” She tugged her hand from mine and balled them in her lap. “I saw him carrying you. You weren’t moving and I thought...I thought he’d hurt you.” She winced. “It wasn’t like I could confront him, so I went to your place to figure out how to help, and...almost threw up all over the rug.” She swallowed hard. “Evelyn and Lydia are...well.” She shook her head. “Let’s just say, staying here for now is better.”
A knife cutting.
Blood spraying—
I flinched. “You saw them?”
She caught my eyes and nodded stiffly. “What the hell happened?”
I glanced at the cuts on my hands from fighting them off. I ran my thumb over Lydia’s fingernail marks on my wrists. I flexed my arms and pressed the bruises that Evelyn had delivered and...didn’t feel much of anything.
I ought to be in agony from their abuse.
I should be stiff and swollen and in a terrible state, unless—
Lucien.
Running my tongue over my bottom lip, the flavour of earthy copper filled my mouth.
Again.
He’d fed me his blood again.
And...it helped.
Again.