Page 34 of Blood on the Tide

But what then? Wolf is enjoying his ridiculous little polycule, and though they’ve popped out three children, those children are of mixed bloodlines. Somehow they’ve gained the power of all three fathers—as well as their mother’s glamour and seraphim magic. They will undoubtedly change the vampire world when they’re of age, might even challenge the pureblood mentality that my mother clings to so fiercely.

That’s in the distant future, though. She wants to grow our family’s numbers now—which means she expects me to be the one to move forward with those plans. I have no desire for children. I never have. Even if I did, there is no guarantee I could become pregnant. Bloodline vampires may live damn near forever, but that means that we don’t breed easily. We’re lucky if we get one babe a generation. The fact that my mother had two was a small miracle, at least until we became the disappointments that we continue to be to this day.

What’s wrong with me? I don’t think like this. There’s no room for doubt when it comes to my mother. She carved that part of me out a very long time ago—just like she carved out every other alleged weakness I possessed.

I belatedly realize that Alix is still waiting for a response. I can’t afford to let my guard down now. Their ambition will work in my favor, but only as long as they fear me. “To Drash it is, then.”

“Very well.” They turn and move away in a strange little hop-flutter movement that’s not quite walking and not quite flying.

With them gone, there’s nothing else to focus on. Nothing except Maeve’s absence.

What if she didn’t leave intentionally? What if the bay isn’t nearly as safe as we were led to believe? What if she fought and died below the surface and I had no fucking idea?

I grip the railing hard enough for the wood to crack against my palms. If I didn’t know better, I would assume that Maeve had cast a spell on me. There’s no other reason for me to be unraveling this quickly over such a short acquaintance. Yes, I want her. Of course I do. She’s gorgeous and soft and stubborn to a fault. But lust is a simple emotion for all that it can be overwhelming. What I’m feeling right now isn’t simple. I don’t understand it.

“Lizzie.”

She’s back. There’s no thought of tempering my response. I spin and rush to where Maeve has just climbed over the railing several feet away and stands before me, her clothing and hair dripping wet, with a bag in her hands. She grins. “I figured we needed our things.”

I don’t stop to think. I throw my arms around her and pull her close until she squeaks. “You’re here.”

“Of course I’m here. Where else would I be?” She gingerly pats my back as if she’s not sure what to think of me. And why would she be? I am not acting normal right now. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” It still takes several beats before I’m able to release her and step back. I clear my throat, but my heart is racing far faster than it needs to. “You seem... well.” Better than well. There’s a vibrancy to her that I didn’t realize she was missing. It’s pure joy, and it draws me to her even more than she did to begin with. I want to sink my hands into her hair and claim her mouth, to channel that joy into pleasure. To claim her.

I glance at the sky; dawn has long since passed. There’s a thousand reasons to be less reckless, but I can’t think of a single one of them right now. I scoop up the bag, Maeve’s soaking wet skin, and grab her hand. “Come on.”

“Where are we—” She makes that delightful squeaking noise again as I haul her across the deck to the captain’s cabin and through the door. The place reeks of aftershave and some kind of herb, but I don’t care. I haven’t known Maeve that long, but it feels like I’ve been waiting forever to get my hands on her properly. I can’t wait any longer.

I slam the door and lock it and then press her against it, molding my body to hers. “Do you feel the same as when we last spoke?”

Understanding dawns in her inky eyes. Quickly followed by desire hot enough to scald me. She worries her bottom lip, and it’s everything I can do not to close the rest of the distance and soothe that spot with my tongue. “I still want you, if that’s what you mean,” she finally says.

I barely manage to hold myself back. All I want to do is ravish her, but some lines are sacred. My voice is ragged when I finally manage to speak. “If that changes, no matter where we are or what we’re doing, this stops.”

If anything, she softens even further against me. “I know.”

There’s no reason to hesitate any longer. I dig my hands into her curly hair and angle her head so I can take her mouth. Maeve tastes like the sea, salty and enticing enough to drive me to become a sailor and never touch dry land again. To lose myself in her in a way that I’ve never wanted to do with anyone else before.

Then her hands find my hips, urging me closer yet, and there’s no space for thinking anything at all. I kiss her like I’ve wanted to for far too long. Tongue and teeth and the lightest of nips. Not quite a bite, but pleasure shudders through her body all the same.

We’re doing this. We’re finally doing this.

I’ll fucking kill anyone who interrupts us before we’re done.

chapter 17

Maeve

My body buzzes with the combination of being whole once more and Lizzie’s hands on my skin. She’s so incredibly strong, yet she touches me like I’m spun gossamer. Considering the violence she’s capable of—the violence she craves—this is a gift that I barely know what to do with. It would be all too easy to allow myself to believe that she treats me like this because she cares.

That belief is a trap.

This is the culmination of the lust that’s spawned between us. Nothing more. Nothing less. I can enjoy myself as long as I keep my expectations reined in.

“Maeve.” Lizzie’s voice is rough in my ear. “If you don’t want to—”

“I do,” I blurt. I grab the band of her pants and jerk her closer yet. “I really, really do.”

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