Page 51 of Song of the Abyss

It did things to her that no man had ever inspired. She was so wet between her legs it was almost embarrassing, and still, her breath caught in her throat as she finished with the last spine at the small of his back.

“So dangerous,” she said, hoping that she was even saying the words right.

He turned at the last second, and the smallest spine at the base of his back caught her finger. With a sharp hiss, she drew back in shock.

Bright blood welled on the tip of her finger. It was a small scratch. She doubted it would need anything other than a few moments of firm pressure and it would seal back up on its own.

But he groaned, the sound long and low and delicious as it coiled low in her belly. She hadn’t realized how thrilling it was to hear her partner while he took his pleasure. Then all her thoughts scattered as he grabbed onto her wrist and drew it to him.

That long, black tongue came out of his mouth. And she was right. It was ridged. There were bumps all up and down it, little bumps that moved on their own as he wrapped that tongue around her bloodied finger.

“Fuck,” she whispered.

That shouldn’t be as hot as it was. She shouldn’t tremble with need at the sound of his voice and the way that his eyes had rolled closed in pleasure as he sucked the blood from her skin.

This was wrong. She shouldn’t enjoy this so much, and neither should he. They shouldn’t be entertaining this heat between them, but they were. And she didn’t want him to stop.

His eyes slowly opened, meeting hers with her finger still in his mouth. One more warm, wet swipe and he released her.

“I’ll return with food for you,” he said, that rumbling voice doing all sorts of things to her that it shouldn’t.

“You just got back.”

“I forgot to bring you something to eat, kalon.”

She watched him sink into the water and thought maybe she had imagined it all. Or maybe, just maybe, they’d both lost their minds for a few moments.

And she’d liked it.

19

Daios

Daios darted through the water, a fish tied to his waist for her as his mind rioted.

He understood it now.

He understood what Arges had meant when he said this feeling was all-consuming. That fighting against this connection was a lesson in futility because it absolutely was. With the taste of her blood on his tongue and the feeling of her hands on his skin, he was lost. Completely and utterly.

He wanted to mate her. He wanted to keep her for himself forever. Every part of his body screamed that he needed to consume every drop of what she was and beg for her forgiveness later.

But that wasn’t how mating worked. No matter how much he wanted her, no matter how hard he fought for her, the choice would always end in her lap. She had all the power here, and he knew how this story would end.

He was not the first choice. The instinct inside of him to take her and keep her away from the others was to fool her into thinking he was her best option. He was supposed to show her just how useful he could be. All of that was in his blood to keep her away from anyone else that might sway her eyes. But it wasn’t fair.

The People of Water did not do things like this anymore. They allowed the females to pick and choose from the smaller amount of males that were available. And he had never been chosen.

She would not choose him either if she could see all the other males. She would eventually greet his pod and set her eyes on someone like Maketes. Someone bright and light and kind.

She never would have let Daios touch her if she knew that there were other options. If there was another person who could sway her thoughts from Daios.

He knew that. She knew it.

And still, he did not bring her back. Because in some fucked up way, he wanted to keep her to himself.

Sighing, he stared up at the entrance to the facility. He knew he was done fighting against this. He wanted to touch her. Taste her. Know everything about her. He wanted to steal what little he could before they were forced to part. And they would be forced. He was certain of that.

Cresting the surface, he searched for her. Like his eyes didn’t even see threats anymore, only the hope that she was somewhere nearby. She was sitting in that strange chair again; her legs crossed and her hair wild around her head. Muttering under her breath, she pressed buttons on the console in front of her and then muttered some more when nothing happened.

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