Page 80 of Blood Lust

Oz carries me back into our bedroom and lays me on the bedspread. Climbing beside me, I feel a stillness as he rests his head on my abdomen, fingers absentmindedly tracing where a gaping wound was just hours before. Feeding from Emerson restored me and made me physically whole again. I feel strong, but I am tired, so tired from everything.

Tangling my fingers in Oz’s chestnut hair, I relax as his hands search me. Like he is looking for injuries that aren’t on the surface anymore. Given the sort of people I was held captive by, I know what he wants to ask. He takes a deep breath, and I notice he doesn’t want to look at my face as he probes for the answer.

“Wren, did they hurt you, my love? Did anyone… violate you.” His muscles are tense. I move my hand to his neck, working the knots at the base.

“They threatened it and worse. I was drained, smacked around, and you saw what Emerson did with his knife. There was one…” I have to tell him about the guard. I’m sure that he can smell that someone placed their hands on me. My breasts, my center. That someone had kissed my lips, my neck… I should shudder at the memory of him pressing into me.

Why doesn’t it bother me?

The face of the cruel woman swims in my mind’s eye, and I know.

She took it.

She took it all.

An emotion I can’t name swells inside of me and I continue my story. “My guard, outside the cell… I lured him in with the promise of my body.”

Oz stiffens but says nothing.

“He took the bait. So he kissed me, touched me, and I slid my hand into his pants. I grabbed him and…” I can feel him holding his breath. “I ripped off his dick and fed it to him.”

Oz’s arms reach for me and pull me to him, rearranging our limbs so I can put my head on his shoulder as he wraps himself around me. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, love. He had it coming. And the way you made him pay? It sounds like just desserts to me.” He kisses the top of my head and holds me tightly.

“I’m glad you’re safe now.”

I gently kiss his neck, wanting to tell him about the ride home. About me. About what happened with “Other Wren.” The words are hard to find but not impossible to come by.

“In the car, on the way here… I was lost in myself for a while. Trying to reconcile everything that happened, everything I did, who I am, and who I want to be.” Biting my lip, I turn to look at Oz directly. “I did it. We finally merged, and I’m… I’m whole now.” My fingers trace the lines of his face, my thumb running across his lips. He places a gentle kiss as I do, rolling so I am pressed down into the bed, and he is on top of me.

“How do you feel now, little bird?” Piercing eyes bore into mine.

How do I feel?

“Fucking amazing.” Wonder fills my voice with the truth of my words. “It’s like I was half a person before, and now it all just… fits.”

Gently, Oz presses his lips to mine. But it is too tender, and I want more. Nipping at his lips, I hear a rumble grow in the back of his throat.

Careful, little bird. He uses the bond to place his thoughts directly into my mind.

No. I think back at him, biting him harder. He opens his mouth, allowing my searching tongue entrance. Massaging his with mine, I can feel excitement rush down to settle in my belly.

I want this.

I want him.

I want to erase what happened with something good and pure.

My fingers grip his hair tightly, tugging as I press my lips harder against his. He stirs exactly as I hoped he would. Strong hands follow the curves of my body until one reaches my neck. Gripping just beneath my jaw, Oz breaks the kiss and uses his thick thumb to force my chin upward, exposing my throat to him. His teeth graze against the side of my neck, and I sigh deeply.

Yes.

This is what I need.

He hesitates for a moment, a question burning through him so brightly I can feel it through our bond.

“Make me forget,” I whisper.

That is all of the encouragement I need to give my mate.

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