Page 61 of Taken By Touch and Torment

He’d discarded me right after like I’d meant nothing at all.

My eyes welled.

Then he’d shown me his love had never truly died. He’d fought for me.

I was floating in a sea of rocking waves, shoved this way and that. Every once in a while, I felt the ghost of Brennan’s lips on mine, his hands on my breasts or cupping my ass, his moans in my ear.

When I saw splotches of darkness in my pleasurable haze, I knew I needed to swim back to shore.

“Hey,” I murmured, my eyelids heavy as I tuned back in to my surroundings. “You’re taking too much.”

Could he hear me? I was fading. Rune was right—it was dangerous for me to be fed from when I caused such a frenzy. Like elixir addicts, these vampires didn’t know when to stop.

I pushed against a wall of muscle, his lips on my neck as my essence flowed inside him.

“Brennan you’re going to kill me,” I said, weak and panicked. I let my heightened emotions snap a cord of desire, shocking Brennan out of his daze.

He cursed, begrudgingly licking my wound closed and dragging himself off me. “I’m sorry, Scarlett,” he said, his eyes wide as he regarded me like I regarded ice cream. He wanted to go back for seconds. “So Durian wasn’t exaggerating for effect,” he said, still strained. “I understand why the whole world is fighting over you. Your blood would start wars.”

I wasn’t sure my blood was necessary to incite conflict at this point, but I would take that rather poetic compliment. I struggled to find my way back to my body. I wiggled one set of toes and then the other. I identified what I smelled, what I saw, what I heard, and what I felt.

“As much as I want to fuck you until you’re screaming my name and coming all over my cock… I wasn’t prepared for the amount of self-control that would require of me. I need you to leave now,” he said. “We’ll finish this later.”

He looked like he wanted to reach out but couldn’t, holding himself back and away from me.

I pretended to be disappointed, offering him an understanding smile. “Don’t make me wait too long.”

“Never,” he growled.

I fought the urge to sprint out of his chambers. When I was in the halls, I rubbed my neck.

Well, hey. At least I hadn’t been raped.

26

SCARLETT

“He’s out cold,” Rosalind said triumphantly.

We stood in the bedroom of Kole’s guest suite. Kole was passed out, pants-less yet still in his suit jacket on the plush golden comforter.

“You’re welcome,” she added.

“Thank you,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I promise I paid my own dues.” I pointed to the fang marks on my neck.

Rosalind grimaced, then shrugged. “As far as vamps go, Brennan’s one of the better ones. At least he’s super cute.”

I snorted. “Super cute,” I echoed sarcastically, shaking my head in disbelief. “Did you get to call this one a disgusting little rat?” I nodded toward Kole.

Rosalind tilted her head back with laughter. “I wanted to, but I think you could feel what I did—he needed softer domination tonight after his very mean vampire overlords ripped him a new one this week.” She mocked him in a condescending tone, as if speaking about a toddler.

I wasn’t sure how it was possible to smile at a time like this, after yet another violation. But smile I did, because fuck if my life wasn’t funny on occasion in between horrifically traumatic events.

“We need to find?—”

Rosalind grinned, crooking her finger and gesturing for me to follow her to a desk. It sat facing a window, the crimson curtains closed.

“Please tell me he didn’t put it in the desk drawer,” I said.

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