Page 104 of Viper

“There’s no need to be. I’m fine.”

Which wasn’t the point. “You should never have been caught up in my shit.” He scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “They somehow know he’s tailing you, which means they’re also aware that you’re important to the club. They would have killed you today in the hope that it would piss us off.”

“But they didn’t.”

Viper wanted to gather her close, squirrel her away, and hide her somewhere where no one would ever find her. That she was powerful in her own right and didn’t need such protection didn’t quash those instincts.

It had been hard for him to let Belinsky take her away earlier. So fucking hard. What Viper had most wanted was to take her to his compound and not let her out of his sight. But he’d known that the legion wouldn’t leave that spot without her, and the quickest way for Viper to get her alone had been to let Luka feel assured that she was safe.

Viper rose to his feet. “I don’t suppose you’ll let me put you someplace safe until all this is over, will you?”

She bristled. “Uh, no. No, I won’t.”

“Strix are dangerous, Ella.”

“I know. Gosh, if only I could use magick or something.”

His entity snickered at that. “I’d be the last person to imply that you can’t handle yourself—I’ve seen you in action, and I know you’re strong. I just … I don’t want to lose you.”

Her face softened. “I’m not the main target here.”

“But you’reatarget purely because you’re of interest to the club.”

“True, but you have guards on me. Be satisfied with that. I get that you’re still wound tight after what happened earlier, but I’m fine. See for yourself.” She dropped her towel.

Predictably, his body stirred. “You think you can distract me with sex?”

Humor lit her gaze. “That is my hope. But my intention was to seduce you in any case.”

“You don’t need to put effort into seducing me, Ella. I’m easy when it comes to you.”

“That works both ways.” She crossed to him. “Now instead of fretting over what could have happened, can we celebrate that it didn’t?” She tilted her head. “Or shall I cover up?”

“Stay as you are.” Because there was no way for him not to fold like a cheap pack of cards when she was naked in front of him.

Viper edged closer and inhaled deeply, savoring the feel of her scent slamming into his senses and making his cock harden. He stared down at her hauntingly beautiful face. Fuck, she made him ache. Covet. Crave.

Her eyes lowered as she doodled a circle in the hollow of his throat. “You, um, you said yesterday that you need to feed tonight at the latest. I thought about it. Hard.” Her gaze flew back to his. “I want you to take my blood.”

He stilled, greed and excitement bursting to life inside him. His entity grinned, fucking ecstatic. “Be sure, Ella. If I drink from you, it’ll get intense.”

Her brow dented. “Intense how?”

“With others, I keep it clinical. Feed and then walk away. You’re not just prey to me, you’re mine. There’ll be nothing impersonal about what happens. I won’t only take your blood, I’ll take youwhileI feed.”

She swallowed hard, her eyes heating in a way that made his gut twist.

“Which means it won’t be a gentle feed. It won’t hurt—you’ll love it, Ill make sure of that. But it’ll be intense, like I said.”

She hummed in thought. “Well, go big or go home, Viper.”

“Be sure.”

“I’m positive. And why you think that ‘intense’ will ever be a turn-off for me, I don’t know. Honestly, it’s like you’re new here.”

His lips twitched. “Fine. But don’t say you weren’t warned.”

Tired of him drawing this whole thing out, Ella fisted his tee and tugged on it hard. “I won’t, I promise. Now do me already.”

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