Page 78 of A Study of Blood and Ichor

“Rory convinced me I should come and apologize to you, but now I’m wondering if there’s another way I might beg for your forgiveness.” The glint in his eyes was unmistakable. “And if I remember correctly, you do so love to hear me beg.”

“You don’t have to,” I whispered.

“I want to.”

I swallowed hard, and my skin prickled against Vain’s dark energy wrapping itself around me as I stared up at him. Vain brushed a hand against my waist as he opened the door. I took the opportunity to back into the room and make space between us, even though I was only cornering myself again.

The office we stepped into was mostly dark, and only the sconces on the wall kept the shadows at bay with their soft warm glow. Vain closed the door behind him, not taking his eyes off me once. I backed away slowly while ignoring the inexplicable pull toward him. My body ached at the distance between us, but I reminded myself that he was not Rory. The demon was on the hunt.

He rolled up the sleeves of Rory’s sweater while he advanced, step after slow predatory step.

“Don’t act so frightened,” Vain said with a grin.

I staggered backward again. “You’re not compelling me, are you?”

“I don’t need to compel you, mellilla.” He chuckled darkly and then slowly traced his tongue over his lower lip. “I could have my way with you now, and you wouldn’t lift a finger to stop me. Not because I could overpower or glamour you, but because you want this. And you would enjoy it.”

“Get out of my head.”

“I’m not in your head, Ava. You’re projecting.” Vain leaned in until I could feel the heat of his breath against my cheek. “And you’re very, very loud.”

The demon was right. In my panicked, lust-filled state, I had let my mental shields falter without realizing, allowing Vain to hear all my most primal and carnal desires.

I had let myself get far too comfortable around them both. It was surprisingly easy when all of Vain’s darkness was constantly masked by Rory’s charming looks and unassuming nature. They’d both lulled me into a warped sense of safety that was quickly becoming dangerous.

And while the thought terrified me that they might just become my undoing, there was a part of me that didn’t want to care. Because the way Vain looked at me was not something I had ever seen from him before. His eyes held a gentle, adoring hunger, and his movements were languid as he stalked ever closer to me.

A demon of pure lust. That’s what he was. How had I not noticed it before?

My voice was barely a whisper. “Shit. Are you an incubus?” I asked, staring up at him.

“Would that change anything for you if I was?”

“It would explain a lot,” I said, hating the slight tremble that came with it which was impossible to hide, especially from him.

I took another tentative step backward and knocked into a low table, which made me stumble back onto a velvet chaise lounge. Vain moved impossibly fast, his body curving over mine with his hands braced next to either side of my face.

“Look at you,” he breathed while tucking a strand of hair behind my ear with the same reverent touch that Rory possessed last night when he had me on his lap. “What a needy little mess you are for me. I don’t need to be inside your head in order to read your thoughts and know your desires. I can see them all written on you now. It’s in the flush of your skin, the way you quiver when my voice brushes against your ear and sends a shiver down your spine. The way your pupils are dilated. How your breathing has shallowed.”

I trembled beneath him, feeling confused and delirious with a kind of fevered excitement I’d never experienced before in my life.

Vain leaned in close to the hollow of my throat and breathed in deeply. “I can even smell the arousal on your skin. And you smell so fucking good, Ava. I like to imagine you taste even better.”

When he drew himself back up, his attention roamed to the heavy rise and fall of my chest and the neckline of my dress that came to a sharp point between my breasts. The way Vain’s eyes glanced back up and lingered on my lips, I thought he might kiss me.

“What are you doing?” I whispered.

Vain smirked. “I find it interesting how you’re not stopping me,” he said as he grazed one hand along my neck. His thumb lingered over the marked V that had already scabbed over before traveling further down my body.

I glared up at him. “Even if I told you to stop, I doubt you would.”

“You’re welcome to test that little theory anytime you’d like, darling.” His hand paused at my waist when he found the delicate sash that tied my dress in place. “You can tell me to stop. Or you can give in.”

The problem was, I didn’t want him to stop. But I kept that mortifying admission to myself. Understanding that I could say no at any time gave me some sense of security and allowed me to give in to the thrill of seeing just how far I would let this go.

Vain tugged at the sash and the fabric fell away to my sides. The second the cool air hit my bare skin, my nipples pebbled underneath the mesh of my bra.

“So beautiful,” he whispered, leaning in. Vain traced the length of my neck with his lips and kissed along my collarbone. Tugging the cups of my bra down so that my breasts popped free, he wasted no time settling his mouth around each nipple, swirling his tongue, and sucking tenderly. The slight graze of his teeth had me arching into his body without permission. Every inch of skin he settled his mouth against lit up like a fire, leaving a trail of heat down over my stomach until he settled his head between my legs.

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