Page 65 of Cold Heir

“Do it,” I breathed with urgency. “Please.” I was only half aware that the thought had been spoken aloud. Without thought, I’d just submitted to this need in the form of a request.

At first, there was only more of his soft kisses, but then, just as I began to think he wouldn’t respond, two sharp pricks to the side of my neck assured me I’d been wrong. Each breath that cascaded over my lips as I panted became quicker than the last. As Silas sucked fiercely at the wound, I braced both sides of his face, realizing I’d never experienced anything quite like this, a deep, all-encompassing intimacy that made the room around us seem to disappear.

When his venom began to flow through me, it was marked with a potent sting just beneath my skin. To offset the discomfort, his hands that once held my hips, rose to the small of my back where his arms pulled me closer, holding me in a gentle embrace. It worked. Before long, I only focused on the pleasure he brought me, and not the pain.

His fangs withdrew, but his tongue trailed my skin there, savoring the taste a little while longer. Pushing my hair out of the way, I brought Silas to my shoulder for him to feed again, because that’s how the Claiming worked. There was no hesitation this time. His teeth sank right into me and I whimpered into his ear, but not because he’d hurt me. These were, without a doubt, cries of pleasure.

Silas’ breaths were heavy and labored as he swallowed again, placing a tender kiss in the spot once he was done. My body was on fire for him. Literally. A trickle of sweat raced down my spine to where he gripped me. In the height of this powerful moment, his gaze met mine and I couldn’t look away. Not even if I wanted to. He had a hold on me and bonding with him would only strengthen its power.

I watched as he brought his wrist to his lips, biting down until he broke the skin. Two small pinpricks of blood slowly appeared, and once the deed was done, we would be bound to one another forever.

He offered it to me, and the taste was no longer unnerving. In fact, I didn’t even flinch as I savored his very essence. His stare was curious, and with the wicked smile that followed, I knew the sight of me feeding on him was one he enjoyed. So much so, as I drank, his eyes slipped slowly to the back, until they disappeared behind closed lids.

We both had our fill, had both held out for about as long as we could, and as if our souls were in tandem, we let go.

Together.

I clutched Silas’ wrist against my lips, and it muffled the sound that seeped through them.

Mine … but not his.

A stream of obscenities—words I couldn’t imagine him uttering otherwise—filled the room, and maybe even the entire house. He hadn’t held back anything.

I was locked to him, unable to move for quite some time, but slowly, my breath returned. There was no reason to rush and push him away. Instead, I reveled in the afterglow of the raw passion that reverberated between his body and mine.

There was plenty I hadn’t realized about Silas, but there was also something more I wasn’t aware of until now, until we’d been intimate. This man I once equated to being the boy-next-door, was filled with passion and fire like you wouldn’t believe.

Yes, I had it on good authority that Sir Silas Aldridge of the North was special. And together, the two of us were electric.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Corina

It seemed the good in Silas just kept shining through. Slipping beneath the comforter with him set a scene as intimate as the encounter we shared a moment ago. As my cheek rested against his chest, I was already feeling the effects of our bond changing me from the inside out.

His trait that was slowly weaving itself into my DNA, was loyalty. There wasn’t even a question that this sudden warmth and fealty I experienced toward those I already cared about beyond comprehension came from him. Even as it overcame me, I moved deeper into his side, craving the closeness.

Knowing that all this love and devotion resided within him made me see him in a new light.

Tonight had been eye-opening in so many ways, a rush from start to finish. Although, for very different reasons. I couldn’t remember a time when my heart raced more, felt more. And that was all because of Silas.

He pushed the hair away from my face and a soft kiss pressed to my forehead as he stroked my shoulder. I wanted him like this forever, right in this very space, he and the others holding me. Only, there was a small part of my brain that kept jarring me awake every time I tried to settle in, telling me we had unfinished business with the other princes.

As much of a rush as it had been, keeping our secret now that all was said and done felt wrong. Seeing as how Silas and I both came out unscathed, I saw no harm in revealing the truth about where we spent our evening, and what we gained from the excursion. Not only had we scored the blood and supplies, we were now armed with new information we wouldn’t have known otherwise.

That HIN-190487 was not only still alive, but someone seemed to hold just as much interest in her as we did, because they’d risked life and limb to take her.

And there was also the Claiming. They’d likely want to know that the bond was one step closer to being completed. I was certain it would intensify their search for Roman, their attempt to convince him to rejoin their unit. Eventually, Silas studies would be halted if they weren’t able to do so.

Honestly, I prayed daily that there was another way, some loophole they hadn’t thought of, maybe something they’d missed in Dr. Percival’s research. It was bad enough I was linked to Aaric—who I dreamed about again the night before, even after having such a beautiful time with Julian. Chances were, he’d visit my dreams again when my thoughts should be focused on Silas tonight.

It was just a hard truth I couldn’t seem to outrun.

Silas released a breath that moved strands of my hair, and I sensed tension.

“You okay?” I peered up to ask, running my fingertips along the edge of his jaw.

He smiled and kissed me. “Betterthan okay,” was his answer, “but I can’t seem to relax.”

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