Page 45 of The Secrets of Roan Island

I track her like a hound on the hunt. Down the stairs, flipping through the gateway as I go. Through hall after hall. Back to the library, where she seems most at home among the books. A safe haven, though she’s trapped herself in a dead end. There’s nowhere to go, and the carnality of that truth makes my cock swell.

She’s sitting at the table, hunched over a book, finger dragging across the page as she reads. I linger in the doorway, watching. Seeing her pushes the pace of my hearts. The hunger for her gnaws at my insides even after drinking from the human-trash of her ex.

She doesn’t hear me approach, too absorbed in her research. “There must be something here,” she whispers. Her heartbeat is fast, eager to find answers, but I don’t care about that right now. I only care about one thing. Her blood. Her body.

I inhale and close my eyes as they roll back in my head, relishing the uniqueness of what’s decidedly Ruby. Delicious. Delicate and strong at the same time. My fangs are long. My cock hard. Every muscle in my body is ready to pounce as I watch her.

She abruptly stops reading and looks to the spot where I kissed her the night before. Her breathing picks up, a hand pressing against her lips. Closing her eyes, she leans back in the chair, her other hand sliding down her neck to her lusciousbreast, where she stops and palms her ample flesh. She’s still in that red dress. Temptation wrapped in temptation.

“Noah,” she moans.

In an instant, I’m leaning over her chair from behind. “I’m here,ta’ari.”

She yelps in surprise, lurching from her chair but gets caught between the table, the chair, and me. She twists, the gown tangling around her legs, so she’s at my mercy.

I grin, leaning over the chair.

She shudders, her eyes closing for a moment as if mentally trying to escape my trap. “Shouldn’t you be at the party?”

I lay my hands on her shoulders, run my palms down her bare arms to her gloves, then push the silky fabric down, baring the skin at her forearms. “Did you think I wouldn’t find you?” Pulling each glove from her hand, I wrap my fingers around her wrists like manacles. “Did you think I wouldn’t show you what kind of monster I am?”

She pants, her chest rising in quick bursts, her blood rushing like a continuous song.

I lick my lips as I press my palms against her collarbone, my thumbs meeting at the divot of her throat where that ruby sits against her skin like an invitation. “You shouldn’t be here, Ruby Rose.”

“I wanted to–”

Her words catch as I slide my hands down over the swell of her breasts, lingering with them in my palms.

“Find…” Breath ragged, she leans into my touch.

“Wanted what? Find what?” My voice is a low rumble of animal need, warning her what I will become. I step in front of the chair and press closer, my hands prowling down to her waist where I linger, leaning forward to press my nose into that space between her neck and her shoulder. I scrape my fangs along her skin and whisper in her ear, “Tell me.”

She tilts her head, looking at me with pure, pliant need.

I sit in the chair she just vacated and lift the hem of her skirt, sliding it up over her legs until I’m cupping that beautiful ass I’ve been dreaming about for weeks.

“Noah,” she whimpers. “Please.”

The beast in me begs to be let loose. “Do you understand what you’re asking?”

Her heart is an echo in my body. I swallow, waiting for her.

“Yes.” She nods, reaching down and taking my face in her hands, guiding me so our eyes meet “Bite me. Fuck me. Put me out of this misery, Noah. I need you.”

Permission given, I surge to my feet, grab the back of her neck, and sink my teeth into her pulse point.

She tastes like the brilliance of light and the essence of stars. Her blood effervesces on my tongue like bubbles of the perfect champagne that both strengthens my need and satiates my nature. It wasn’t what I expected. My hunger is insatiable, my hunter awake with the desire to conquer, to own, but I’m not lost to it. I’m lost to Ruby.

She gasps and clutches my shirt. “Please. Yes. What?” She moans, and I know the venom is pulsing through her blood, giving her more pleasure than she’s ever known.

I continue to feed, gulping Ruby’s blood and rolling my hips, my cock seeking release.

Wanting all of her, I grab the bodice of her dress, enjoying the gorgeous swell of her tits as I do. Careful not to hurt her, I release my claws and rend the delicate fabric. Buttons, sequins, beads pop and rain around us.

She leans back, a coy smile on her lips, inviting. Crazed, I lift her onto the table.

“The research!” she protests, so I pick her up again and swipe the books and papers to the floor before setting her back down, right where I want her.

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