Page 105 of A Debt of Darkness

Matt laughs. “I wonder if Ivy thought that last night?”

I growl and the assholes collapse into a fit of laughter. I refuse to let this continue much longer, not least because Ivy will emerge from the bathroom. She might not understand they’re mocking me and not her, and she doesn’t deserve to beembarrassed by last night.

“Look, he’s smitten too,” Ryan teases. “I’ve never seen you in love, Henry.”

I grit my teeth. “You’ve seen it plenty of times.”

Ryan’s expression turns serious. “No, I haven’t. Not in all the centuries we’ve spent together. I’ve seen you fawn over women and you’ve been obsessed with more than one. But you’ve never been in love, Henry. Not once.”

Matt’s eyebrow rises, reminding me he’s younger than Ryan and doesn’t share all our experiences. The three of us have grown so close over the centuries that I’d forgotten he doesn’t know all my history, as I’d forgotten how it took me time to accept he wasn’t a threat to what Ryan and I share.

“So, this is a first for you too,” Matt sighs as he looks at his partner with the same devotion I feel towards mine. “She’s worth it, Henry. She’s perfect for you, and it doesn’t take a genius to see how special she is.”

I nod and pray they’ll take the hint and shut the fuck up before Ivy finishes getting dressed. She didn’t get much sleep and it seemed only reasonable to let her have a lazy morning—and when she finally staggered to the bathroom, I couldn’t help but smirk.

A promise is a promise and I’ve kept mine. Ivy’s been fucked until she’s sore and barely walking. She’ll be begging me to fuck her again by the end of the day.

“Well, the drama’s over and done with,” Ryan says, glancing at me with a look that says everything’s fine between us. “For now.”

I’m relieved to know my relationship with Ryan isn’t broken. We’ve known each other long enough to understand the viciousness of our nature and trust each other not to harbor grudges. Ivy must find it strange when we fluctuate from being murderous to being back at ease again.

Their extended visit is Ivy’s attempt to repair the damage she thinks exists in our relationship. She’s unaware we’ve already moved on and decided what happened was a minor inconvenience, and sooner or later she’ll accept the volatility of our temperaments.

Ivy emerges from the bathroom, dressed in comfortable leggings and a loose dress. We’ll be working on her clothing choices later. Lingerie used to be the only acceptable thing for pets to wear and my views remain traditional. She’ll learn to be comfortable in little more than thin lace around me. But in public, there’s not a fucking chance I’m letting anyone see my wife so intimately dressed.

“Morning,” Matt says, grinning like a fucking Cheshire cat. “Or is it afternoon, Ivy?”

She blushes. It’s adorable. Arousing. I want to kill him for making her uncomfortable.

“Did you want to ask something, Matt?”

His mouth drops as she saunters to the sofa and sits next to me, staring at him like he’s a misbehaving child who needs to be put in his place. Terrifyingly, she’s doing quite the job of it and if looks could kill, Matt would have turned to dust several seconds ago.

“Was Henry kind?”

I bristle and Ryan smirks. Ivy doesn’t break her gaze, staring Matt down and facing him without fear or apprehension. Her head tilts and she finally nods, releasing him from the mess he’d put himself in.

“Did Henry tell you?” she asks.

“No. Well, yes. But we knew he’d fucked you before he told us, Ivy.” Matt risks a glance at me and I shrug. “You smell different this morning. It’s hard to explain, but your scent’s changed.”

Ryan rolls his eyes. “She’s not going to faint if you tell her. Ivy, when Henry came inside you, it marked you as his. None of us quite understand why your scent changes, but every vampire knows you belong to Henry now.”

Ivy looks at me and I shrug again. She sighs and shrugs back, nestling herself against me as I wrap my arm around her. I play with her hair and it’s another thing we’ll have to discuss later. She prefers it down and I’d prefer it tied back. Preferably into a ponytail, so I can pull it when I fuck her.

And I intend to fuck her. Regularly.

I’m still not sated after last night and my easy disposition hides the need building inside me.

Ivy’s driving me insane. She’s driven me to breaking point, and last night was a slight release in pressure. My needs aren’t met yet and I’m looking forward to taking her while teaching her how to please me. She’s more than earned the pleasure I’ll give her back and I’m far from selfish when it comes to her needs.

We keep the conversation light. We don’t need to, but the three of us know Ivy is still concerned after my reaction to Ryan—and this is a performance for her as much as a pleasant way to pass an afternoon.

Admittedly, there are much more pleasurable pursuits. Especially now I’ve fucked my wife and have no concerns about her innocence. She needs time to learn and explore, and I’m going to make damn sure Ivy gets to experience the extent of the pleasure and pain I can give her.

In time.

When she’s ready.

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