Page 87 of Promised in Blood

Thirty

XAVIER

There’s something truly mesmerizing in the animalistic way he takes her, brutal and tender in equal measure. And when she comes for him, pressing her head back into the pillow while a series of guttural, satisfied cries pour from her pretty lips, I feel it deep in the pit of my stomach. How the two of them together complete a previously broken circle. Together, we are surely invincible. Because I feel it. Stronger and faster and sharper than I have ever felt before.

He pulls his teeth from her neck, and I have to stop myself from leaning forward and licking her blood from his lips. It isso tempting to push him while his own pleasure still courses through his veins. To take advantage of the vulnerability I only ever see in him when he’s with her. But there is a line I know he’ll never cross. As much as I burn for his skin on mine, his hands running over my body: squeezing, kneading, taking… I know that I burn alone.

Malachi slides his arm around my waist and kisses my shoulder like he knows. Of course he knows. They all do. It’s impossible to keep anything secret from them. Especially now that our bond seems to grow stronger with each passing day.

“Did you find Nazeel?” Ophelia’s quiet voice cuts through the cacophony of pounding hearts in the room and provides me with a much-needed distraction.

Alexandros pushes himself up, sits back against the headboard, and pulls Ophelia onto his lap. Sighing, he pinches the bridge of his nose. “Yes.”

“And?” I ask, propping myself up on my elbow.

He clears his throat. “She is aware of Ophelia’s powers. It was she who bound them as a child.”

Tears well in her eyes, and profound sadness pours from her, enveloping us all. “But how? And why?”

Alexandros twists his neck and groans like he’s wrestling with what to tell her. His eyes land on mine. “She deserves the truth,” I say.

He blows out a breath. “It will be painful, little one.”

She swats away a tear and nods, her jaw set in determination. “I can handle it.”

I grab her hand and link our fingers. “Yeah, you can, Cupcake.”

He shifts her on his lap so she’s straddling him. “It will be easier to show you.”

She tips her head back, exposing her throat, and he rests a hand on her forehead like he’s checking her temperature. “How do you feel?”

She blinks at him, unsure of what he means.

He runs his hand from her forehead to the back of her neck. “Are you lightheaded? Do you feel tired? Weak?”

“No. I feel strong,” she whispers.

“Your ability to heal quickly has grown exponentially.” He traces the fingers of his free hand over her chest. “And your blood replenishes much more quickly too.”

The smile she gives him in return has me grinning too. “I know. I can feel it.”

I lick the tip of my fangs, wanting to taste her right now. We’ve all felt how much longer we can feed before the flow of her blood tells us to stop.

Alexandros glances between Axl, Malachi, and me before directing his focus back to our girl. “I could show them what happened too. I think it is important that they know where you came from, that we all share your pain. But we would all have to feed from you.”

Holy shit. Yes fucking please. Not only because I want to know everything about my girl and her past, but also because the idea of feeding on her with them already has euphoria lighting up my veins.

“At the same time?” she whispers.

“We will stop if it gets to be too much.”

Her hand grips his biceps, fingers digging into the taut muscle. “Yes. I want to show them too.”

The beast inside me growls, and Alexandros shoots me a look. I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be a warning, but his eyes are dark and full of desire. And while I know that the lust in his eyes when he looks at me is because Ophelia’s on his lap and he’sabout to bite her, my body doesn’t seem to be able to distinguish the difference. My dick stiffens.

All too soon, his gaze is back on Ophelia—specifically, the fluttering pulse in her throat. He licks his lips. “Are you sure, Ophelia?”

“Yes.” She declares the word with such confidence that there can be no room for doubt.

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