Page 85 of The Powers of Nyx

Even the thought made creeping possessiveness rise within me.

As if sensing that, Maeve’s brows pulled together, and something changed in her expression. I blinked; suddenly, I was no longer standing by the desk. Maeve pushed me against the wall, hands framing either side of my face, her expression giving nothing away.

“You truly know how to ruin me, don’t you, Ivy?”

I swallowed hard, unable to look away from the reddening of her irises. “I don’t like the idea of you biting someone else. It’s crazy, I know, and I can’t really explain it, but—”

“But you have claimed me,” she whispered, her lips a breath from mine. “You are the owner of my heart, my body, and my soul. You do not wish for me to take from others what I can take from you.”

I wasn’t sure how to reply. My blood pounded in my ears as she inched closer, her eyes shifting from blue to red. “Tell me, Ivy, do you want to be used like the pretty little thing you are?”

My heart pounded and my breath quickened. “I’m yours. Just as much as you are mine, Maeve.”

Maeve hummed under her breath as she cocked her head. Those predatory eyes running over my face before landing on my throat. “I have been thinking about tasting you again. Last time simply wasn’t enough. I hunger for you,a mhuirnín.”

“Then take me.” I bared my neck for her, inhaling sharply as her fingers skimmed the length of my throat. “I’ve always been yours, Maeve. And I’m not scared, as much as you think I am. This—this is something I’m certain of.”

The vampire shook her head slowly. “Ivy…”

“Elias already gave me his whole ‘I’m not good enough for a Queen’ speech, Maeve. And if you’re planning to do the same, save it.” A lump formed in my throat as I sought out her stare, but she was focused on my chest, eyes on the place where my heart thundered. “I don’t care. You’re mymate.”

Maeve shook her head, and finally met my stare. “My past is dark. Much darker than your other mates, Ivy. I have done horrible things.”

I shrugged. “It’s in your past, isn’t it?”

She stared at me for another long moment without responding.

I wanted to say more, but Maeve claimed my lips in a gentle kiss. Before I could react, her tongue danced across the seam of my mouth, begging for entrance. She tasted of spice andsomething else, something so deliciously her it filled my senses and wrapped me in its embrace.

I gave in to her, feeling the moment the tension uncoiled within her. Maeve deepened the kiss, slipping her tongue into my mouth. It was slow, careful, like if she moved too quickly, she might frighten me away.

Hesitantly, I pressed my hands into her shoulders before wrapping my arms around her neck. Maeve made a sound in the back of her throat and pulled back, chest heaving.

“My past is in the past, but it is always with me,” she whispered, her lips swollen with the kiss. “It is dark and twisted, and I don’t want to scare you away.”

“I don’t scare easily, Maeve,” I replied. “And I won’t pass judgement without the facts. But right now? You need to feed—and I needyouto trust me.”

I waited for her to decline the offer. My skin prickled with anticipation and awareness.

She smirked. “I understand why you don’t wish to see me feed from another. It’s your magic and the mate bond commanding it. And I will admit, the idea of feeding from another disgusts me.”

I couldn’t help but grin. “Good.”

Maeve chuckled, shaking her head as her arms tightened around me. “I will always need you,a mhuirnín. Now and for the rest of eternity.”

As my arms dropped to my side, Maeve traced her fingers over my sweater until she tucked her hands into my own. My heart raced as she guided me to a soft green velvet chaise across the room. The weight of her eyes unlocked a deep desire within me, calling for my magic and the bond that begged for more.

Maeve pulled me into her lap, my legs straddling her hips, her hands on the back of my thighs. Her eyes remained steadily on me.

“Is this okay?” she asked.

I nodded carefully before resting my hands on her shoulders. For the first time tonight, her chest moved with a breath, and her pupils dilated.

“I can scent your arousal,a mhuirnín.” The words sent a shiver down my spine as her lips travelled down my chin to my exposed throat. “I can even smell your blood, its potency. The sweetness of it already coats my tongue.”

At the first scrape of her fangs, a shiver of desire coursed over my skin. The prick made me feel more, like it heightened the already intoxicating desire coursing through me. I needed her mouth elsewhere though, claiming me in a different way.

“Wait,” I whispered, body trembling. Maeve pulled away immediately, red eyes filling with worry as she met my stare.

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