Page 47 of Seph

Emily paused, feeling her pulse throbbing low down between her thighs. She watched Simeon as he watched her, both in silence, two hunters stalking unique prey.

We haven’t hurt each other. We give each other just what we want.

“I have a few bags of blood that I put in the mini-fridge. I’ll heat it up in the micro in a bit.” Simeon pressed pale knuckles to her cheek and then up, smoothing her sleep-mussed hair from her face.

Microwaved pig’s blood. That’s what he might have for his last meals on earth. That’s the reward a vampire gets when he decides to stop killing?

“You wouldn’t let me bite you. Not yet.” Simeon seemed to read her mind, answering her unspoken musings without meeting her eyes.

“I wouldn’t!”Even if I was thinking about it. I know it’s wrong. It’ll lead him back on a bad path. Right?

Even the voice in her head sounded doubtful.

“Exactly. Because you’ll get it twisted around. You’ll suddenly realize that the vamp has his fangs in you, and that’ll mean defeat, and something inside will break again. I don’t want that, Emily. I want you to be whole. Happy and whole. I don’twant to take away any of your pieces, love. I just want to share them with you. Only give you nice things, things that you feel good about. Things you don’t have to tie yourself up in knots over.”

That sounded so nice.

So easy.

She’d never understood easy.

“But you need to eat, and I have something you want. This is something I can give you,” she whispered. She rolled to a sitting position, reaching for the pants that were cast off by the bed. Knives, stakes, and holy water were always in her pockets. She took the small silver blade and pressed it to her arm without hesitation, mind cloudy.

I can give him something before he goes. Incasehe goes. At least I’ll have done one nice thing for him, after all he’s done for me.

As the pressure on her skin grew, it suddenly stopped.

The blade was gone. Simeon’s hand clamped down on her forearm, his eyes wide in shock.

“Huntress... You have so many more things to give a man. Your blood is far down on my list.”

This was a dream. It had to be a dream.

Good. Wonderful. All dreams should be like this.

He and Emily were kissing in a shirtless coil of warm skin and honey-scented hair, her pulse jumping against his chest.

But she didn’t make a move to undo his jeans or slide off the sweats she was using as pajama bottoms. Hmm, with Hades’ card, maybe they could both splurge on something silky. A robe and matching nightie for her, a smoking jacket for him. Hismind wandered to the sight of Emily in a white peignoir, but he’d take her any way she came.

Came. Come.

That was the key. He wanted to gift her something, not just take. Emily thought giving her body to him was some sort of penance or obligation.

He wanted to turn that present around and give it back to her. And maybe...His creeping, cowering little self, the whipped cur that was still there under the strength and fangs, whispered, “Maybe if you show her what you can do, the things no one has ever done for her, she’ll stay. She’ll love you.”

“I can give you what you want. What you need. You just tell me, Emily.” He told his fangs to stay in hiding for another minute, even though the longer he kissed her beautiful, satiny throat, the more they twinged with hunger.

She answered in a gasp as his thumbs massaged the knots out of her spine.

Serve first. Worship. She’s a queen, my queen. She thinks she has to give me her body for my pleasure.

Oh, no. Her pleasure is my gift. If she cries out my name... That’s the jewel I’m after.

“You feel amazing.” Emily moaned and went limp across his chest, snuggling in deeper. She turned her head and nibbled his earlobe, kissed his jaw, hesitated, and then ran her tongue neatly over the faded white scar that Lilith had left so many years ago.

Pinball lights and flappers went on full alert, buzzing down to his cock. He lost his ability to massage for a second, just gripping, growling softly like some primal beast getting a tummy rub.

“Ooh. Someone likes that?” Emily laughed softly.

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