Page 125 of Fated In Blood

“You’re not Yoda, just so you know. How much longer?” I demanded, watching him unbutton his shirt, long, elegant fingers deftly working. Fingers that had been inside me not so long ago while I screamed his name. I tore my eyes away and tried to ignore the flush of heat rocketing through my body. Maybe the bed was a mistake.

“How many more times do we have to do this?”

“You’ll be happy to know today is our last time. After this, your need for blood won’t control you and you’ll no longer be a danger to others. You will still need to feed, of course. Wherever you and your sister decide to go, I will make arrangements with the closest clan. There are plenty of resources; you’ll never have to go without blood.”

I stared, fingers gripping the duvet.

This was…the last time?

“I’d feed from…complete strangers?” I didn’t like the idea of feeding from anyone but Riordan, and Blake,especiallyafter yesterday. Didn’t like the fact that after barely a week, I already had a comfort zone when it came to…vampire stuff.

Why the hell was this freaking me out so much?

“Think of this like…a consenting blood bank. Every clan provides a public service for blood, because not everyone is fortunate enough to have a partner. Even fewer are lucky enough to have a mate. This is a tried-and-true solution that keeps humans safe and, by extension, keeps us hidden. Our kind has been doing this for two millennia. After your first time, you might even decide you like the anonymity.”

A flare of panic swept through me, and I gripped the blanket tighter, nerves flaring as I began to panic. I didn’t want to get used to something different. I wanted…

“Silver,” Riordan spoke calmly. “Breathe. You don’t have to decide right now, just…” His hand was on my back, rubbing in circles, slow and steady, then he sighed and tucked me against him, bringing me with him when he fell back against the pillows.

“I shouldn’t have brought it up. That’s a problem for another day. For right now, it’s just you and me, okay?”

I took a shaky breath, heart racing. What waswrongwith me? I didn’t evenwantto be here. I was only biding my time before Angel was free and I took my sister far, far away and never looked back.

Riordan had been clear from the beginning. Feeding and fucking and nothing more.Not ever. I was the fool getting all tangled up over him.

“Let me feed you, Evangeline, one last time.” Riordan’s powerful arm tightened around me, pulling me into his lap, his voice deepening. “Let me feel your fangs in me.”

Panic whipped through me.

Oh God, this was really our last time?

“This is what I want you to do.” His thumb stroked up and down my spine. The barest touch, but I felt that skin-to-skin contact to my very core. “Strike hard, take three swallows, then seal me up. We’ll wait five minutes, then you’ll feed again. You have to pace yourself, to stop these urges before they get out of hand. That’s why I woke you before your hunger became too demanding for you to control.”

I nuzzled at his throat, smelling him, touching him, my hands rubbing up over his hard, tattooed chest, my lips skating up the vein until I found his pulse point. Riordan was addictive, and I couldn’t imagine giving this up, not having…Panic flared again, sending my heart racing.

Silver. Stay in the moment. Stay with me.

I closed my eyes, lips tasting his skin, fangs ready to pierce.I don’t want this to ever end. The plea flew out of my scattered thoughts as I bit down, hard and sure, blood flooding my mouth, his throaty groan of pleasure vibrating through me. The duvet slipped down and down, then I was pressed to him, shoulder to hip, legs in a tangle, the fine wool of his trousers sliding like silk against my bare legs.

One mouthful. Two. Three.

I didn’t want to stop, wanting more and more and more, but with great effort, I licked the bite closed, cleaning him with my tongue, lapping up his musky taste along with every last trace of blood. His essence sizzled through me, chased by a flareof power, molten and fiery and consuming, and I disappeared inside the glorious rush.

Every time we did this was like being reborn.

Like I was leaving a little of my old self behind and becoming something new. I was acutely aware of the strength of his body tensed beneath mine, of his hard cock throbbing against my belly. He was power personified, and I was done denying myself.

My gaze dipped to the pulse beating in the base of Riordan’s throat.

In another life we could have been different. Destined, perhaps, to be lovers in a gentle world devoid of darkness. But we were born to be monsters, trained to devour this world with teeth and claws and a rage furious enough to shake the stars from the sky.

And this was my last chance to take everything I’d ever wanted from Riordan Graves.

“If that’s what you want, Evangeline, then that’s what you’ll have.” His voice was like gravel, hands tightening on my hips. “Just business,” he added roughly.

“Just business,” I repeated, searching his beautiful face and those smoldering eyes that made my breath catch in my throat as the truth struck me.

Ididn’twant this to end.

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