Page 20 of Eternally Owned

She heard the murmur of voices all around them, soft and vague.

“He loves you.”

“Stay with us, Nissa.”

“Stay with Hex.”

And Aleron was saying to her, “Fight it, Nissa. Be strong.”

“Nissa. Look at me, my love. Look at me.” Hex’s hand was hard and hurting on her face, forcing her eyes open. “I love you. I love you!”

Her heart melted, bursting. All she wanted was to be with him.Withhim.

“I love you, Hex,” she whispered once more, trying to make him understand.

“Then be one of us. Drink from me.” He lifted his wrist to his own mouth, biting into it. She could smell the blood immediately,hisblood, and it was like honey, like wine. Like something which belonged to her, and her alone.

He held his wrist to her open mouth, and her tongue darted out, tasting. Ah, it was sweet, sweeter than anything she had ever tasted. Pleasure flooded her at a dizzying rate, filling her up, flooding her body with need.

She drank. And the more she drank, the more she needed. The blood was hot on her tongue, sliding down her throat, and she swallowed so hard, so fast, her throat ached with the effort. Desperate with need now, she sat up, holding onto his arm, her hands biting into his flesh. Hex groaned, but it only served to drive her hunger for him, for his blood.

Strength began to gather in her body, along with a desire so keen it nearly hurt. Her eyes flew open, and she saw Hex’s gaze on hers, his eyes like two pieces of amber lit from within. And as she watched, as desire built upon desire, everything began to change.

Hex had always been beautiful, but now he was absolutely radiant. His skin was so polished, she could see every silken plane of it, couldfeelit in a way she’d never felt anything before in her life. She felt Aleron’s arms around her, holding her safe, his skin as much an epiphany as Hex’s. And she knew in some strange way that she was aware of their mood, of their thoughts, and it was nothing like seeing those memory bites when they’d drunk her blood in the Seeking Kiss. She understood it would always be like this.

She drank and drank. Soon she became more aware of the voices around them, more acutely aware of the lights in the room, of the scents of Hex and Aleron, of the scents of those around them. She could pick out by scent alone who among the crowd was new, who was ancient, by some level of earthiness that was sweet and sharp in her nostrils.

Her own body was different, coming alive as though for the first time. She felt her own strength, and had a few moments of fear when she realized it would take some time to learn to control it.

She was so distracted by these new ideas she didn’t notice for several moments that Hex was swooning.

“Enough, Nissa,” Aleron told her. “Even from another vampire you can only take so much, especially from one as young as Hex.”

“Oh!” She released Hex’s arm, and he fell back against the pillows. Aleron let her go, and she leaned over Hex, concerned. But he was smiling up at her. He reached out to stroke her hair, and she shivered all over. When he wiped his own blood from her lips, taking his fingers into his beautiful mouth and sucking, her body filled with indescribable desire.

“Hex, I need younow. Right now.” She ground her hips against him. “I can’t wait. I feel hungry in a way I never have before.”

“I understand, my love. It is because you are one of us now, because you are born brand new.”

Aleron stroked a hand over her shoulder, leaned in and kissed her cheek, then kissed Hex’s lips. “I leave you two to each other.”

Then he was gone and it was just the two of them as Aleron disappeared into the crowd of watching vampires.

Hex reached for her, pulling her down, until she was lying on his body, skin to skin, every pore alive with desire. She shivered as his thigh came up between hers.

“Ah, so wet for me, Nissa.”

“Always,” she told him with a smile. “Truly always and forever now.”

He took her shoulders and rolled over, until he was on top of her, his beautiful body pressed close to hers.

“Spread for me, Nissa. Let me take you.”

Her legs opened for him, and he kissed her neck, biting her here and there, every sharp prick of his teeth drawing desire from her body along with tiny droplets of blood. And everything was sharp, crystal clear, as though lit with electricity, with the light of the sun. With love.

He wrapped his hands around her knees and drew them up high, so that she was wide open to him.

“Come into me, Hex. I need you.”

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