Page 198 of A Bond in Blood

Hungry.

Gods, was he hungry.

He pulled away.

“Where?” he asked breathlessly.

I pointed to the cottage and the smoke disappearing with the rising red moon. We were before the threshold in seconds, moving at a speed I could not understand.

He kicked the door down, keeping his hold on me around his waist.

“What do you need, Bren?” he asked, kissing me again.

“You,” I sobbed. “Ulrich, I need you.”

We fell onto the bed with the light from the fire warming the space. Our wet bodies instantly soaked the blankets, but neither of us cared. All that mattered was he and I.

Us—together.

My hands went to his mask, but his hands stopped me.

“No.”

“Ulrich,” I begged. “Please, please do not do this.”

“I am not supposed to be here,” he muttered. “This is not supposed to happen.”

“You started this all,” I replied. “You made me a pawn in this game.”

“Brenna,” he sighed.

“How did you get here so quickly?”

“I never left youmy Enaid,” he replied. “I have hidden myself and my ship in the shadows.”

“Say that again,” I whispered.

“My Enaid.”

“Again.”

“My Enaid,” he repeated himself, allowing the words to leave his lips with a slow, sensual tone.

The fire went out and his shadows grew around us, blocking my sight like so many nights before.

“I cannot yet show you my face,” he whispered. “But I can allow you to touch me.”

The mask landed beside me and my hand rose, trembling. His hand stopped me, guiding me to the right-side of his face, allowing me to brush against his cheek.

“Oh my Gods,” I sobbed at the touch of his skin.

He grunted at my touch, gripping my fingers in his palm, holding me to him. My tears fell while I brushed his cheek with the end of my palm laying against his beard.

“My Enaid,” he whispered again. “You have destroyed me.”

His kiss claimed my soul. Ripping a part of me away with its movements. Guiding me into the void of his shadows encompassing us. But the darkness did not bother me. Not when I could feel his nose against mine. The softness of it with no hard mask hitting my skin.

I did not want to remove my hand from him, but I pulled away, wrapping my arms around his neck.

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