Page 12 of Infernal

I jabbed him in his stomach, and he quickly caught my hand, a smile tugging at his lips as he covered it with his own. Something inside of me came to life again as the invisible cord between us shortened. And then suddenly, my fingers were splayed against his skin, riding the ridges even though I’d meant to pull my hand away.

He ducked his head down, eying my hand with a mixture of amusement and curiosity. “This is new.”

“What is?” I asked, feeling myself slip deeper into the mesmerizing feel of his skin.

“You…touching me.”

And then I was touching him with both my hands, my fingernails dragging against his skin as though I were no longer in control of my own extremities. He exhaled a growl that vibrated at the back of his throat, letting me know it felt just as nice to be touched by me as it did for me to touch him.

“Angel.” His voice was a quiet warning to tread carefully, but his eyes were already hooded with desire. “You ought to stop while you still have the chance.”

But stopping was beyond my paygrade.

I knew no good would come of this. I knew being this close to Dominic was dangerous, but somehow, under the blanket of nightfall when my demons came to stir me, he was the only one that could silence the screaming.

“I don’t want to stop.” The connection throbbed harder, calling for me to move closer to him. My body was flush against his, my fingers digging into his back, and somehow, it wasn’t enough. I could still feel the pain from the outside world, still see Trace’s eyes in the back of my mind. I didn’t want to feel pain anymore.

I didn’t want to see those eyes…

My hands came back around the front, this time moving upwards and then wrapping themselves around the back of his neck. Another growl escaped him as he pressed his forehead against mine, his eyes brimming with fire and flames.

“I have to feed, angel.” His voice was low and gruff with need.

My heartrate picked up at the mere mention of the act. It was no surprise to me. After all, this was exactly the place I’d been pushing him to. It was exactly where I wanted to go, and though I’d never admit it to myself in the light of day, it was exactly the place I wanted to be.

“Then feed.” I picked up my hair and pushed it over my shoulder, clearing a path for him.

He pulled his head back, scrutinizing me as though he hadn’t trusted his ears.

I was going to defend myself by telling him how Gabriel said it was better if we found a way to control the bond—the urges—to dose ourselves in small increments to ward off the need, but I knew that he’d see right through it. While I had agreed with Gabriel, that wasn’t even almost the reason I’d wandered into Dominic’s room tonight, and we both knew it. So, I pressed my lips together and swallowed the excuse down.

“What are you waiting for?” I asked when he failed to make a move.

He didn’t waste another second.

His fangs immediately clicked out as his pupils dilated, making the dark pools of his eyes appear boundless. The sight of it caused my heart to stall mid-beat and then race off into overdrive. Fear, anticipation…excitement, they were riding my body like a caged stallion with a small taste of freedom.

There was no stopping this now, and I didn’t want to.

A veil of darkness riddled with lust and yearning flickered across his face as he cupped the nape of my neck and lowered his head to my jaw, his lips brushing against my skin as he made his way down to his favorite spot below my ear.

Anticipation rocked my body, but only for a second, and then he broke through the skin, drawing from me as though he had every right to—as though he owned me.

Perhaps in some small way he did.

I tightened my grip around his neck, my knees wobbling below me as ecstasy seeped into my bloodstream. Pleasure and pain. With Dominic, it was one and the same. The longer he drank, the further I slipped from reality, and it was every bit as wonderful as I had needed it to be. Every second that ticked by brought me closer to my twisted heaven on earth, deeper into my own self-made prison where no one could touch me.

Not even the devil himself.

4. EXODUS

I woke up the next day alone in the guestroom with no memory of how I’d gotten back there. Vivid flashes of last night’s escapade trickled into my mind—Dominic’s fingers in my hair, his mouth on my neck—but I quickly buried it in that secret place I put all the uncomfortable things I didn’t want to deal with.

So, I fell apart yesterday. I let the bloodbond win the battle. Sue me. It wasn’t the first time, and I doubted it would be the last time. Either way, I wasn’t going to let that stop me from what I had to do.

With my mind on auto-pilot, I took a quick shower and got dressed and then made my way downstairs. Gabriel and Dominic were already in the den, their voices wafting through the house like the whisperings of a distant ghost.

“Good morning, angel,” said Dominic as I peered my head into the room. “You look particularly rested this morning.”

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