Page 88 of Her Dark Salvation

“No. Not for me. Blood is a necessity. Like air or water. I can live without sex—not that I’d want to—but I can’t live without blood. And anytime you add sex to the equation, shit gets complicated.”

“I’m confused. What I saw looked and sounded sexual.”

“It is, to an extent. Our fangs inject venom when we bite, and it hits the bloodstream like a drug. The Source relaxes, starts feeling the same sensations they feel during sex. The more venom, the stronger the sensation. It’s one of the reasons humans agree to become Sources. But they do get paid for their blood, and most Sources leave it at that. Some don’t. Some want more.”

“Then why use a Source at all? Why not go to a blood bank or something and avoid all the complications?”

I chuckled. “So logical,” I teased and kissed her head. “Blood demons weren’t meant to drink blood through a straw. We’re predators even if we’ve evolved past victimizing our prey. My fangs ache when I don’t feed. They need to press into flesh to release venom. A blood bank works in a pinch, but it’s not a long-term solution.”

“Luca looked like he was enjoying himself almost as much as his date.”

I shrugged and dragged on my cigar. “It feels good.”

“Like sex?”

I considered the question while blowing out another trail of smoke. “Similar, but different.”

She ran a fingernail along my forearm, tracing the outline of the tattoo I’d gotten with Tony over a half-century ago when we got made.

“You didn’t bite me.”

Her disappointment made me flinch. I really didn’t want to have that conversation. “I didn’t.”

“Why?”

“I don’t mix feeding and fucking.”

“But you could.”

“I could.”

“Have you?”

“No.”

“Not ever?”

“Not ever.”

“Hmm.” She outlined its scales as if that was her focus and her line of questioning an afterthought. “What about girlfriends?”

“What about them?”

“Don’t they—” She swallowed. “Don’t they get jealous of your—your Sources?”

Nervous Anna resurfaced with that question, the hesitation in her voice telling me everything I needed to know. This had meant more to her than a simple fuck, and she was worried I didn’t share the sentiment.

I stubbed out my cigar. I lifted her up enough to move her out from between my legs, rolled on top of her, and slid us down the mattress till her head rested on the pillow. I covered her with my body and kissed the tip of her nose. “Jealous already?” I kissed her collarbone from her shoulder to the hollow of her neck.

“I—I thought you were going to bite me.”

I continued the kisses till I reached her ear. “You didn’t seem to mind when I was fucking you.” I dragged her earlobe between my teeth. She gasped and turned her face, tempting my mouth away from her ear with an invitation of parted lips. I kissed her, passionately, and pressed my hardening cock into her mound, distracting her from questions about my bite and a future together I wasn’t ready to answer.

ChapterTwenty-Four

Anna

The Charles River bent just before the Boston University bridge where it widened to separate MIT from the Back Bay and let me know I was halfway through my run. It was mid-morning Thursday, and Marco had come to my condo the night before, staying later than either of us anticipated. Not that I minded. But before he left, and in typical Marco fashion, he’d ordered me to sleep in and, with a wicked smile, not to worry about his breakfast.

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