Page 55 of Heir of Blood and Moonlight

“I don’t know,” I finally admitted, shrugging and letting my shoulders slump. My attention drifted down to the floor, lingering on the lines of a beautiful, faded Persian rug. “I don’t know anyone else.” My words were honest, if not exactly confidence-inspiring. “At least, not any other immortals.”

I felt tongue-tied by the simple courtesy of Ash’s question. This relative stranger. This hulking warrior. This thoughtful soul. No wonder Thane had been with him for so long.

“You, I think,” I said, amending my answer as I raised my eyes to lock with his. “You and Thane. You have something special, and I would be honored to be a part of that, however small, if you would let me. You don’t have to—wedon’t have to, um, youknow,” I rambled, my cheeks flaming. “It can just be blood, if you prefer.”

Ash stared at me for a long moment, weighing my words. I held my breath, awaiting his rejection.

Between one heartbeat and the next, something within him changed. He seemed to come back to life, right before my eyes, his head rising, his spine straightening, and his shoulders falling back. Here was the warrior who had guarded the loft, who had dragged me to safety through the portal.

Ash stood and approached me, his footfalls heavy on the creaking hardwood floor. The closer he drew, the smaller I felt. He raised his hand to his mouth and unceremoniously bit into the meaty heel of his hand, then stopped well within arm’s reach in front of me and offered me his bleeding hand.

My mouth watered as I inhaled the scent of him, spicy like Gavin and Thane, but with purer, sweeter notes. I gripped his thick wrist with both hands and licked my lips, already anticipating how he would taste. I reminded myself that thiscommunionwas blood only, but my groin pulsed in anticipation regardless.

I pressed my lips to the heel of Ash’s palm and ran my tongue over the rapidly healing wound. The flavor of his blood exploded across my tastebuds, like cinnamon toast with a dash of salt added to the cinnamon and sugar mixture. I groaned and sucked on the wound, pulling what little fresh blood I could get before Ash healed completely.

But his skin did heal, and when there was no more blood to be had without biting down and creating fresh cuts, I unsealed my lips from Ash’s palm and released his wrist. Breathing hard, I licked my lips, making sure I got every last drop or smear.

My pulse throbbed insistently between my legs, and I squeezed my thighs together, silently chanting, “Blood only. Blood only. Blood only.”

Before I could fully shake the haze of lust created by tasting immortal blood, Ash moved behind me and wrapped one burly arm around my ribcage, leaving my arms free. I suppressed a moan, my heart suddenly racing at having his big, powerful body pressed against the back of mine.

He swept my hair out of the way and angled my head to one side, baring my neck to him. As his other arm joined the first around me, his embrace grew tighter, lifting me onto my toes. Bowing his head, he grazed his teeth over the crook of my neck, making my pulse jump.

My hands settled on his muscular forearms, gripping tight as my knees threatened to give out from just that teasing touch of his teeth.

“I’ve got you,” he breathed. And then he bit down, breaking the skin with a sharp sting and releasing my blood.

A sense of euphoria washed away the pain, leaving me gasping with pleasure. Power coiled within me, ecstasy mounting to the intense heights I had only experienced twice before, when I bound first Gavin, then Bastian. My vision glazed over with silver, and my back arched. The magic exploded out of me in a wash of moonlight, and waves of the purest, deepest pleasure rocked through me.

My knees gave out, but Ash held me tight against him as he languidly cleaned my bite wound with his tongue. His hard erection jutted into my backside, and I fought the urge to rub myself against him. The muted sting from his bite returned as my pleasure abated, quickly overtaken by the itch of healing. Ash must have bitten his lip to heal my wound.

Slowly, Ash relaxed his hold on me until my legs carried the brunt of my weight once more.

I took a step away from him on shaky legs, breaking free of his loose hold, and turned to face him. “Thank you,” I said, a little breathless.

Desire raged through my veins, making me feel overheated and hypersensitive. The silk robe suddenly felt like itchy wool, and I wanted it off my skin.

Blood only, I reminded myself. But, gods, Ash was a stunning creature. A gentle giant, with a touch that countered his appearance so extremely that I wondered, again, what it would be like to be with him.

I cleared my throat, barely keeping my rampant lust from taking over, and stared down at the floor. If I looked at him, Iwouldlose control. I stepped to the side to head for the door. “I should go.”

Ash’s arm shot out, and he caught my wrist. “Don’t. Don’t go.”

I looked at his hand, my chest heaving with each breath.

“Unless you want to.” Ash added roughly.

I followed the line of his muscular arm, that pale skin glowing with silver sigils, up to his face and took in his earnest, open expression. The heat in his gaze turned his irises a vibrant aquamarine. Desire throbbed deep inside me, aching forthisvampire, not another.

I shook my head.

33

We stared at oneanother for a long moment, then Ash led me to the bed, his hold on my wrist loose enough for me to easily break, though I never even considered it. He sat on the edge of the mattress, splaying his knees wide. Heart thundering, I let him pull me closer between his legs.

He released my wrist and tugged on one dangling end of my robe’s belted knot to untie it. The robe fell open, revealing a narrow strip of my body. I held my breath as Ash slipped his large hands into the gap and settled them on my waist. The pads of his thumbs grazed along the undersides of my breasts, and I released a shuddering breath.

“You’re so soft,” he murmured, his voice a low rumble. His gaze roved over me, taking a long, slow path down and back up my body, until finally reaching my face. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

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