Page 31 of Heir of Blood and Moonlight

I stared at him, slowly understanding his meaning. Because he had givenmeso much blood, he now needed to go out and feed. On someone else. On a human. Only queens took nourishment from other immortals. All undeadvampires fed on mortals.

Well, it just so happened thatIwas mortal.

I pulled my hair away from my shoulder and tilted my head to the side, offering him my neck.

A faint smile touched Gavin’s lips, and he shook his head.

Heart sinking from the rejection, I shifted my legs out from under me and hugged my knees to my chest.

The skin around Gavin’s eyes tightened, and his throat bobbed. He reached out and curled his fingers around my wrist, pulling my arm away from my legs. Deftly, he unfastened the cuff from my wrist, revealing my bite scars. “I would love nothing more than to take your blood,” he said, grazing his teeth over the sensitive scar tissue.

His razor-sharp canine nicked my skin, slicing a tiny cut. A small bed of crimson welled, and he stared, transfixed. “But your body is still growing accustomed to having a ready supply of immortal blood. We must wait until your powers have fully awakened and you have stabilized.” Apparently unable to resist, he licked away the bead of blood.

That single taste made the markings on his neck flare brighter than all the other sigils on his body. He made a low, rough noise, and my attention dropped to his growing erection.

My eyes returning to Gavin’s, I held my breath, hovering in a moment of indecision. But then I parted my knees and scooted forward until I straddled his lap. I sank onto him with a sigh, and he brushed the stray locks of hair out of my face as we moved together. His lips found mine, and his arms curled around my back, holding my body flush against his.

We moved in a slow, rocking grind, our kiss never breaking. Pleasure coiled tighter in my core, and warmth swelled in my chest. Connection. Attachment. Affection. How was it possible to feel so much for someone I had only just met?

It didn’t take long for my pleasure to crest and break, ecstasy washing out from my core. I stiffened atop Gavin, and he held me close as I rode out the release. It faded quickly, for once, not fueled by the rush of actively feeding on an immortal’s blood. I slumped against him, once again melting into his kiss.

Gavin broke away, still hard and sheathed within me. The fingers of one hand tangled in my hair, curving around the back of my head, and he kissed me more deeply as I continued to ride him. Icould notget enough of this man. Of having him fill me. Of feeling his arms curled around me. Of feeling the power from his blood racing through my veins.

Another orgasm shuddered through my body, and when the pleasure waned, Gavin gripped my hips to stop me from rocking atop him. “If we continue like this, you’ll be very sore, and thenI won’t be able to fuck you next time.” The ghost of a smile touched his lips. “Andthatwould be torture.”

I pulled back, my brows bunching together. “But you didn’t—” I cleared my throat, my cheeks flushing. “Um, finish.”

His expression turned guarded. “I won’t be able to until I’ve fed.”

I tensed atop him. “Will it be a woman? Who you feed on, I mean.”

“That is my preference.”

I clenched and unclenched my jaw, trying—and failing—to swallow my surging jealousy. “Will you fuck her?” The harsh words were out before I could stop myself from asking.

“Not if you don’t want me to.”

Did that mean he usually did?

My eyes stung unexpectedly. I squeezed my eyelids shut, sending tears streaking down my cheeks. Ididn’twant him to, but I felt like too much of a hypocrite to admit it out loud whenIhad just been with another manin front ofGavin.

Bastian’s soft footsteps heralded his approach, and the mattress dipped as he sat on the foot of the bed behind me.

“I should go,” Gavin said, tightening his grip on my hips to lift me off him.

Bastian’s arms curled around me from behind, his body a furnace compared to Gavin’s chill.

I watched Gavin gather his clothes and quickly dress. “Will you remain in here with the shifter?” he asked, guiding the sleeves of his shirt onto his arms. “At least until I return?” He started to button his shirt but stopped when he reached the first missing button and quickly unfastened the rest. “In case you crash again?”

I shook my head, thinking of Micah sitting alone in the living room. “Micah—oh gods,” I groaned, mortified as I thought of Micah hearing mecommuningwith these two immortals. Wecertainly hadn’t been quiet. My cheeks blazed, and I covered my face with my hands.

“This room is warded to be soundproof,” Gavin murmured, suddenly standing at the foot of the bed. He pulled my hands away from my face with cool fingers and used a curled knuckle to nudge my chin higher. “I will not fuck her,” he promised, leaning in to press a kiss to my lips. There was a wicked gleam to his silver eyes when he pulled away, and the corner of his mouth rose. “But if I did, I would be thinking about you.” And with that, he turned and strode across the room.

He stopped at the door, one hand on the doorknob, and glanced at me over his shoulder. “I’ll let Thane and Ash know the shifter will be roaming the loft freely while I’m out.” His focus shifted to Bastian. “If you try anything, theywillkill you.”

And then he opened the door and was gone, the door latch clicking shut behind him. Shut, but not locked.

“Well,” Bastian muttered, “he’s a regular ol’ ray of sunshine.”

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