Page 215 of Monsters in Love

I slowed to a walk, catching my breath, afraid of what I might find on the other side. Everything in my body was aching now, weary, trembling. I pushed open the door and stepped into his room.

He was lying on the bed, still as the dead, his chest rising and falling in shaky, shallow breaths.

“No,” the word came out so choked that I wasn’t sure I’d even made a sound. I ran across the room and threw myself onto the bed.

“Kavi?” I ran my hands over his face, his horns. His eyes were closed, but they squinted open at my voice.

“Tamara.” My name came out on a sigh, wistful, as though he thought he was dreaming me.

“I'm here. You fool, what did you do?”

He tried to shake his head, but he could barely move.

“What happened?” I spoke louder, hoping to shake him from whatever was going on.

I pressed my lips against his, kissing him like I’d been dreaming of for the last few days, running my hands over his chest, threading one through his hair and up to his horns, stroking them the way I wanted to stroke his thick member, though now was not the time or the place.

He seemed to come alive beneath me, his mouth responding, his tongue searching for mine. One of his big hands dragged me closer so that I was lying against him.

When we pulled apart, breathless, it felt like life had returned to flush his dark skin. His eyes fluttered open, locking onto mine.

“You’re here.” Awe filled his voice.

“Yes,” I shot back with a stupid grin. “You’re sick. I could feel it. Here.” I pressed a hand to my chest or tried.

“I am. I was.” He clutched me tighter to him.

“What happened?” I asked. “I wish I’d known sooner. I’d have come.”

Kavi swallowed hard. Like his throat was dry. I looked around and found some water, lifting the cup to his lips and gently pouring some of the liquid into his mouth. He drank it, sighing in relief.

“Tell me, Kavi.” I stared down at him, needing to know. Wanting to make this better and having this strange sense that somehow, I could.

His amber eyes locked on mine and they were lined with sorrow. Regret? I couldn’t tell for sure. “You need to claim me.”

“Claim?” I rocked back on my heels, confusion clouding my mind. “I do. I did. I want to be with you and only you. I’m here with you, now.”

He shook his head, though I could see it took some effort. He grasped my hand and brought it to his chest. I could feel the thump of his heart beneath my fingers. “Do you remember when I bit you? Hard enough to make you bleed?”

My free hand went to my shoulder. He’d asked first, clamped down so damn hard but it had felt amazing, flooding my body with a pleasure I’d never expected. “How could I forget?” I said with a smile.

“Iclaimedyou then. I wanted you as mine from the moment I saw you, hell from the moment that I scented you in my hallways.” He swallowed hard, and I realized that it wasn’t a dry throat causing his nerves. “I need you, Tamara. I need you to need me too. I’m lovesick.”

I flung myself at his chest, knowing that I wasn’t going to hurt him with my touch. He wasn’t sick with a physical illness, but from his big dumb heart. “Why? You must have known this would happen,” I demanded.

“I couldn’t help myself,” he whispered in my ear. His hands caressed my back. “I don’t want you to do it, if you don’t want to. Just having you here with me is enough.”

His voice was so soft, his hands so gentle. I couldn’t understand the compulsion behind this claim, but clearly it was important to him, his people, and it meant the difference between a life fully lived and a shadow of himself. I had a choice to make, and it was clear. I moved up his body, kissing a trail to his neck. The skin there was tough, and I wasn’t sure my measly human teeth would be able to get through.

“Does it have to be the neck?” my voice hoarse, raspy with want, desire, and anticipation. What would it feel like? What would he taste like on my tongue? Would there be any change in me afterwards?

“No.” His voice was ragged and his hands were on my back, urging me on but not pressuring me. “Is this really what you want?”

I didn’t answer with words. I licked the lobe of his ear instead, the shudder of his body under mine a drug all of its own, and then I bit down, knowing that this was one of the most sensitive spots on his body. It took a few seconds, but then I tasted the tang of blood on my tongue.

Kavi stiffened beneath me, his whole body going rigid and his fingers digging into my back, holding me there as he rode whatever was flooding his system. I lapped at the blood, swallowing it down, feeling a tingle I didn’t expect.

Something was shifting inside me. I gasped in awe at the sensation, understanding now what I had done.

---