Page 33 of Sound
My feet tangle on the soft bed covers and I tumble off the tall mattress, ending up in a heap on the floor. The pain I should be feeling is a distant tingling through my limbs because the white noise in my ears from the blood rushing through my veins is much louder. Another scream escapes me when two strong arms pluck me off the ground, and I find myself face to face with Étienne.
“Why do you wish to anger me, little one?” His blue eyes flash for a second, and that wreaks havoc on my body. “Your lips say one thing”—His thumb glides over my lower lip, pulling gently down on it—“but your body tells me something else.”
“What, you are a body language expert now?” My voice sounds breathless, and I want to slap him when he grins knowingly at me.
“I can smell you, little Muse.” Étienne outright laughs at the horrified look that’s spreading over my face. “I can feel your desire dampening your panties when I’m near you. Tell me, Melody, how wet are they right now, love?” he whispers in my ear before pulling away just enough to see my bright red face.
Lips dry and tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth, I can’t answer him or tell him to go to hell, not even if it will save my life. Held captive in his intense blue gaze, I stand frozen while his hands roam all over my body, not really touching but close enough I can feel the heat of his skin burning me through the clothing. My nerve endings are tingling everywhere his hands pass, and it feels like he is branding me all over without placing a finger on me. That changes really fast, too. Fast enough I have no time to react before he murmurs again, his deep voice rumbling in his chest.
“I can hear the speeding of your heartbeat the second you sense me near you.” One graceful finger glides from the hollow of my neck down between my breasts, stopping just above my treacherous heart. “It beats in sync with mine. Do you know why that is, little Muse?” Like a dumbass, all I can do is shake my head no. “Because this right here, Melody …” His finger thumps gently on my ribs. “This is mine.”
“Arrogant much, Ethan?” My attempt at a bravado and the butchering of his name goes down the drain when his grin grows like the cat that ate the canary.
“Shall we see if it is arrogance or simply the truth?”
He doesn’t allow me to argue, killing my rebuttal by grabbing the shirt I’m wearing on each side, and with one harsh tug he rips it off me. One strong arm wraps around my waist, and he yanks me to his chest crushing his mouth on mine. Every rational thought leaves my mind and my fingers tangle in his shirt as I pull him closer so he can’t escape. The butterflies are having a rave party in my belly, and I press closer to him like feeling his hard body molding to my soft one is not enough. When his tongue dives between my lips and entwines with mine, soft groans and moans are ripped from me that only urge him on.
The next thing to turn to shreds are my pants, leaving me trembling in his arms in my panties. The chilled air brushes across my skin when the room spins and my back hits the soft mattress. I blink up at Etienne, who is looming over me still fully dressed. Embarrassed, I twist around to hide my nakedness from his hungry gaze, but he won’t have any of it. With one hand firmly pressed on my hip, he holds me in place, his blue eyes roaming over me as if he is devouring every bit of bare skin he can see.
“Magnifique. You are magnificent, mon amour.” Lowering his head, he presses his lips softly on mine before locking gazes with me. “Don’t hide from me, little one. I have not seen anything more beautiful or more perfect for me in all my long years.”
There is no doubt in my mind that he is telling the truth. The sincerity is written clearly in the blue depths of his eyes, so I stop struggling to hide myself from him. At this very moment I can’t understand why I wanted to run from him. The overwhelming need to run and hide from this fantastical world I find myself in disappears like it never existed, and I lose myself in the safety Étienne’s arms provide. Clarity that there is no escape from this crashes into me, and with it comes the only thing I need to know. My life might’ve turned inside out with magic, vampires, witches, and whatnot, but with him by my side, I feel that I can find my place in it all. I don’t have to hide anymore. I’m no longer a freak who kills people with her music. Being surrounded by his body over me should be intimidating. It should scare me, but it feels safe. Not like a cage to keep me in, but like a shield to keep everything and everyone out. A peculiar realization to have while sprawled naked under the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen, but there it is.
“Thank you.” Tears prickle my eyes when I whisper my gratitude.
“Whatever for, little one?” A line forms between his eyebrows as he peers down at me, his blond hair tousled from my fingers running through it earlier when he was kissing me.
“For hearing me in the silence?” My voice thick with emotion, I let him see everything I feel, everything that is choking me at the moment. “For staying after the music stopped? For saving me? You name it.” A sob-laugh escapes me before I can stop it. “For dealing with my tantrum earlier? I didn’t act very grateful and I’m sorry. Sorry for hitting you, as well,” I add lamely.
“You have nothing to apologize for, Melody.” He moves strands of hair away from my face, his eyes mapping every blink of my lashes, every breath passing my lips. “After everything you’ve been through, little one, I must say I’m impressed that you held on so well for that long. You have every right to break down.” I frown at him, and he softens his tone. “Do you know why?”
“Why?”
“Because no matter how many times you break, I’ll always be here to help put you back together. So break away, my little Muse, because I’ll be right where I am when you come back from it.” The small smile playing on his lips is fascinating. No one has ever looked at me with that much tenderness.
“Thank you.” My trembling hand finds his face and he nuzzles my palm. “I don’t know why I started acting the way I did. It’s like something possessed me and all I wanted to do was make you angry.” Admitting my weakness is not easy, but I push the words out.
“Ah, but I know.” Tugging the shirt over his head, he presses me into the mattress and my breath hitches when I feel him skin on skin. “Your bloodline was awakened, and you are not trying to make me angry, little one. You are challenging me to see if I’m a worthy mate.”
“I don’t know what that means.” I gasp when his lips start moving across my neck and collar bone.
“I’m about to show you.” Goosebumps pop up all over my arms and legs when he whispers in my ear.
27
Étienne
Her skin is like silk under my hands, and every sound she makes is driving me insane. Not even the tracks left from the tears she has shed can take away from her beautiful doll-like face. The dark curls spread around her head like a cloud, and I’m humbled the gates saw me worthy of such a beauty. If I didn’t know she was of the lineage of the Muses, I would think Aphrodite herself has offered me one of her daughters.
“Étienne …” My mate moans impatiently, but I cannot stop touching her.
“What is it, little Muse. Tell me what you need.” The groan rumbling my chest can’t be stopped when my tongue glides across her skin, her taste filling all my senses.
“I … Oh my God … I need … I have no idea what I need.” Her back arches while her little fingers claw at my shoulders, and it takes everything in me not to sink my throbbing fangs in her neck.
“I might have a clue what you need, love.”
Ducking my head, I take her breast in my hand and twirl my tongue around a pebbled nipple. Melody moans a low, raspy sound that makes me so hard the zipper of my pants is painfully pressed against my cock. Releasing the tight peak with a pop, I kiss my way down her body, swirling my tongue around her bellybutton and moving lower still without giving her time to realize what I’m planning. Melody jerks up, lifting on her elbows to stare at me wide-eyed, her lips parted in shock when I push my way between her thighs, throwing each of her legs over a shoulder.
