Page 25 of Venomous Heart
Arlen’s hands closed around her thighs and he lifted her in one smooth, strong movement, parting her legs on each side of his hips until she straddled him as he stood up. The push of his erection against her pussy drove her mad and she kissed him with a renewed fervor, her lips trailing down his neck, her tongue licking along his skin. She wasn’t a woman anymore, she was a beast of pure erotic desire, her mind gone blank with need.
Arlen answered her lust with a male hunger of his own, his teeth closing suddenly around her throat, sharp fangs pressing against the delicate skin of her jugular. His tongue massaged her skin and need screamed in her pussy, need for hard, male flesh, for a rough possession that would leave her breathless. He pressed only slightly with his fangs, and a sharp pain shot through the site of the bite.
Terror shook some sense into Ava and she froze.
“What are you doing?” Her voice sounded small and defenseless in the room. “Are you going to bite me?”
Her question seemed to bring Arlen back to reality and slowly his mouth opened and he freed her throat. He breathed against her neck for a few more moments, then he brought her down, pushing her away firmly with his hands on her hips.
“You should go.” His voice was a throaty rasp and as she stared at his face, a shudder ran down her spine.
He looked nothing like the stoic commander he’d been before. His features were twisted with lust and his eyes glittered with a savage intent. As he pursed his lips in a silent hiss, terror filled her veins and she took a step back.
“Go!” Arlen snarled again, this time with fury deforming his entire face.
Ava twisted and ran. She didn’t turn back.
* * *
Arlen
“What did that sofa ever do to you?”
Khal’s mocking voice came from behind, and Arlen spun to meet the challenge.
At the sight of his brother, Khal took a careful, hasty step back, but didn’t retreat. “You’re in great spirits, I see.”
Khal’s ever-mocking grin made Arlen’s jaw clench harder and the coppery taste of blood registered on his tongue. His talons shot from his fingertips, stabbing his palms, the pain only contributing more to the instinctual response of his body.
“I’m fine.” Arlen heard his own voice, or what was left of it. It wasn’t a voice anymore, more an animal’s rasp. “Leave.”
Khal took a tentative step forward, then stopped when Arlen let out a savage growl. He kept his eyes on his brother as he inched to one side, to the open space in the living area that wasn’t littered with the remnants of Knut’s furniture.
“Talk to me, Arlen.” There was not a trace of mockery left in Khal’s face or voice. Instead, a sharp, open pain painted the younger Eok’s features as he lifted his palm to calm his brother. “You shut us out, all of us, and we let you, because we knew you needed time. But you can’t keep me from being there for you.” Khal made a wide gesture to indicate the ransacked room. “This isn’t normal. This isn’t you.”
Khal’s words bounced off him without making an impact, but his pain reached through the fog. Slowly, Arlen stared at his talons until they retracted inside his fingers, leaving only bloody imprints behind. Khal was his little brother, the youngest of the family. It had been Arlen’s job to care for him, to protect him during the long years when Karian and Kamal, the oldest brothers, had been gone.
Now Khal thought he had to take care of him.
“This is not something you can help with.” Arlen bit out his words, but his voice was returning to normal. As he closed his eyes, he regained a little more of his control. It wasn’t enough, and he was still a danger to anyone who came in contact with him, but Khal was an Eok, and that meant it was safer for him than the others to be around Arlen.
And he was too stubborn to leave now anyway. Too stubborn and too foolhardy.
“Does it have anything to do with Doctor Ava?”
Arlen’s eyes shot open and he studied his younger brother carefully. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I saw how you react around her.” Kahl approached, but his movements were careful. “As soon as she came in contact with you, I knew what was happening. I’m only surprised you took so long to find out yourself.”
“What nonsense is this?” Arlen’s temper was flaring back, tension rippling down his limbs in violent anticipation.
“It came to you,” Khal stated simply. “The Mating Venom.”
Arlen paused, then turned away from his brother. He walked all the way to the balcony overlooking Knut’s cherished garden, then turned his back on it as the memory of the kiss he’d shared with Ava came back to him.
There was no escaping what he felt. And there was no hiding it from Khal’s shrewd eyes either, apparently.
“It doesn’t matter.” Arlen shook his head. “Whatever you think you know, keep it to yourself.”
