Page 98 of Dance of the Phoenix
He looked at me, utterly baffled. “Why do you need a pharmacy?”
“Because I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight,” I told him, which was actually the truth. “I know there are certain sleeping pills that work on vampires.” I’d once seen Isora take them, since she had trouble sleeping.
Reluctantly, Ragnor nodded, his look reeking of suspicion. But I didn’t care what he suspected—it would never be what I actually planned anyway.
Ragnor led me to the closest CVS, where I went to the pharmacy counter and asked for a drug called Sunnight, which I knew was the name of the pills Isora was taking. She was given those pills by Leah, the infirmary nurse. Thankfully, I didn’t need a prescription for these.
Since I had no money, Ragnor paid for the pills—an irony that was not lost on me—and we returned quickly to the arena. That’s when I told Ragnor, “I’m going to make some food. Want anything?”
“Hey.” He suddenly put his arms around me, and my body ached, wanting to lean into him to allow his warmth to envelop me. “Why aren’t you talking to me?”
I made the mistake of staring into his midnight blue eyes. I almost surrendered to the worry within them. I almost broke down crying.You died, Ragnor!I wanted to scream.You left me before you could even tell me everything about yourself!
But there was no time. I had less than twelve hours until the final battle.
“I’m just tired, Ragnor,” I said, forcing myself to leave his arms and head to the kitchenette. “It’s been a long day.”
He didn’t touch me again but kept close to me. “Let me make you something,” he offered.
“No,” I said, insistent. “I’d rather make it myself.” When he went silent, I glanced behind me to see he was looking away, folding his arms, obviously irritated. Regret filled me, along with an overwhelming amount of love I had to shove down for now. “I need to keep busy,” I lied, “so just let me.”
He nodded and sighed, raising his beautiful face to stare at me. “Let’s eat together in my room, then.”
I nodded, gave him a wobbly smile in an attempt to reassure him that all was well, and returned to work.
I wasn’t much of a cook, but I knew how to make one thing pretty well, and that was pancakes. As long as I had the ingredients, my pancakes always turned out pretty fucking tasty.
And I needed them to be as tasty as possible right now.
Looking to the sides, seeing that no one was lingering around the lounge—everyone had retired early, I remembered—I plucked out ten white Sunnight pills and ground them into thin powder. I added that powder to the batter and made five perfect pieces.
Putting some chocolate on them, I grabbed the plate and went into Ragnor’s room. He was sitting on the bed with his back to the door, his face buried in his hands. He seemed so defeated, hunched over like that.
But not for long.
“Hey,” I said, closing the door behind me and heading to him. “I got some pancakes.”
He turned to look at me with a weary look that made my weak heart want to wrap my arms around him and tell him everything would be okay. “They smell really good.”
I put the plate on an empty chair. “Usually, I would say let’s eat them while they’re hot,” I said, sitting down on him, startling him into wrapping his arms around me, his look surprised. “But I’d rather have you first.”
Ragnor’s eyes widened, and finally,finally, I let myself succumb to my wishes and planted my lips on him.
My entire body trembled when I felt his tongue dancing with mine. I wanted to cry in pure relief when his hands cupped my breasts through my shirt. When I released his cock from the binds of his pants, I was already so wet, needing him inside me. Needing to feel him as close and as intimately as humanly, vampirically, possible.
Shoving my pants and panties away, I took him inside in one swift movement that caused us both to moan in beautiful pain and pleasure.
“Fuck, Aileen,” he growled, grabbing my ass in a bruising hold, pulling me up and shoving me down so fiercely, I could feel his dick rubbing my womb.
This was heaven. There was no other word for it. Ragnor, inside me, all over me, his lips on my throat, his hands forcing me up and down his length, my hands in his silky, disheveled hair ... Pure heaven.
Heaven I had lost.
Heaven I planned to never, ever lose again.
No matter the cost.
Ragnor and I lay naked in his bed, cuddling together, his hand caressing my arm almost absentmindedly.
