Page 46 of Consume Me
His skin is warm under my palm, his jaw rough with stubble, a faint smear of blood trailing from the corner of his mouth.
My gaze drops to his arm when he shifts it, the motion revealing the rune burned into his skin. It’s glowing now—blazing hot gold against his flesh. The heat radiates into the air between us.
He doesn’t hesitate. Doesn’t explain.
Noctan grips my wrist in one hand, steady but firm, and reaches with the other for the demon’s arm.His fingers wrap around blackened skin, and the rune flares brighter—blinding for a heartbeat. He presses the rune to the demon’s flesh.
The demon’s corpse convulses once. Then again. And then?—
It’s gone.
No body. No ichor. And no dagger. Just a faint trace of ash dissipating into the air.
I’m free.
For a long moment, everything is quiet except for the uneven rhythm of our breathing. My palm is still against his cheek, his skin fever-warm from the fight, his eyes fixed on mine like there’s nothing else in the room.
I swallow past the lump in my throat. “You—” My voice breaks, and I try again. “You saved me.”
His jaw tightens. “Always.”
The word hits me like a vow.
My chest aches—not from fear, but from the swell of something far more dangerous. Something that’s been building since that first dance, since the first time the daggers fell silent under his touch. But now there’s no dagger between us. No voice whispering murder in my ear. No visions of death and suffering. Just him.
And I realize something else.
The wolf from my vision was never my executioner.
He was my shield.
My heart wobbles as the vision reframes itself in my mind. All along, he was my protector. The daggers didn’t want me to see. Or maybe I didn’t.
“This is not how I envisioned our first dateending.”
Noctan’s words yank me from my thoughts. I look down to find his eyes glittering, and I can’t help but grin.
“You thought you’d get lucky, didn’t you?” I tease.
“Oh, I’d say I’m pretty lucky already.”
I open my mouth to form some snarky, witty reply, but his grip on my wrist tightens, and he yanks me down before I can react. He kisses me hard, and I melt right into it. My body presses to his, but it’s not enough; I want to be closer. To become?—
“Fuck.” He breaks our kiss and looks down at his chest.
“You’re hurt,” I realize, noting the way it’s already turning black at the edges.
“I just need a minute.”
“Come on,” I say, pulling him up.
“Where are we going?” he asks, groaning as he gets slowly to his feet.
“To make sure you live long enough for a second date.”
Chapter 15
Noctan
