Page 87 of Forbidden Devotion
“I want it. You want to give it to me. I have trouble fully understanding your concerns.”
“I know. I don’t want to risk hurting you somehow. But it’s changed.” How could he explain this? “I feel like Ineed to do it. I’ve wanted to do it for a long time, you know that, but now Ineedto do it. It’s a different sensation, more urgent. I think it’s the full moon causing this urge. And I’m worried I can’t resist,” Mitchel explained.
“I don’t want you to resist,” Sinclair said as if it could be that simple.
“Thank you, I know. You’ve made yourself clear on the matter.” Mitchel smiled.
“Is there anything special I need to do?” His voice was sleepy. He breathed a contented little sigh across Mitchel’s naked skin.
“Not really, no. Well, actually…” Now that he thought about it…
“Actually, what?”
“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, but you could run from me. Try to escape. It’s an old tradition and not always done anymore, but I’ve always thought it would be fun. You run. I’ll chase you, and I’ll catch you.”
Sinclair laughed. “You’ll try, hotshot!”
“I’ll catch you. I’ll pin you down like this…” In a lightning-fast motion, he shot up in bed, flipped them over, and pinned Sinclair’s chest down with a broad hand between his shoulder blades. “And I’ll sink my teeth into your shoulder. Right here.” He squeezed Sinclair hard. “It’ll hurt a little, but you’ll like it. You’ll push back into me—”
Sinclair did. He pushed into Mitchel’s grip, lifted his hips from the bed, and pressed his ass back into Mitchel’s space.
“—but I won’t let you free.” Mitchel held him firm as he struggled. “I’ll taste your blood, and then you’ll be mine.”
“For fuck’s sake, Mitchel, don’t wait any longer,” Sinclair begged. “Do it now!”
Mitchel bit him but refused to break the skin. Instead, he teased Sinclair’s neck, throat, and shoulder with his mouth.
“If you’re not going to do it, at least fuck me. This is torture,” Sinclair whined.
Mitchel was happy to comply.
* * *
The full moonwas upon them, and Mitchel was eager to have Sinclair all to himself. The vampire spent the day on campus like he usually did. He had classes to teach and office hours to maintain. The hours ticked along in slow motion as he anticipated the night’s run.
The claiming bite.
He headed to the dorm to check on the pack and issue some last-minute instructions for the night. The old church was surprisingly quiet. No whooping and hollering or video-game sounds came from the den. Could it be the students were actually studying? It had to happen sometime. They all managed to maintain their grades somehow.
He found Eleanor first, in the kitchen, busily preparing something to eat.
“Hey, Mitchel. You hungry?” She greeted him with a smile.
“Always. Whatcha making?” Whatever it was, it smelled good.
“Spaghetti and meatballs. It’s my turn to cook the prerun meal, and this is what they always ask for.” Eleanor rolled her eyes.
“I can see why. It smells incredible in here.”
“Sit. You can have the first plate.”
Mitchel wouldn’t turn her offer down. He took two glasses from the cupboard, filled them with water, and set one down for each of them.
Eleanor piled generous helpings of noodles, sauce, and meatballs on two plates and joined him at the table. “Dig in!”
It tasted even better than it smelled. Mitchel would have to remember to come by early next time it was Eleanor’s turn to cook.
“It’s delicious, thank you. You’re a great chef.”
