Page 158 of A Vow of Shadow and Blood
He slams his mouth against mine, cutting off my words, and the entire world explodes around me. His tongue plunges into my mouth, finding mine in a desperate dance that only we know. Gods, it feels so good. I’ve tried to resist it. To pretend that I don’t want this, but this is exactly what I want. What Ineed. In this single moment, I don’t think about Julian or the impures, not even the fact that my sister is locked up in a cell, and gods, if that doesn’t make me the most selfish person I know. But this moment feels too right.Too good.I try to resist, but it feels like exactly where I belong. It feels like home.
He pulls back, and a gasp falls from my mouth.
“Should I stop?” he whispers, his lips a breath away from mine. His eyes are wild as he looks down at me. I should tell him to stop. I should push him away and race down to that cell to drag Willow out, but he’s consuming my mind. The only thing I can think about is him.
“No.” I breathe before fisting his shirt and pulling him forward until his lips are pressed against mine again. A muffled groan falls from his mouth as my fingers thread through the dark strands of his hair, sending shockwaves of pleasure directly to my core. Strong hands grip my waist, lifting me from the ground. My legs wrap around him as he knocks every item from his desk before laying me down across it.
I let out an audible gasp as dark shadows spill from him like water, twisting and weaving until they form into several pairs of hands that work at ripping the leggings from my body. My tunic goes next, leaving me in nothing but my underwear. The dark tendrils dance across my skin, making my nipples peak againstthe fabric of my makeshift bra. My back arches as the warmth of their touch sends desire spiraling through me. He stares down at me, his dark eyes molten as he traces the contours of my body with his eyes. I lay on the desk, almost completely bare before him, my core pulsing. I want to beg him to touch me, to soothe the incessant pounding between my legs before I go insane, but the way he looks at me with that uncontrollable hunger in his eyes keeps me quiet.
A cold rush of air sweeps across my core as the shadows return to their host, and even beneath the fabric of my underwear, the friction is delicious. He steps forward, moving toward me but never taking his eyes off mine.
“Beautiful,” he whispers.
He sinks to his knees, and the sight alone has me slick with want. My breath hitches when his hand lands on my thigh, the warm sensation of it sweeping just below where my body is screaming for release. My legs part on instinct, hungry for the pleasure that his touch promises. The rough pads of his fingers glide up my thigh, eliciting a quiet moan from me, but they skim right past where I need them most. His large hand snakes up my stomach, applying just enough pressure to hold me in place. He has complete control, and for some reason, just the thought of it turns me on.
He curses under his breath as though he can hear my thoughts, then lifts my leg and plants the softest kiss against my ankle, making my head fall back in bliss.
“Gods, Adina, do you have any idea the power you have over me? I would destroy realms to have you. To kneel before you and worship you with my tongue.”
I draw in a ragged breath as I peer down at him through my lust-induced haze—the Crown Prince of the Court of Shadows on his knees forme.I’ve never wanted anything as much as this in my life, so I open that little passage in my mind, sending thefeeling directly to him. I want him to know exactly how I feel right now. How much I want him.Need him.
He growls in response, his lips sending vibrations up my thigh as he presses them against another spot, his mouth moving higher and higher. Gods, I’m going to lose my mind. Another kiss grazes the sensitive skin just below my center, and I forget my own name. My eyes squeeze shut as the sensation assaults every inch of my body. Nothing has ever felt this good. Every touch, every kiss feels like it was invented only to please me.
“Open your eyes.” His voice is commanding and laced with desire.
I obey.
“You have no idea what you’ve done to me,” he whispers against my skin, and I fight to keep my eyes open. “From that day in the bloodhouse, you have consumed my every thought. There’s barely room for anything else.”
My heart thumps against my ribcage. I know I should still be angry with him, but I cannot ignore the raging need that swirls within me. I lift onto my elbows as my eyes fall to him. His fangs extend as his dark eyes trace a path up my stomach and past my breasts until they meet mine again.
His tongue sweeps against the skin of my inner thigh, and a moan falls from my lips.
“I’ve never bitten anyone here. They say it’s the most intimate place a vampire can bite someone,” he whispers. “Iwantto bite you here.”
His warm breath tickles my skin.
“Do you want me to?” he asks. My mind trails back to all the times he’s fed from me before. How good it felt.
I nod.
“I want to hear it from that beautiful mouth of yours, little witch. Tell me what you want from me.”
I suck in a breath at his words. “Iwantyou to bite me.”
A wicked grin curves his lips.Fuck.His mouth. I want it everywhere.
“Gods, those intentions of yours are driving me crazy.” He pulls me forward with ease, lining up my sex with his mouth, sending a violent shudder through me. “Do you know what it’s like to feel your need? How hard it makes me when the scent of your arousal fills the air?”
My breath catches on his words. “You can smell that?” I whisper.
“I can, but only because you’re mine.”
Before I can respond, I feel the sharp sting of his fangs just below the apex of my thighs. I cry out as the blinding pleasure makes me feel like I’m floating. Euphoria, like nothing I’ve ever felt, paints every inch of my being. My fingers grip the edges of the wooden desk as my back curves high into the air.
The warmth of his palm presses against my stomach, keeping me exactly where he wants me, but everything feels too good, and like a wild beast, it wants to be set free. I squirm beneath his touch, and he chuckles against my flesh as the pull of his mouth against me draws more blood from me. How can he be taking from me, and it feels so insanely good? Surely this must be a trick, some kind of illusion.
Just then, his hand slides up my stomach until it’s positioned in the space between my breasts, and gods, I want to scream at him to rip my underwear away so I can feel his flesh against mine.
