Page 28 of Demon Queen
“It’s a miracle that you aren’t sucking on my toes.”
“I don’t think that you’re using that word correctly,” he said with a quirk of his dark brows. I stroked them because they were so silky, and they didn’t have spikes coming out of them. I’d missed touching him. So much.
“It’s too bad about your king spikes. It’ll be really hard to run my fingers through your hair.”
“She must have injected you with a narcotic. I’ll have to watch you so you don’t take advantage of me.”
I pulled his face down to mine. “Or you could just watch me while I take advantage of you.” I grabbed one of his king spikes and pulled his face down until his lips were pressed against mine. A rush of something sharp and agonizing went through me, and that knocked me out full black.
I woke up trembling like I had the world’s worst flu, my whole body ice cold while I ached. I licked my parched lips and looked around for the water. I needed a drink so bad or I would die.
“Here,” Dorian said where he was curled next to me on the bed, a line dangling over him to the blood bag on a pole connected to my arm. He held a glass to my lips, but it wasn’t water. No, it tasted like cherry concentrate, so strong and rich that I started coughing.
“Water,” I gasped and then shuddered so hard that it pulled on the needle in my arm.
“Of course,” he said soothingly, switching out cups to a chipped mug I’d had forever.
I drank the water, holding onto his wrist to keep the cup steady. No, that was me that needed steadying. I drank it all too fast if his tsking was any indication, but he didn’t take it away.
I lay there feeling like a wrung out washcloth while he curled on the edge of my bed, not touching me. I reached out and undid a button on his shirt.
“What are you doing?” he rumbled as I unbuttoned another one.
“I’m cold. I want to crawl into your arms and die.” That was logical, right?
“I don’t want to make your fever worse.” He frowned in concern while I tugged open another button.
“Then make it better. Please.” I didn’t look at him, because saying ‘please,’ brought back other memories, other times when I’d asked him to touch me. I started to pull away, but he ripped off his shirt and wrapped me in his arms and wings so that finally the awful cold disappeared and I could fall back into unconsciousness.
ten
. . .
I sleptwith Dorian Drigo in my bed. Yes, I’d been bloodless and feverish, and probably on some kind of vampire drug, but I’d still kissed him like I’d forgotten all about the long miserable years we’d been apart. I woke up with an abrupt jerk, knowing that he was there, all around me, tucking me against him like I belonged there. And I felt like I belonged there. That was the most terrifying thing of all, waking up and feeling like I was finally home.
“Dorian,” I whispered, trying to find my way out of the warm demon cave, but every wall was soft, velvety skin that touched me back.
“Cherry blossom,” he whispered.
I held very still. Once a long time ago in spring when I’d seen a tree with a broken branch, I’d brought it in to work because it was so pretty. Everyone had looked at me like I was crazy, but Dorian had touched the blossoms and then looked at me with a slight smile and called me a cherry blossom. That was the first time I wanted anyone. He was the only person there who acted like it was normal for strip clubs to have jars with branches of blossoms stuck in them. He’d actually taken it to his office whenone of the dancers complained about it in the dressing room, taking up valuable counter space where she was trying to do her makeup.
“I’m not cold anymore. You can put your shirt back on,” I said, trying to sound normal, like I wasn’t cozying up to a demon I’d been way too in love with.
“You’re feeling better.” His wings parted, letting in the light of my lamp on my dresser so I could see his face, the expression, warm, pleased, relaxed, and so handsome. For a second that feeling, the contented peace swept over me, washing away all the awkwardness, the hurt, but I shook it off and climbed out of my bed, out of his arms, and onto the floor.
I pulled the needle out of my arm—ow—and then headed for the shower. I undressed quickly and then slipped under the water, trying to breathe normally and not let the emotions, the happiness clashing with misery, make me completely insane. I had it mostly together and was washing my hair when he spoke, clearly, right outside my shower curtain.
“What do you want to eat? You’ll need extra calories to rebuild your blood.”
I inhaled water, because what was he doing right there outside my shower when I was naked? I pressed my body against the cold tiles while I sputtered. “I’ll worry about that later. I’m in the shower! What are you doing?”
“Did you want me to be doing something? I suppose I could scrub your back for you if you really?—”
“No! Absolutely not! Dorian, do you want me to kill you?”
He chuckled, rich dark, and for a second I closed my eyes, waiting to see if he’d open the curtain and step into the cascade of water with me. I wouldn’t be able to push him away. He felt so good when he was scrubbing my back.
“I’ll wait for you in your bedroom. I was only checking on you to make sure you hadn’t fainted or been attacked by an unstable vampire or a fear demon.”
