Page 27 of Bloodstained
His lips curved faintly. “You make my blood burn,” he murmured before claiming my mouth again.
He caught my wrists, pressing them above my head, pinning me to the stone. “Say it,” he demanded softly, his breath hot against my lips. “Say you want this. I need to hear it.”
His forehead rested against mine, the space between us charged, heavy with want, with need. My breath came in ragged bursts, the scent of him filling my lungs until I swore I could taste it.
“You can see it,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “You can feel it. Smell it. You already know.”
A sound rumbled from him. It was low, primal, and wholly pleased. His mouth found mine again. The kiss slower this time, deeper. It was the kind that stripped the air from the room, that left me quivering and desperate for more.
I arched into him, chasing his heat, losing myself in the feel of his body pressing me into the wall. Every rational thought melted beneath the pulse of want.
When his lips trailed down my throat—over the place where his bite still marked me—heat flared under his mouth. I moaned before I could stop myself, the sound breaking between us like a confession.
Ivan lifted his head, his eyes glowing faintly in the low light. His lips were parted, his breath unsteady, the twin points of his fangs glinting just enough to remind me of what he truly was.
Despite that, my body ached for him.
“You see? Your body remembers even if your mind doesn’t. But soon, your mind will remember me, too.” His mouth claimed mine again, rougher this time, dragging me deeper into him.
My body pressed to his, heat warring with the cold stone. The sound of our breathing filled the room. It was uneven, desperate… alive. I wanted to hate him. I wanted to hate myself for wanting him. But as his hands slid down my body and his mouth found the hollow of my throat once more, I stopped trying to fight it.
I just wanted to feelhim. And he was more than willing to give me what I wanted.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
MIRCALLA
The Past
The morning air was sharp and frigid. I woke to the chill and the sound of boots in the corridor. Voices rose in the stairwell, low and clipped.
For a moment, I stayed in bed, the sheets cold against my skin, with a strange heaviness pressing over me. Something felt off. I couldn’t name it, but unease threaded through my veins like ice.
There’d been talk of a border dispute in the north—a lord pressing into Ivan’s lands and claiming it as his. It wasn’t the first time, but the tension in the air felt different, tighter. As if even the walls were bracing for what was coming.
I rose, bathed, and dressed in wool and cotton, lacing my bodice just to keep my hands busy, and adding a cloak to stem off the chill in the air. Downstairs, Ivan stood over the map table with Raducel at his right shoulder, and his other men to his left. They’d known each other since childhood. Raducel wasn’t just a friend—he was Ivan’s counselor, his most trusted man.
This morning, though, something in Raducel’s face unsettled me. His expression was kind enough, but when his eyes met mine, a flicker passed through them. It was something I couldn’t quite place.
Ivan looked up, and the hard set of his shoulders eased the moment he saw me. He crossed the room in three long strides, everything else forgotten, and cupped my face, pressing a kiss to my forehead. The simple touch steadied the strange beat of my heart.
“My love,” he murmured. “You’re up early.”
“The cold and noise woke me,” I breathed. “The house feels… restless.”
His thumbs brushed my cheeks, his gaze searching me in a way that always made me feel seen and exposed at once. Then he tucked a curl behind my ear and gave me another kiss before turning back to the map.
“I hate that the turmoil here unsettles you.”
“I’m okay, sweet husband. I just hate when you leave.” He leaned down and kissed me softly on the lips.
Raducel watched him. Watchedus.
With one more smile at me, Ivan turned to face his men. “We’ll discuss when to ride out,” Ivan said, his tone commanding again. “We’ll take a smaller escort since it’ll draw less attention. Once we’ve scouted, we’ll send reinforcements.”
Raducel inclined his head. “I’ll see to it.”
When he and the other men left, the room felt lighter. Ivan lingered at the table, eyes on the map, jaw tight. I watched the line of his throat move when he swallowed and told myself the unease twisting inside me was just dread for his leaving.
