Page 71 of Bite of Passage
“Faster.”
He complied, her back hitting the wall with each thrust.The cords of his neck strained.She could hear the rapid beat of his heart.It lured.It teased.The need to taste his blood roared in her head more than the need to find release.She wished she had the ability to be gentle, but biting a moving target wasn’t easy.She missed the first time.With a noise close to a growl, something she’d never heard from herself before, she grabbed his neck and struck.
The impending orgasm crested inside her as his blood flowed down her throat.She nearly went blind with pleasure.
“Gemma!”he yelled as he thrust so hard he dislodged her mouth from his neck.
Chest heaving, bodies begging for air, they both stilled.She leaned forward and latched onto him again, drinking deep.
His body bowed.He cried out as he pumped his release into her, this time careful not to throw her off his neck.As he relaxed and sagged against her, she hoped he wouldn’t lose his hold on her.She licked the bleeding droplets on his neck, the holes already sealing.
“Is it always this way?”she asked.
“I don’t know.”He kissed her cheeks, her eyes, and then her nose before he pulled out of her slowly.He gently moved her back to the cot.“It’s never been this way for me.You should sleep.It’s almost daylight.”
ChapterTwenty-Nine
Skarde leftGemma when she drifted into deep sleep.She wouldn’t be able to avoid day sleep this early in her transition.It had taken him decades before he could function in daytime.He still wasn’t great at it, but he could avoid the lure of sleep when needed.
Historically, he hated the aftermath, when sex cooled down and heads cleared up.The moment he realized what had seemed like a fun, exciting idea at the start had been stupid was the moment things got complicated.His bed partner wanted more than he wanted to give.With Gemma, part of him wished he could give her the more she desired.He didn’t know how to navigate the landscape of insanity that was called “love”, especially not with a woman now confirmed to be the other piece of his prophecy.He’d watched his parents’ love self-destruct.His older brother had gone crazy when he fell in love, to the point he killed himself and the woman he loved.
Time to sort things with Cade.Trust lay in precarious balance between him and his brother.Given Cade’s unwavering dedication to his missions, he might plot to steal Gemma away while Skarde slept.This time he’d make it clear there would be no taking her to the Directorate.
The rest of the cave, which was what this place was—a modified hole in the side of a mountain—had few rooms.The place might be warmer than his castle, but Skarde hated being locked inside thick layers of rock.
He noticed a difference in himself as he moved.He felt stronger and clear-headed.His senses no longer see-sawed between a haze and near-clarity, a no man’s land he’d grown accustomed to navigating the past few years.
The rumors that feeding from a vampire bestowed more strength than any human blood could grant had turned out to be true.And this after taking barely a sip from her out of fear—she needed as much of her own blood as possible right now.What would happen if he took a serious drink?Maybe that’s how he became stronger than any other vampire, as the latest prophecy suggested.
Cade raised his glass from his seat at an ancient kitchen table.The drink wafted the smell of something alcoholic.“Not dragged to hell yet, I see.”
Skarde sat across the wooden table from his brother and cradled his head in his hands.
After a gulp from his cup Cade said, “Sounded like you two got on well.”
“I’ve never… Not with a vampire before.”
“It’s entertaining to see you in a twist over her.What’s that feel like?”
Refusing to get into a heart-to-heart, he said, “I have to go south tomorrow.I accepted a commission before the delay at Petra’s place.There’s a witch raising the dead.”
“Necromancy?”
“Technically, necromancers aren’t all bad even though what they do is peculiar.They can talk to the dead.The bad ones harness the dead to do their bidding.They don’t give the dead new life, which I suppose means this lady is making zombies.”He tugged at his hair.“I despise dealing with zombies.”
“First, why do you still need to deal with that business?”
“I made a promise.”
“Second, why are you telling me this?Is it because of Gemma?”Cade leaned back in his chair.
“She’s off limits to you.If you kidnap her and take her to the Directorate or do anything else, I will hunt you down and kill you.”
“She’s safe from me taking her there.For now.”He stared into his cup.“I’ll deal with my failure to finish a mission and the Directorate myself.”
“Why do you still work for them?You hate it.”He glanced up in time to catch his brother wince.He’d guessed correctly.
“Why do you go after evil things?You hate it.”A slow smile spread across Cade’s lips.“Creatures of habit, aren’t we?”
