Page 107 of Claimed By Blood

“And whose fault is that?” I growl in frustration. “I can’t do this right now, Imogen. I just… I don’t have the energy to fight you after the day we’ve had. So either shut up or leave. Don’t expect me to deal with your self-loathing on top of everything else.” Her green eyes gleam with anger, and I drop my head into my hands. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. Your feelings matter to me.Youmatter to me. I just… I’m so tired. Can we talk about this after I’ve slept?”

The way she shrugs it off makes me feel like I’ve failed some kind of silent test, but I’m so drained that I can’t find it in me to care.

“Sure. Sweet dreams.”

The door closes behind her with a snap.

CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE

EVELYN

I fallinto a day of disturbing dreams where Frost and Gideon take turns forcing pointed hats and broomsticks on me while Cain watches on, laughing in the distance. When I wake, it’s with Draven and Vane wrapped around me, keeping me so warm despite the fact that I’ve kicked the covers away at some point in my sleep.

Ugh, I feel like shit, and a shower doesn’t make much difference. When I re-enter the room wrapped in a towel, Draven is gone, and Vane is pulling my clothes out of a case.

“We landed a few hours ago,” he admits. “But I told Gideon to let you sleep. You thirsty, princess?”

“Not really, but Ishoulddrink,” I mumble, rubbing at my hair with the towel.

“Yes, you should.” He abandons the twisted mass of fabric—Morwen evidently still doesn’t believe in folding—and moves closer to me. “But before you do, there are some things we need to discuss.”

There… are?I blink at him, confused.

“Not about feeding,” he clarifies. “You’re always welcome to my blood, princess. It's everything else that comes with it.”

“Sex,” I reply, smirking.

“Among other things… I don’t need details, but I need to know if you were okay with what Gid did to you in his rut.”

Things low in my body clench at the memory. “It was great.” I shrug. “Afterwards…” I make a face that causes him to chuckle.

“I can guess.”

“So why are you asking?”

He reaches up to rub the shell of his ear, playing with the hoops there as he thinks. “Because I need to know before I start playing with you. I have… preferences that not everyone is compatible with.”

I swallow, suddenly nervous. I’ve seen a lot of different kinks in my time—everything from the obscure to the malicious—and I’m not stupid enough to rush into something with a man who comes with a warning label.

Cain once gave Callie to a vampire who liked to drown her lovers in different—often colourful or stinking—liquids in front of an audience while they fucked. Immortals have a tendency to get bored easily. Especially when it comes to basic bodily needs like food or sex.

I can’t see anyone in Finn’s pack being into that kind of thing, but I’m also not going to make any assumptions.

“What preferences?” I ask.

There’s a glint in his eyes that seems a lot like approval. “I like being in charge,” he admits. “And pain.” He hesitates. “But you’ve experienced enough pain to last several lifetimes. It would be selfish of me to ask you to endure more, which is why I’m happy to keep things platonic between us.”

“I thought you were a beta,” I whisper, confused. “I thought that meant you were a protector.”

Alphas are supposed to be the ones in need of control.

“You can protect people and still admire how beautiful their skin looks painted by a flogger.” He offers me a soft grin, and something in me switches.

It takes me a second to realise it’s the thrall bond between us waking up… starting to grow. It’s so cautious that I barely notice it, and Vane obviously hasn’t because he continues talking.

“I don’tneedcontrol like Gideon does. I don’t want you to lie back and take everything I give you without a fight. I like earning it. One of my biggest fantasies is letting you run loose into the forest, tracking you down, and taking you on the floor while you fight me.”

“That still makes no sense.”

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