Page 13 of The Arbiter

The trek across the ocean to America was uneventful for the first three days. I kept to myself and acted like a normal human, filling up on the fine-dining of first-class and dancing with handsome strangers. There were even two Strige aboard that I made quick friends with. Conversation was at minimum since they didn’t speak in a language that I knew very well. Even though I knew most languages, theirs I still had trouble with.

On the fourth night of the passage, everything changed.

I had been taking a moonlit stroll to the front of the ship, the wind chilling my bones even through the multiple layers. As I made it closer to the bow, I heard a scuffling come from the crow’s nest. I couldn’t see the commotion from my angle below, so I curiously made my way up as I checked that no one saw me climbing. Shock hit me harder than the cold at what I found.

Two men seemed to be embracing as I cleared the last step. When I turned to leave and give them privacy, a thought raced through my head, and I just had to be sure.

Taking a step closer, I realized that the scene before me was not as I’d originally thought. One man was of the crew, his black and white uniform giving away his status. The other, however, was a delicacy to behold.

He was fashioned in an expensive suit, having obviously just came from first-class dining. His long, dark brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail with not a single hair out of place. I couldn’t see his face from my angle, but his massive, muscular form had me almost drooling on myself. That finely tailored suit hugged his over six-foot body in the most deliciously sinful ways, especially those broad shoulders. Just being near him had my body ablaze with need I couldn’t comprehend.

Leaning a bit closer, I wasn’t surprised to see that his ears had a slight point to them, and his skin was slowly fluctuating between a deep shade of blood-red and a normal human bronze. I knew then that I wanted…no, neededto see his face. I cleared my throat to let him know of my presence.

His body had immediately tensed, and for a few breaths, he just stood there without releasing the helpless man trapped in his arms. Then suddenly, he dropped the crew member with a loud thump. I wanted to check to see if he was OK, but there was no way in Damnation I was going to take my eyes off a potential enemy, especially one that I had no clue what he was.

He had turned slowly, causing my breath to hitch as his eyes met mine. Judging from their glow and remnants of the human’s soul still flowing inward through his full, parted lips, he almost looked like an Incubus, but there was something different about him. In all my years, I had never run across anything like him, living nor Damned.

Those eyes still glowed with an orange and yellow light that were like flames burning beneath his irises, and they were fixed on me like I was the next snack. His skin steadily stopped flashing between tones and stayed on that red, almost black color. Those sinful lips then tilted up into a wicked smile.

He was breathtaking.

But even the most beautiful of things could hide the deadliest of poisons beneath their surface.

Hungry eyes raked over my entire body. I flashed my silver eyes back in their equal brightness, displaying my own power. It was best to get that out of the way so that he would know that I wasn’t for eating. Well…at least not in that way. I kept myself tense and ready, just in case he decided to attack.

That smile never faltered.

“Who are you?” the stranger had asked me; his voice sent pleasurable tingles down my spine. It was deep and raspy like he’d just drank an entire decanter of whiskey.

I displayed my most menacing smile. “The question is not who I am, but why do you think it’s acceptable to be taking the life of the one crew member that’s desperately needed for safe passage through this ice-riddled hell?”

His smile widened at my inquiry, only adding to those devastatingly good looks. Stepping toward me, he closed the short distance between us in the tiny space.

“You are, by far, one of the most enticing creatures I’ve ever had the privilege of gazing upon,” he said, looking at me as if he could see straight through me and loved what he saw. It was strange how his soul energy called to me like a kid in a candy store; his body sang a sweet symphony to mine.

I normally didn’t need to feed from soul energy very often because of my Divine side, but I’d gone too long without a proper feeding this time and was ravenous for him. Plus, his body looked quite delicious as well. I’d happily take both.

Since I didn’t respond to his question, he continued talking. “If it pleases you to hear, I have not killed this man. I was only hungry, and he looked appetizing. He’ll live. Damnation knows, the last thing I need is a Rite coming for my head.”

The words made sense coming out of his mouth, but the sight and smell of him had me so distracted. Why did he have to smell so good?

He smiled darkly at me, obviously able to see how badly my desire to feed from him was. It was taking everything I had not to attack him. I had never wanted for soul energy before in the way that I was wanting his in this moment. Funny how I had originally approached this with fear that he’d attack me, but now, I was the one with little control. Not completely unheard of for a young Damned, such as myself.

He seemed to make the decision for me as he edged even closer, that fucking smile still in place and excitement behind his eyes. I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my palms. With him a hair's width away, I closed my eyes and felt his heated breath on my face. The inferno of his body slowly ignited my own fire.

What in Damnation was wrong with me?

“Take what you want, love,” he whispered as my body shook with ecstasy, “I can practically feel your need to taste my soul. I give it freely, and do not worry, you will not kill me.”

This sexy stranger was offering to feed my hunger, and I was powerless to stop what happened next.

My eyes snapped open right before I launched myself at him. His arms closed around me as his lips crashed down against mine, and I wrapped my legs around his torso as he lifted me. When I took my first pull from him, I dug my fingers into his hair.

Sweet Divinity, his soul tasted like burnt honey; smoky, spicy, and sweet all at once. His tongue flicked out and traced mine as I continued to swallow his energy. One of his hands that was wrapped around my ass clung onto one cheek, while the other was fastened to the back of my neck, anchoring me to him. He walked with me until my back slammed against the cold metal pole in the middle of the crow’s nest, inciting a cry of both pain and pleasure from me.

When I hit, I released the pull on his soul and just dove head-first into kissing him. Now, it was more than just his soul that I wanted; I was greedy and wanted his body too. Since mine was trapped between him and the pole, one of his hands lifted my skirt while the other undid his slacks. I let out a gasp as he slid into me with a force that ignited every nerve ending inside of my body. With each stroke there was a fire that grew within me. Any reason I had once held fled without resistance. There was more to this Damned than I could begin to realize, more than I could see in front of me. With each thrust the need for him only grew.

I didn’t even care that the who or what he was remained a mystery. I just wanted everything he had to offer. ‘More,’ was all my brain kept shouting at me. He slammed into me over and over as he put a hand to my mouth to quell the sound that I was making. It was wild and electric the way that his skin slid in and out of my body. The sensations were almost too much, but I held on.

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