Page 253 of Halfblood Deceived

Aella’s eyes shone with tears. “Kiss me.”

Zeydan kissed her. First, he kissed her tears away, then her cheeks and nose until she giggled, and finally her lips. The kiss was soft and lazy, but loaded with so much meaning that he felt as if there was no one else, nothing else in the world but her.

He maneuvered them under the covers and pressed her to his side. Aella placed one leg over his and her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry about ruining our night with my rather epic nosebleed and the trip to the hospital.”

Zeydan ran his thumb back and forth along her jaw. “You ruined nothing, Aella. I’m worried about you, and I agree that the brief hospital stay was anything but pleasant, but this is still one of the best nights of my life.”

She bit her lip to hide a smile. “Really?”

“Really,” he confirmed. And just because he loved when she blushed… “How could it not be when I had you for dinner?”

Even her ears turned red. “You—ugh! You are doing that on purpose.”

He blinked innocently. “What?”

Aella mock scowled at him, but she was smiling. “I—Do you want to pick up where we left off sometime soon? I promise to try to keep my blood inside my body.”

Zeydan huffed. “I definitely want to. But not until you are completely ready. I don’t want you to have even the slightest regret. And if you change your mind even in the middle of sex, we’ll stop. Alright?”

Aella lowered her eyes, tangling her fingers with his. “You knew I was about to chicken out when we—er, right after you finished… um, you know.”

Zeydan smiled. “Yes, I did.” He’d noticed her hesitation before her illness hit her.

“It’s not your fault, it’s mine,” Aella muttered.

“It’s not your fault either, Aella,” Zeydan said.

She swallowed audibly. “But I feel so guilty for not being capable of… um, returning the favor. I know you said you don’t mind, but…”

Zeydan placed two fingers under her chin. Her gray eyes, bright even in the darkness, were indeed full of guilt and hesitation. “I consider you letting me pleasure you a privilege, Aella. I am honored that you trust me enough to be vulnerable with me.” She flushed again. He rubbed soothing circles over her pulse point. “It’s not a transaction. You don’t have to give me anything in return.” Zeydan couldn’t help but smile. He considered holding back, but Aella wasn’t the only one with a faulty filter. “Besides, you are giving me something in return. I’ve taken care of myself while thinking about the way you look when you orgasm.”

Her eyes went wide.

“Too much information?” he teasingly asked.

She gulped. “I’ve done the same. I mean, not the same, because I don’t know how you look when you, um, that. But… yeah.”

I know, Zeydan thought. He’d noticed the heady scent of her release even under her soap a few times. He didn’t say it aloud because he didn’t want to make her feel self-conscious enough to stop. See, I do still have a filter, after all; he thought.

“Great minds,” he said instead.

Aella snorted and then buried a yawn in his shoulder. “We better stop talking about that because I am genuinely tired.”

It was almost 3AM according to the clock on the wall. “Will Diana burst through your door and aim a shotgun at me for corrupting her baby sister?”

Aella laughed. “Nah. She told me you were invited to stay if I wanted.”

“Good to know,” Zeydan said.

Aella yawned again. “Mm-huh.”

Zeydan kissed her forehead. “Good night, Amazon.”

“Good night, vampire,” Aella muttered, and almost immediately fell fast asleep.

I’ll try to stay awake just in case Diana has questions about why I’m here… That was Zeydan’s last thought for the night.

CHAPTER 49

---