Page 332 of Halfblood Deceived

They were like Zeydan’s longer canines when they were retracted.

She didn’t have the second set of angled canines like he did, though.

A blurry memory flashed in her mind’s eye—Zeydan leaning over her, his dark hair framing his face, his jade eyes full of affection, and his voice… “Take everything you need, Amazon.”

She swallowed hard, her tongue tingling with the sense-memory of drinking something hot, decadent, and familiar.

I fed on him again, didn’t I? She mused.

Her throat and stomach tightened with hunger, but she felt no desire to eat food.

I want Zeydan, that almost predatory side of her demanded.

“Oh-oh,” she muttered as her eyes went from gray to purple and her pupils turned vertical, like a cat’s.

Her canines lengthened. The pulling sensation in her upper jaw was utterly bizarre, but not surprising. She remembered all too well Israel’s foul little speech. She remembered she was half-vampire now. Had always been.

Aella took a deep breath. “A shower will help.”

She was clean, but she needed a shower.

ASAP.

Before she did something.

Something like walking out of the bathroom, straddling Zeydan’s lap, and sinking her canines into his neck.

Her heart seemed to take a trip south.

“Shower,” Aella repeated. “Cold shower.”

She all but jumped inside the glass cubicle and opened the faucet all the way.

* * *

The shower helped, but Aella wasn’t ready to face Zeydan just yet.

So she dithered by drying her hair until it was straight down her back. Thank the goddess the bathroom was connected to the walk-in closet. Aella found a terrifying amount of new clothes there, all her size, and her favorite crazy socks. She went with a pair of black leggings, an oversize cream sweater that just about covered her backside, a pair of crazy toe-socks, and tennis shoes.

And she had nothing left to do.

“Don’t be a chicken,” she muttered and left the bathroom.

Her eyes immediately landed on Zeydan, who was leaning against the wall by the balcony, smiling at her.

“Hello, Amazon,” he said.

Aella smiled. “Hello, vampire.” Her heart pumped so fast that it felt too big for her ribcage. She wanted to touch him. She needed to.

Her body moved before her mind, and she rushed toward him.

Zeydan met her halfway, sweeping her in his arms as if she were weightless.

Aella laughed and held onto him, burying her nose in his clean hair. Rosemary shampoo, tangerines, cypress, perfect.

He breathed deeply. “You look gorgeous.”

She smiled, delighted but abashed. “So do you. It should be illegal to be so ridiculously beautiful.”

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