Page 8 of The Surrender

“No need to be such a hot mess, lizard face,” I laugh again and swoop under him, feeling the rush of fire above my head. Missed again!

As the first of the rain sheets claws the mountains on our one side, I fly back to the earth, knowing Drago will follow. Since I prefer not to tangle with the elements too much, I brace myself, steeling my spine because on land, he has the advantage. Otherwise, I could have gone for hours before he finally dropped from exhaustion.

Grinning, I land a couple of leagues from the castle with Drago not far behind. His body disrupts the ground to shiver into me. I cock my head to the side, sizing him up since he still hasn’t shifted back to his alpha god state, choosing his half-dragon. For a moment, I almost consider taunting Thayne, but we all know better. Only Merikh at full power could contest Thayne. Or Thiago, whatever the fuck he calls himself now since Quinny named him.

His chest heaves with labored breaths. They steam in the air, clashing with the icy rain.

Oh, well. Drago may have fire, a tail, and muscles. But I’m still quicker.

Both of us sheathe our wings, clamping them tight to our backs. We unleash our claws. Then remove our shirts, given the punishing rain. On the balls of our feet, we circle one another. Slowly. I imagine he’s envisioning all the ways he may crush my bones. Undoubtedly, I’ll have a number by the time we’re done here. I wince at the thought, and Drago spreads his lips into a bone-crushing vow of a smile. I flash my claws at him and wink—my own vow. He snorts, but I catch the telltale quiver in his body because he knows I’ll bleed him more and claim quite a few shredded scales.

“I’ll wager my psycho and your fairy are a few hours behind?” I ask him and inspect my claws.

“I get you all to myself until then, pretty boy,” he growls the promise.

Despite the rain, my angel hairs prick from static energy. I grin and shift into a crouch just as the lightning knifes across the sky. Thunder roars its after-response, never able to catch up. I chuckle to myself at the convenience of the weather—not uncommon but still very convenient.

Drago grits his teeth, thrusts out his bulging chest, and a deep growl rumbles the air. “My girl, fucker.”

I almost throw my head back to laugh, but instead, my blood turns to ice, I command the wind to assault my brother. Enough of a surge to shove him back and knock him off balance, so I may sink my claws into his chest, deep into the muscle, and deliver the first strike.

With a too-sinful smile, I deadpan and lower my voice to say, “My girl now.”

7

He is the embodiment of carnal desire.

QUINTESSA

Something soft tickles my cheek, stirring me from my rest. I hum, too content upon the feathery bed with memories of the past night and morning with Kyan. They stick to my thoughts like oozing, hot syrup—until a new warmth licks my cheek, coarse as sandpaper. I giggle from how it tickles.

“Aww…Jinxy,” I murmur drowsily before swinging my eyes wide open in recognition. “Jinxy!” I squeal as the little fox yips and pounces on me, licking at my neck and face while I laugh. “How are you-”

My words stop at the sight of Merikh sitting in the corner of the room, draped in the shadows as he prefers. No, sitting isn’t quite the word. Lounging like a lion but studying with those depthless-hooded eyes roaming across my figure. A distinct bloodshot pupil dilates the moment I meet his gaze. Savage mercies! All breath seizes in my lungs. My body wars with itself from my blood pulsing with a mad heat while my nerves shiver from the spine-chilling presence of the vampire.

Heart-crushingly dark and masculine, Merikh is dressed to kill in one of his three-piece suits as usual. Black pants, shirt, and tie but with an aristocratic crimson vest. He’s unbuttoned the collar, loosened the tie, and rolled the cuffs of his sleeves up his forearms to expose his pale skin eclipsed with more tattoos than mine. Mine whorl and curl to compliment the fine silver scars from whatever blade was used to trigger my blood-binding. Merikh’s ink smothers his flesh, betraying a hint of his scars. Scars I wish to know more about, though I’m far more intrigued by his greatest ones: on theinside.

He is the embodiment of carnal desire, dangerous beauty, and violent lust.

Goosebumps bud on my skin, vying with the eruption of tingles from the dark, predatory energy humming from Merikh’s figure. My nipples pebble. He has the power to bathe the room in shadows despite Kyan’s tower of full-bodied, arched windows. Thunder rumbles beyond the castle while veins of lightning strike, illuminating the rain—an ever-falling gray tapestry.

I shiver since all I wear is one of Kyan’s shirts. Long enough to reach my upper thighs but so loose and big on me, the neckline scoops low to the tops of my breasts.

Jinx nuzzles my palm, begging for more attention, but I’m frozen in the vampire’s blood-curdling stare. The fox grows bored and bats at the feathers.

“Brought you the pup,” Merikh says.

I scramble out of the bed and rush to him. Flustered, the feathers whirl into a flurry to entertain Jinx while I rush to Merikh. One lift of his hand, and I stop short, lurching. He rolls his eyes as I lose my balance and fall into an awkward spill of limbs, managing to get my arms around his neck before tumbling to the floor.

I feel more like the little pup of a fox as I touch my lips to Merikh’s cheek. He shifts before I can, so I kiss his jawline instead. “I knew you weren’t so bad.”

A low growl escapes his throat. I tremble when he hardens his grip on my hips and says in a low, menacing voice, “I’m going to prove you wrong on that, little dove. Right now.”

Sheer terror surges inside me but with a hint of a thrill from his weaponized words. The unholy glint in his eyes has my breath staggering. And the unrelenting grip upon my hip is a precursor, a promise of pain. I open my mouth to ask if he’s going to take me to some dark crypt again, some dark corner that blinds me as he strips me, then uses me as he did before. Nothing comes out.

Just as Merikh starts to rise, Jinx springs onto the vampire’s lap, nestling his comforting warmth along my side. I giggle as the pup tries to squeeze his way between us until I feel Merikh’s body harden. Beyond his open collar, the veins in his neck strain, and his breath seethes through clenched teeth.

“You are quite fortunate she cares for you, pup. Or you would have made an excellent coat by now.”

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