Page 47 of Princess of Thorns and Ruin

Sebastian’s gaze darkens, his garnet eyes almost black as he licks his lips. “Oh—I will.”

He grabs both my wrist and Fred’s and whisks us to the roped-off section located behind the pillar of the mezzanine. Sebastian unhooks the two golden magnetic clasps barring access to the secluded nook and motions us ahead. Three velvet stools, a chair, and a modern loveseat are arranged around a low, rectangular glass table, the perfect spot to rest after a night of dancing. We’re not completely out of view from the dance floor, but it’s enough.

Alec melds himself to the shadows of the pillar, his hands held in front of him, his eyes hidden behind his damn sunglasses. The position allows him to watch both sides of the room, his body angled to the dance floor.

Sebastian motions for Fred to sit between us on the loveseat, the lack of armrest making it easy for the three of us to fit on the purple cushions. Static electricity sparks along my thighs at the friction, and the loud music pounds in my ears, the vibrations of the speakers buzzing through my blood as Fred unties the bow at the back of her neck to allow Sebastian more access.

The vampire angles his body to us and unsheathes his fangs. “First thing you want to do is grab their undivided attention with your eyes. Adrenaline washes through their veins when we stalk closer to them, but you want that first rush to mellow before you touch them.” He cups Fred’s cheek and gazes directly into her eyes. She shudders at his caress, and her pupils dilate until they’re two giant black pools. Sebastian’s voice dies down to a mere whisper. “Kisses on the neck help, but for that you have to exhibit extraordinary amounts of self-control, and you’re not ready for that.”

I growl at the jab, sliding closer to Fred.

Sebastian’s eyes widen, and he shakes his head like I’m being unreasonably grumpy. “Don’t scold, I’m a realist.” He returns his attention to his prey, and I can’t help but sniff her bare shoulder, the proximity of her smooth skin drawing me in. A small sigh parts my lips as I skim the shiny braid at her back, a golden, metallic ribbon entwined in her red hair.

“If kisses are too much to bear for now, use your fingers.” He places two fingers on Fred’s jugular. “Drum a slow, soothing pulse on their neck, about 60 beats per minute. Once their heartbeat settles down, use your tongue to spread your venom over the skin. It’ll help make the bite painless.”

Fred’s eyes glaze over as Sebastian demonstrates his instructions.

“Fred is the perfect candidate. She was made for this.” Beaming with pride, he leans forward and bites into her neck.

Fred opens her mouth on a high-pitched “Oh,” the sound positively erotic.

Droplets of blood slip from Sebastian’s mouth and trickle down the slope of her neck, and my teeth pierce my gums again.

I’m so hungry, and the beast rattles in its cage, the thought of tasting—and maybe killing—Sebastian’s human woman sweeter still.

After a few meticulous gulps, Sebastian stops drinking and tucks his chin up in challenge. “Your turn.”

My vision heightens, the music dulling to a faint rhythm, my senses focussed entirely on them. Her smooth, hot skin warms my hand as I caress the nape of her neck back and forth, using the motion to slow down her heartbeats. She wants this, and her abandon sweetens the deal.

The angle allows me more space, her leg still angled toward Sebastian, the untouched side of her neck beckoning. Her cheeks are rosy and warm, full of blood, and I lick a line from her shoulder to her ear.

Fred gasps and risks a glance in my direction, and the longing in her eyes is enough to send a thrill through my entire body. She offers me her neck again, and I kiss my way back down slowly. Partly to shut Sebastian up and make him eat his earlier claim that I couldn’t handle it, but mostly to impress him.

I expect my childhood bully to chuckle or to crack a joke, but the vampire looks enthralled by the sight in front of him, and he licks his lips in anticipation. In all our years together, he’s never looked more handsome or hungry. I drink in the intense curve of his brows and the sharp angle of his jaw, yearning to test the feel of his stubble and the strength of his shoulders, but my beast is tired of waiting.

It bites down on Fred’s neck without an ounce of hesitation, and the warm human cries out, her back arching as she drops the halter straps of her dress. The two strips of black fabric fall at her waist, revealing her pert, supple breasts, and my grip on her upper arm tightens.

Sweet, sweet blood invades my mouth, dark, delicious and sparse, the mark of a well-placed veinous bite.

Sebastian teases the shell of my ear, his full, masculine lips slightly parted as he watches me feed from his first-blood.

I close my eyes and revel in her taste—a floral mix of honeydew and desire. The fear in Leo’s blood always gives me a little rush of adrenaline, but this is different. It’s insidious and delicious and humbling. I’m panting after a few seconds, my breaths heavy with lust.

I blink and meet Sebastian’s hooded gaze, and he finally shifts in his seat. “If you pair it with sex, it’s been said to be the headiest pleasure a mortal body can withstand.”

A series of whimpers tear through Fred’s throat as Sebastian squeezes her breasts, her nipples hard and dark.

The scent of her arousal fills the air, heady and strong, and I lap at the puncture wounds I just made. A rich and sugary flavor spreads across my tongue, each of her gasps spicing it up with a fresh ounce of ecstasy.

He teases her for a moment before he spreads her thighs and reaches down between her legs, hiking the hem of her dress to her waist. “Wait for the taste when she’s at the crest of her climax. It’ll change your life forever.”

Fred is not wearing underwear, allowing him full access to her folds, and I can’t help but watch as he starts to touch her there with the confidence of a lover who has done it many, many times before.

My own sex throbs as if I’m swallowing drop after drop of her impending orgasm, and I can almost feel Sebastian teasing her sensitive spot, her walls quivering around his fingers. It’s slow and sensuous, Sebastian slowing down his movements to make the moment last.

“Don’t stop,” Fred begs.

She is writhing against his hand now, and I can’t resist the urge to suck on her neck and pinch her pebbled nipple. A high-pitched gasp tears out of her throat before she quivers in our arms. “Yes, yes, yes!” she whispers softly, holding herself back from screaming like she might get punished for it later if she did.

---