CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Walking into his home with Ava glued to his side was not going to ease the problems between him and Ella, but he had no choice. The terrified woman wouldn’t stay anywhere else. He understood her terror, knowing Jose was out there. She was a target because of their association, and he felt compelled to assist her. But damn it to hell, couldn’t he just get a break? He raked his hands through his disorderly hair, knowing he needed a cut and shave. Checking his watch, which read eleven thirty, only confirmed what he already knew. He was late.
“Just wait here while I check in with Ella.” He gave a quick sweep around the open-plan living room that was shaded in darkness aside from a corner lamp.
“Do you have to check in with your wife about every little detail?” Ava stepped closer and pressed her hand on his shirt right over his heart.
A sudden click and the light next to him switched on. Ella lay sprawled on the leather couch opposite them. He removed Ava’s hand from his chest and let it fall. He needed to be clear with her about where his feelings lay. Although he thought his demonstration at the hospital would have sufficed. Damn, this woman was a thorn in his side.
“Ella, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
Ella sat back, resting against the cushions. Her fingers twisted in her hair and she sucked the end in her mouth. He ran his gaze over her flushed face, long bare legs, and messy waves, noticing that she only wore his Navy SEAL T-shirt, and his mouth dried up like the Sahara.
“You said you wanted to talk so I waited,” Ella said with a husky voice that touched each one of his sensitive nerve endings.
His mind froze, but his dick rose to attention. Hell, this was pure hell as Ava stood next to him. Ella smiled sweetly, and he longed to run his hands all over her legs and an image of them being wrapped around his waist caused his mouth to fall open. He swallowed down an invisible lump in his throat.
“Ava needs to stay for a while. I’ll show her to the guest room and be right back down.”
At his words, Ella let her hair slip from her hands. Her eyes slid to the woman next to him. He switched his gaze to Ava as well to check what she was doing. He didn’t trust her and wondered not for the first time what had prompted him to ever get involved with her. Staring over her hourglass frame in her tight clothes, the answer was obvious. Sex. She was willing and as desperate as he had been for relief. He blew out a deep breath as he let his eyes roam back over at Ella. She was the one woman he would settle for a night in front of a cozy fire, simply talking. He wanted a lifetime with her, even with their differences.
“There are clean sheets on the bed, and an extra blanket in the closet in case you get cold, Ava. I hope you sleep well,” Ella said.
“Thank you for letting me stay,” said Ava.
He studied his beautiful wife as her golden locks shone under the light. Under the circumstances, she was hiding her emotions well, but if he scratched under the surface, a million questions lay in wait, he knew. Finding a suitable safe house for Ava was a priority.
“Come on, I’ll show you the way.” He glanced over his shoulder at Ava, who clutched her arm and nodded. He proceeded to walk at a quick pace through the living room and up the stairs, headed for the guest room at the back of the house. He pushed the wooden door open and walked in. The smell of new carpet and a light scent of vanilla greeted him. He looked around; Ella had changed the sheets, as if anticipating their guest. He walked over to the large picture window that overlooked the neat fenced-in yard at the back with a small brick patio area, and turned around.
Ava studied the room and sat down on the edge of the queen-sized bed covered in a duck-egg blue quilt. “I’m not sure what to do next.”
Marcus sighed. “Do you think Jose knows you’re an FBI agent?” Marcus moved and stood by the door with his hands in his pockets. He studied the woman, unsure of her thoughts as she smoothed her hands over her thighs.
“Everything’s a mess. I can’t go back. I’m not even sure if I can return to the FBI, and I cannot hide out here forever.” Her head dipped low. Ava was a strong woman but right now, she was alone.
“Look, we don’t have to figure it all out tonight. Get some rest and we can talk about it some more tomorrow. Steel said there were options. You need to sleep and clear your head. Then you can think more clearly.” He needed to talk with Ella and he didn’t have any answers for Ava, at least not right now. He was exhausted. Marcus took a step to the door but she pulled on his sleeve, making him stop and look back at her.
“Jose doesn’t leave loose ends. That’s what I am. It’s what you are. No one escapes him.”
Marcus swallowed down her words. His job always meant his life was at risk, always in danger. He was used to that. As an FBI agent, she should be used to that too. What else was she worried about? He twisted around and studied her.
“Is there anything else you need to tell me? Like why Jose arrived when he did at the hotel? Why didn’t he trust you?”
She started to cry and covered her face with her hands, but he stayed exactly where he was. He couldn’t be her shoulder to cry on.
“Maybe he never did. I don’t know. I had a few appointments lately, and we hadn’t been getting along. Maybe he was suspicious.”
“Why?” he asked.
Ava removed her hands from her face but covered her mouth. Marcus observed her pale cheeks moist from her tears. She looked paler than normal and dark shadows nursed her eyes. Suddenly she rose from the bed and dashed into the bathroom. He stepped closer but stopped when he heard her retching. He wanted to leave but couldn’t, and walked inside to find her over the sink, wiping her face with a wet washcloth. She flushed the toilet and turned to face him.
“We hadn’t been sharing a bed and he didn’t like that,” she said. For a second, he was lost. She wiped her mouth with some paper towels and brushed past him back into the bedroom, lying down on the bed with her arm folded over her eyes.
“Why weren’t you sharing a bed?”
“I didn’t want to disturb him and half the time he wasn’t there anyway. He was always traveling. I didn’t think he would miss me.”
There was something she was holding back and he wasn’t sure why. “Ava, are you pregnant?”
As his words left his mouth, she sat upright on the bed and removed her arms from her ashen face. Her eyes were wide like pools of black coffee.
“Please, don’t tell anyone. I’m not sure I’m going to keep it. Like I said, Drayton. Everything is a mess.”
He scratched his head. He couldn’t for the life of him understand what had prompted Ava to call him in the first place. He narrowed his eyes. “You called me because you were alarmed at the increasing numbers of women disappearing from the streets. You said you had evidence as to who was involved. We’ve established that it was my old boss Philip Jackson from the FBI. That bastard, I thought he was dead. What I don’t get is why, when we met, you were naked in bed in that hotel, ready to carry on where we left off if you’re pregnant? I was there all of fifteen minutes before your husband and his men arrived. You’re not that stupid and neither am I.” He raised his voice and wiped his mouth. He hated feeling played and something about her story didn’t make sense.
She leaped off the bed and stood next to him. “I didn’t set you up if that’s what you think, but I can’t deny I needed your help.”
Marcus stared at her, noting there were no outward, obvious signs of a pregnancy and that morning sickness occurred in the first trimester, when it could be hidden.
“Is the baby Jose’s?”
Ava looked at him and blinked before she nodded. He was as sure as he could be at this point she was telling the truth. He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.
“Then, once again, why? Why put yourself at risk and why did you need my help?”
She backed away and crossed her arms over her belly. “If I stayed, he would know I was pregnant, and he would make me have the child. I couldn’t do that. Not there, not with him.” She turned away and walked to the window. “I don’t know if I want to be a mother, but he can’t ever know. He’s a monster, and I know he absolutely cannot be a father.”
It was a mess but this wasn’t his mess. Geez, he had enough to sort out. He still didn’t trust her and that sensation didn’t ease.
“Okay, but babies don’t just happen.”
“You don’t understand, Drayton. I had no control. I couldn’t do anything. He wanted to get me with child, okay?”
He stared at her long and hard. Even if what she said was true, it was her choice to stay with the bastard and marry him. She had made a choice.
“Well, nothing is going to change overnight and it’s Josephine’s funeral tomorrow. There are things I need to sort out before then. Good night, Ava.”
He walked to the door and held it with his hand to close it behind him. He couldn’t help her in the way she wanted him to, which meant he had to keep his distance.
“I’m sorry, Marcus, for all the trouble I’ve landed at your feet, but I meant what I said earlier. I never stopped loving you.”
A hard blow like a fist to the belly twisted inside as her words sunk in. He wasn’t responsible for the decisions she made. It wasn’t his fault, he told himself. He kept walking and closed the door behind him. He didn’t know all her secrets, he was sure, but one thing he knew a hundred percent—Ava was trouble. When he reached the bottom stairs, he heard the clink of glass and his gaze shot straight to the kitchen area where a light shone. Ella stood there with a glass of red wine in her hand. He walked over and raked his hand through his hair. They needed to talk, but he wasn’t sure that talking would do them any good tonight. He hoped it wouldn’t lead to more arguments. His head was going to explode. When he reached her, he opened the cupboard door and reached for a glass, filling it with the fragrant wine. Lifting the drink to his lips, he took a large gulp, but placed it back on the countertop.
“Before you say anything, Ella, yes, Ava and I have a past. I make no apologies for the women I have slept with before I met you. You know how I lived my life. I didn’t have relationships. The only woman who made a difference to all that—the only woman who made me feel again was you. You made me want to be a better man but before you, I was a bastard, okay?”
He rested his hands on either side of the granite countertop, with Ella trapped in the center unable to flee or walk away. He wanted her full attention, and watched as she sipped her wine, both hands caressing the slim glass. Waves of her hair fell over her cheeks and he brushed several strands back to tuck them behind her ear.
“It’s clear she has feelings for you, Drayton,” she said in a soft voice.
His thumb rubbed her high cheekbone and she tilted her head looking sideways, but he moved to press his firm body against hers. “You know where my heart lies, Ella. I’m sorry Ava is here, but she needs help, and as much as I want to walk away, I can’t. It’s complicated.”
“I remember using that word—often—to describe my life to you!”
He stared, fascinated by her. He knew the word complicated would bring back memories of their first meeting, but he didn’t mean it that way. He reached for her glass and placed it back on the side, mesmerized by the sweeping action of her tongue over her full, now red lips. Marcus needed to talk but his body had other ideas. He longed to sink himself into her heat. He inhaled a deep breath.
“It’s time we cleared the air, Ella. Now I have you right where I want you. You’re too stubborn for your own good. Beautiful, smart, and independent, but stubborn—too stubborn. You’re right. When I think back to the day you were taken, I cannot help but wonder if you had stayed put like I asked, things may have been different.”
Ella pressed her hands and dug her nails in his arms. The touch of her sent electric tingles through his veins. Her blue eyes widened and sparkled. A heat stole across her cheeks and he knew her hackles were rising. Breathing out and letting his shoulders drop, he relinquished his anger toward her.
“But, I honestly don’t think it would have changed the outcome. Your abduction was organized and planned. Steel did a full sweep of this house and founds several bugs. We discovered the mole. One of the gardeners. He’s been removed. He didn’t give us any information we didn’t have already. None of what happened is your fault. I’m sorry.”
He watched as she swallowed but kept silent as she continued to examine him intensely.
“I’m not used to feeling powerless but when you’re in harm’s way, that’s how I feel. I know I cannot be here twenty-four seven, but damn it, Ella, if you worked with me, not against, it would help. The Elusti killed my father and my child. I will bring them to their knees, but there’s a rage increasing inside me. I feel it, and it’s trying to break free. I’m not sure I can control it much longer.”
Marcus didn’t remove his gaze from Ella, but she tilted her head to the side and pushed against his arms.
“Marcus, I need to tell you something.”
“At the hospital, I was out of control.”
This time, he let her break free of his hold and stared as she picked her wine glass back up. Ella marched into the living room and he talked as he followed.
“I have been blind to who we are and what that means. I cannot believe Josephine’s gone. I realize she was right. We are targets no matter what we do. Our magic makes us a commodity to those who seek power. You’re also right about not hiding our gifts but using them. It may be the only way to stay safe. I know you showed Steel a side of yourself you haven’t shared with me and that helped the team with my rescue. He told me. Ella, look at me.”
Ella stood with her back to him, facing the fireplace, but she turned around. There were no tears; her eyes held his and he sensed her complete focus on him. He stepped closer. Not too close—there was more to say.
“Okay.”
“Okay?” He raised his eyebrows, unsure as to her meaning.
“Okay, because finally we’re getting somewhere. Honestly, Drayton, the best you can come up with is that I’m stubborn? Really? You’re the most infuriating and stubborn man I have ever met. When will you realize this is an equal partnership? You don’t get to take charge and make all the decisions. I’m here. We’re supposed to be a team. The Elusti has taken from me too, and no one wants revenge more than I do. I’m not a fragile little girl who needs protecting. When will you realize that? You need to sit down and listen to me.” She pointed at the leather chair.
Rather than say anything, he sat down. He crossed one leg over the other and studied her, admiring her inner strength.
Ella took two short steps and knelt in front of him, closing her eyes. “I don’t mind you losing control if it results in you making love to me, Drayton. I can deal with that. Now, listen. In the beginning, I didn’t know if I wanted the baby. I was scared as to what the professor had injected me with and the effect that would have on the baby. Plus, everything happened fast between us. I didn’t…” She paused and sat back on her haunches.
“Trust—is that the word you’re looking for?”
Ella opened her eyes and he sat forward as she nodded. “When you insisted on the tests, which showed that the baby was developing normally, my heart burst. When the baby kicked, I couldn’t ignore what was happening, even if I still didn’t want to think too far ahead. But I wanted our son. You need to know how much I love him. I would rather have died that day than let him be harmed. Do you hear me?”
Tears fell down her cheeks and his eyes zeroed in on them, but he didn’t move. Why did she insist on believing their child was a boy, even now? He sat back and rubbed his temple.
“Drayton, Josephine didn’t believe our child died. I heard the professor telling the doctors or whoever was in the room to dump me with the fetus, when minutes before he used the term baby. I think he switched them. I keep hearing a baby cry. I know this may sound crazy to you, but in my heart, it’s our son. He’s reaching out to us. Can you try to believe that? We need to come together, not only use our gifts but join forces. You need to trust me. You’re right. At the start, I didn’t trust you, but now, there is no one I trust more. Can you say the same? Only I still sense you holding back. There are things we both need to share with each other. No secrets.”
Her hand smoothed over his left one and she lifted it up to face them as she laced her fingers in his, stirring his heart. “Where is your ring, Drayton? And if you didn’t sleep with Ava, why were you both undressed?” she said, her voice low and husky.
Marcus pulled his silver chain from under his dark shirt that held his Navy SEAL dog tags. Dangling on the chain was his wedding ring.
“I gave them to Jake for safekeeping before I went to meet Ava. I take my vows seriously, Ella. We will fall out and argue—that’s not going to change. I see that now. I’m a hard bastard to please at times. Impatient, domineering. I like to take control, but you have me, body and soul.”
Ella stretched forward to lift his chain from around his neck and he dipped his head to allow her easy access. He was so turned on by her need to claim him. Did she know the effect she had on him? The scent that was all Ella, light and sweet, invaded his nostrils. She undid the clasp and removed the platinum ring, placing it back on his finger. Afterward, she replaced the chain around his neck. As she stretched up, her rounded breasts pressed into him. Those few moments sent his crazy heart into overdrive. Her actions were erotic to him. His impulse was to take what was his. Each nerve ending twitched with desire; he grabbed her with both hands around her waist and brought her down to sit on his lap.
“Why do you refer to the baby as a boy? Why?” he asked, unable to keep it locked inside.
Ella wriggled and pressed her bottom against his painfully erect cock. She placed her hands on either side of his face and he considered her eyes that darkened with a deep blue.
“Because when I think back over everything you told me—you told me once, in your dream of me and our child—you saw a boy. I believe in you. I believe in Nate. Josephine told me he would need us. Marcus, we have to find him.”
A heaviness weighed him down. He remembered the dream, but that was exactly what it was. Examining every inch of her face, he knew without a doubt she believed her words. But he couldn’t. Their baby was dead. He wanted revenge, but it wouldn’t change that fact. Why couldn’t she accept that? Lifting her off his lap, he set her down on her bare feet and stood. Words wouldn’t form. It was too much. Tomorrow, he buried Josephine. A rising storm gathered. He clenched his fists and walked away from her.
“That’s it? Is this how it will be when you cannot face something? You think it’s okay to walk away? I didn’t take you for a quitter, Drayton.”
He didn’t make it to the steps. He paused, not wanting to get into this; it was late. He unclenched and clenched his hands, forcing himself not to react. “Don’t push this, Ella,” he said in a strangled voice.
“Why? Why won’t you consider the possibility, even after all that you have seen? After everything we have been through? Why won’t you trust me?”
Quick padding across the floor told him she stood behind him. Why wouldn’t she let it go?
“Drayton, look at me.” Her voice insisted he turn.
Brimming with anger, he pivoted around to give her what she wanted. Looking down at her petite five-foot-five frame, he crossed his arms to prevent himself from throttling her. The pulse in his neck thumped away as his heart staggered to regain a normal rhythm. She stood brazen but laughable in his navy T-shirt that drowned her. She held her hands on her hips, ready to battle. An overwhelming need to make her see sense made him grip her shoulders.
“It’s not about trust. You’ve been through a horrific experience. You’re grieving. Willing that reality was different, but the fact remains. Our child is dead. That is what I believe.”
She gasped and shrugged out of his hold. “Well, I don’t. Isabella knows the building that I was held in when I gave birth. I’m going there. I want to see it. Will you come with me or not?”
There was no easy way out of this. Tomorrow, he lay his mother to rest, a woman whose entire life was strewn with secrets meant to keep him safe. He nodded at Ella, the woman he loved with every cell in his body. He had no choice but to walk this path with her. He hoped his sanity would be strong enough for them both. He reached out his arms and grabbed his wife to hold her tight.
“Let’s get some sleep.”
“I don’t want to sleep, Drayton. I want you to lose control—with me.”
All the pent-up frustration and rage morphed into a feverish craving. He hoisted her up in his arms and carried her upstairs, not stopping until they stood inside their bedroom. Releasing Ella to stand in front of him, he kissed her hard, but released her to rip her T-shirt off. Ella stood naked, smiling at him. He tugged off his shirt and removed his pants. As he lifted his head, Ella backed toward the massive bed. He prowled toward her and let his gaze wander over every delicious inch of her delicate curves. She was irresistible. Silky skin flowed like cream, but his gaze paused at a thin pink scar that ran across her belly. Marcus dropped to his knees and he held her hips, bringing her body into contact with his. Her thighs brushed against his powerful muscular arms and her peachy scent drove him wild.
Skin touched skin.
His eyes stared at the permanent reminder of what had been stolen from them. He lifted his head to absorb her blue irises that flared with desire and he lay tiny kisses along the scar while he watched her. He wouldn’t rest until he killed every bastard involved in hurting her and their baby. Ella panted and ran her hands through his hair, tugging on the ends. Marcus pressed his hand on her belly.
“Lie back on the bed. I won’t let you fall,” he said.
Ella arched back and he carefully lowered her down. He leaned his powerful physique over her body and kissed the bare skin of her belly, leaving a trail of soft kisses all the way down to her mound. The subtle scent of Ella’s arousal drove him mad. Marcus wanted to make her lose control. He spread her thighs wide to expose her most intimate part to him to peruse.
“Marcus, please.”
Lifting his gaze, he met Ella’s desperate plea and watched as she caressed her nipples, tweaking the hard buds, mesmerized by her sexuality. Dragging his gaze away, he returned to kiss her wet folds and flicked his tongue, pressing deep inside and touching her wet heat. She arched under him, wriggling and moaning, but he held her hips, bringing her closer to his mouth for him to feast upon. He licked and sucked her juices, savoring the tartness that was Ella. Flicking his tongue in and out, he swept along the seam, building her fire.
Ella lifted her bottom slightly; Marcus pulled away, needing to watch her as she came apart. He replaced his tongue with a finger. As he pushed it deep inside her hot core, her muscles welcomed him as they clenched tight around him. He pressed another one inside and Ella pushed her hand down on his. She was close to an orgasm, but he wanted to be buried balls deep inside when it came. Marcus removed his fingers, stood up and, before Ella could react, he leaned his chest over her and nudged her sex with his rock-hard arousal.
Staring down at his golden beauty with her body spread before him like a veritable feast, he couldn’t hold back any longer. When her blue eyes sparkled at him, he sank into her moist depths to claim her. He rocked back and forth, filling her tight channel to the hilt. He groaned at the penetration and reveled in the feel of her. Ella linked her legs around his back and molded their bodies together. His hands ran all over her rounded breasts, claiming what belonged to him. A throaty grunt of satisfaction at his possession came from his lips as he moved faster and faster inside her body. The walls of her vagina tightened around his cock and the ripples of pleasure took over.
Watching Ella as she writhed in ecstasy beneath him took his breath away. Her wavy hair spread around her like a halo and her cheeks glistened with his lovemaking. He cupped her breast and rubbed the deep-pink nipple, watching as she breathed slowly and her body undulated under him. Marcus kissed her swollen rosebud lips, tasting her sweetness there too, and pushed his hips forward to slow his rhythm, wanting to stay connected like this forever. But Ella lifted her hips up and clenched her muscles tight. His heartbeat soared like a bird and his tongue dueled with hers. The beast inside wanted control.
An incontrollable need to devour Ella rose and he broke the kiss. Baring his teeth, a pain erupted inside his gums as his canines grew and elongated. He didn’t stop to question what was happening as an incredible thirst for her overtook him. Ella’s pulse on her neck throbbed like a light drawing him closer. His gaze fixed on the vein on her neck as it beat and his mouth watered. Time slowed. Reaching for Ella’s shoulders, he gripped them hard and plunged his teeth into the pulse that throbbed.
A scream left her mouth and she jerked in his clasp, but he couldn’t stop and gripped her shoulders harder. Salty liquid filled his mouth and he drank her sweet blood, swallowing the liquid down his throat as though his life depended on it. The taste, like an aphrodisiac, fired and shocked every cell in his body into motion, relieving the tension that clawed inside. Each cell twitched and burst to life. Glittering stars burst in front of his eyes. A clear vision penetrated his brain. A moan surrounded him and Ella pressed her breasts up into his chest.
The sound was from her.
The initial fear he felt from her that swamped his veins vanished and switched to hot, rampant lust. Her hands gripped his head in place at her neck. Still buried deep inside Ella, his cock twitched as it grew hard like granite and a frenzy to drive himself deeper and deeper inside until she begged for mercy began. He needed her to lose all control and scream his name. He wanted her to submit to his complete control. Each time he plunged inside, Ella slanted her body closer. The frantic pace increased until the spiraling euphoria inside his blood ruptured and he removed his teeth from her neck. He growled out loud.
“Ella.” The deep, guttural voice was his, but it sounded alien. He felt feral and wild. All his muscles tightened and flexed. Ella dug her nails in his arms and he flew. Marcus’s weightless form rose above his body. The orgasm that captured him lifted him far away and his body exploded with tiny electrical impulses that coursed through his veins. He shook with the sensations that flowed through him. Images flickered—Josephine, his son, and Ella—as he trembled. Coming back down to earth, Marcus slumped down on Ella’s soft body, sated and exhausted. Beneath him, Ella rocked back and forth; he lifted his head to brush her lips with his, leaving a gentle kiss.
She opened her eyes. She was sluggish but still aroused. The blue irises sparkled like sunlight on the ocean. “Don’t stop,” she said, her voice but a whisper. She rubbed and arched her neck.
His cock remained hard and his body tuned into her need, rocking into her again. He prided himself on his prowess and strength but right now his body buzzed with an unquenchable thirst. The incredible power he felt inside his muscles was amazing. He wanted to ravish Ella all night long. Marcus groaned. His gaze flicked back at the erotic Ella; she undulated beneath him with a fervor that burned through her body.
Ella, I feel your desire raging through me, and it’s like a fever. I want to possess you until you’re sore from me.
He didn’t say the words, merely thought them, but she lifted her gaze to him.
I don’t want you to stop.
Her voice entered his mind as clear as day. He noted her ragged breathing and she opened her mouth, inviting him in. A powerful need gripped him and he slid his tongue inside her mouth. As her soft tongue played with his, he explored every part and gathered her body to his. Whatever was happening, Ella was equally affected. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed their bodies together. He withdrew from her heat and she gasped.
In one fluid motion, he rolled and brought her on top of his body, slick with a fine sheen of sweat from the exertion. Holding her hips, he lifted her above his erection. He looked deep into her glazed eyes as she stared down at him; she licked her lips and tilted her pelvis, rubbing the moist tip of his stiff arousal. She moved her hips from side to side, teasing. She leaned over his chest and brought her breasts close to his mouth. Enjoying her playful side, he allowed her to wriggle and taunt him, but after another nudge over his sensitive tip, he held her still and plunged his cock, impaling her and making her cry out loud. Holding her waist, he tilted his hips to thrust upward and she leaned over him, rocking back and forth. Marcus cradled one breast with his hand and rubbed the pebbled bud with his thumb. He grabbed her other nipple in his mouth to suck.
Ella blinked and panted as he continued his assault everywhere until she lay on his firm chest, out-of-control gyrating and moaning. Marcus let her take over as she rocked her body against his, feeling her pulsing orgasm building and climbing inside. As Ella cried out, holding his shoulders, the waves hit through her body, shaking her. Marcus pushed deep, riding the wave with her to his own release and kissed her tenderly on her forehead as she collapsed on his body.
Brushing her hair to the side, he saw two neat puncture wounds surrounded by dried blood. On instinct, he flicked his tongue over the area and licked. The marks disappeared, but a thirst like he had never known before made him lick his lips and want more. He closed his eyes and let his breathing settle down to calm his need. He listened to Ella’s breathing; once she was asleep, he removed himself from her embrace and slid out of bed.
He stood at the edge of the bed and watched her lying on her belly, cradling the soft pillow. What had taken place both shocked and aroused him at the same time. When they had mated months ago, it had been intense, but he hadn’t drunk her blood. He hadn’t fully realized they had mated until Ella explained later. It wasn’t as if he had mated before or received any specific training. Josephine mentioned a few rules but the intensity he was meant to feel didn’t occur until today. They may have started the ritual months ago, but it hadn’t come close to what transpired between them tonight. He felt different inside and out.
The yearning that had been calling to him withdrew after tasting her blood. He narrowed his eyes and moved his jaw side to side. Opening his mouth, he stuck his fingers inside and touched the sharp canines on top.
They were new.
His finger smoothed over the pointed tip that now appeared normal in size. He shook his head and rubbed his face with his hands. Had he imagined it? But as his eyes zeroed in on Ella’s neck once more, he salivated with a hunger that made his heart pound and his beast call for more. Leaving the bedside, he padded over to the window to study the moon outside. It was huge in the night sky. The pale full moon beckoned and its shadow spilled onto the inky ocean. He glanced back at Ella and her emotions pulsed inside him.
Calm. Fear. Confusion. Desire.
Lifting his head skyward, he inhaled and his body stiffened with excitement. He needed to know whether what he believed was true, and what the drinking of blood signified. Fast. His heart beat accelerated. As he focused his hearing, there was a second heartbeat. Hers. It echoed inside him. She was inside him. In his blood. There were owls hooting, snakes crawling, mice scurrying around, and a family of deer treading through the forest close by. He could hear them all. A multitude of voices swam in his mind. He couldn’t make out who they belonged to, but he pushed them away until only the thoughts of one remained. Hers. He slid back into bed and touched her skin, kissing her shoulder. She moaned his name and that was all he needed.