I didn’t know the woods around the castle, but Drake did. Using his super speed and my magic, we practically flew across the woods, getting as far away from the castle as we could. We even ran past Crimson Glen, and kept going for hours, afraid that, if we stopped, the princes would catch up with us.

Finally, we came across an empty cottage high in the mountains and decided to stop to clean up and rest. While Drake scouted the perimeter to make sure no one had followed us, I cast a protective shield in a five-mile radius using the power from my coven’s heart.

Together, we stumbled inside the small and cozy cottage. By the looks of it, its owners hadn’t been here recently. There were clean dishes on the counter, folded linens on the couch, and the pantry was full of food.

I helped Drake to the sofa, dropped the bag with the heart on the small coffee table, and knelt beside him. “How long since you last drank blood?”

He groaned, leaning back. None of his wounds looked too bad, but after spending the night in the dungeon suffering at Alex’s hands, fighting our way out, and running for hours, he was certainly spent. “I don’t know. Over twenty-four hours, I think.”

Damn it. I rolled the sleeve of my shirt up and offered him my wrist. “Here.”

He pushed my arm away. “I won’t drink from you.”

“You have too,” I insisted. “Or you’ll have to hunt for some animal outside and you’re too weak for that.”

“But if I take from you, you’ll be weak.”

I shook my head. “I have magic, and if I need sustenance, I can cook something for myself.” He locked his dark green eyes on mine. So pained, so raw. The shine in them twisted my gut. “Please,” I whispered.

He took my arm and leaned over me. I sucked in a sharp breath, getting ready for the prickle of his fangs, but instead he planted a soft kiss on my wrist.

“I have a better idea,” he said, his voice low. He rose, pulling me with him, then gently pushed me back until I hit the wall across the room. Drake hooked his fingers under the hem of my shirt and tugged it over my head. He lowered his mouth to my shoulder and rained kisses on my skin, making my breathing grow shallow. My stomach tensed as his lips made their way up my neck as his hands clasped around my waist. “Relax,” he whispered, his breath hot against my skin.

I exhaled, but that did little to ease the anticipation growing in me. “Just get on with it.” I wasn’t afraid of his bite, not really, but I confess I wasn’t looking forward to it either.

Drake looked into my eyes. “Thea … thank you.”

I tilted my head. “I didn’t do anything.”

“You did. You saved me from myself. From them.”

I stood on tiptoes and stretched my neck so my lips were only half an inch from his. “I think you’re dizzy and mumbling nonsense.”

One corner of his lips curled up before he dipped into me and captured my lips. His tongue ravished my mouth and his hands snaked around my bare midriff. With deft fingers, he unclasped my bra. What the hell was he doing? He had to drink my blood before we did anything else.

I pulled back a little to voice my concerns, but gasped when Drake spun me around. He pressed his chest on my back, his hips on my ass—and I felt his erection. With a groan, he cupped my hips and made his way up, until his palms closed around my breasts. Despite myself, I wiggled my hips, brushing more of me against him. Finally, he pushed my long hair to the side, and I turned my head at an angle, giving him full access to my skin. His hands returned to my breasts and he leaned into my neck. He brushed his lips over my skin, drawing a shiver from me, and then bit down. I let out half a cry, half a moan.

Pure ecstasy flooded me, and when Drake pinched my nipples, I cried again. I was drowning. I was losing it. I was in damn heaven.

I moved my hips, drawing a growl from him. I clasped one of his hands and guided it down, from my breast, down to my belly, and inside my pants.

Knowing exactly what I wanted, Drake pushed his hand under my panties and brushed a finger over my clit. The mix of his touch, his bite, my feelings for him … it was too much. I melted. Needing some other support, I splayed my hands on the wall before me.

Slowly drinking from me, Drake slipped a finger inside me, while rubbing my clit with his thumb and pinching my nipple with his other hand.

“By all the sacred things,” I mumbled.

He thrust another finger inside me and pushed them deeper. Surprising me, he retreated his fangs and licked my neck. Then his mouth was over my ear. “Thank you, my love.”

My love …

His words resonated in me, and as if by magic, I climaxed, exploding in his arms.

Slowly, he slipped his fingers from me and turned me around. He leaned over me and pulled my pants all the way down. He made quick work of getting rid of his clothes, and without giving me a chance to stare at his incredible physique, he pressed against me again. He ran his hands down my hips, and on instinct, I wound my legs around his waist. He trapped me between the wall and his hard, hard body. His hands cupped my ass as he positioned my hips right on his, so I could feel how aroused he was. Heat spread through me, and I moaned from the pure bliss of knowing I made him like that.

Gently, he slid inside me.

His hands on my hips, Drake closed his eyes and growled. “Hell …” He leaned into me and mashed him mouth against mine, taking me for a deep and very, very slow kiss, matching the pace he was moving inside me.

It was too much, but still not enough. I needed more of him; I needed all of him. As much as I could, I lifted my hips and met him halfway, increasing the rhythm, taking him even deeper.

Drake bit down on my lower lip and groaned. “Thea…” It sounded like a warning, but I didn’t care, I had to keep moving. After almost losing him, I didn’t care about anything else. Just him and me. Us.

Nothing else mattered.

He placed a kiss on my neck, where he had bitten me, then his tongue trailed down, around the curve of my breast, before dipping down some more. A shiver ran up my spine when he closed his mouth around my nipple.

Crying out, I arched my back and my hands gripped his hair. He lapped his tongue around my nipple and sucked on my breasts, still pumping into me, each stroke faster and deeper than the last.

The fire took me over and I drowned in flames. I cried his name as I came. Drake sucked on my nipple one last time before pulling back and staring into my eyes. “I love you, Thea,” he groaned.

Surprised, I gasped, and before I could say anything, his mouth fell over mine. Our tongues dueled, asking, demanding everything. He thrust one, two, three times … and then he growled and clutched me to him, his body quivering against mine.

I wound my arms around him and held him tight. A deep, raw emotion filled my chest, and I whispered in his ear, “I love you too.”